About St. Peter Son · Enola, Pennsylvania
St. Peter Son Korean Catholic Community is a Korean-language Catholic parish serving the Harrisburg-area Korean faithful from its home at 571 Valley Road in Enola, Pennsylvania, in the village of Summerdale at the foot of Blue Mountain. It is the first Asian parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg and the fifth Korean Catholic church in Pennsylvania, formally established and dedicated by Bishop Joseph P. McFadden in the summer of 2012. The community is named after Saint Peter Son Sonji, a Korean catechist and martyr canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1984, and offers Sunday and weekday Mass celebrated in Korean under the care of priests sent by the Diocese of Jeonju, South Korea.
- Established
- 2012
- Patron
- St. Peter Son Sonji (손선지 베드로)
- Rector
- Rev. Sanghun Lee
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
Why belong here
St. Peter Son is the spiritual home of Korean Catholics in the greater Harrisburg area, offering Sunday and weekday Mass celebrated entirely in Korean by priests sent in partnership with the Diocese of Jeonju, South Korea. The parish is small, around 250 members drawn from several midstate counties, which gives it an intimate, family feel — one Bishop of Harrisburg called it a 'vibrant Korean faith community' that is 'a great gift to our local Church.' For Korean-speaking Catholics and anyone drawn to Korea's rich Catholic martyr tradition, the community offers a place to worship in their own language, pass on the faith to children, and keep their Catholic culture and traditions alive in central Pennsylvania.
Mass times at St. Peter Son
Weekly Mass schedule
History of the Parish
Korean Catholics have worshipped together in central Pennsylvania for more than forty years. Before St. Peter Son had a building of its own, visiting priests from the Korean Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia traveled to the midstate to celebrate occasional Korean-language Masses in the homes of the faithful. In 1989 the Diocese of Jeonju, South Korea, began formally sending priests to the community, and by 1995 the faithful were gathering weekly for Korean Mass at the chapel of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Church in New Cumberland, with religious-education classes and social events held at a home in Lemoyne. Bishop Joseph P. McFadden of Harrisburg officially established St. Peter Son Korean Catholic Community in August 2011, and on July 8, 2012, the new parish was dedicated at the former Summerdale Alliance Church building at 571 Valley Road in Enola. The dedication was concelebrated by Bishop McFadden and the Most Rev. Lee Byong-Ho, Bishop of Jeonju, marking the bond between the parish and its sister diocese in Korea.
- Founded as an apostolate of the Diocese of Harrisburg
- Dedicated July 8, 2012
- First Asian parish in the diocese
The Patron Saint
The parish is named for St. Peter Son Sonji (손선지 베드로), a married lay catechist and martyr from the Diocese of Jeonju. Born in 1820 in Imcheon, Chungcheong-do, he was killed during the waves of Christian persecution that swept the Korean peninsula in the mid-19th century and died for the faith on December 13, 1866. He was beatified in 1968 and canonized with the other Korean Martyrs by Pope St. John Paul II in Seoul on May 6, 1984. His liturgical feast is kept on December 13 each year, and he is honored alongside his companions among the Korean Martyrs on September 20.
- Born c. 1820 in Imcheon, Chungcheong-do, South Korea
- Lay catechist and married
- Died December 13, 1866
- Beatified October 6, 1968
- Canonized May 6, 1984, in Seoul
- Feast day: December 13
Priests and Leadership
St. Peter Son has been shepherded by priests sent in close cooperation with the Diocese of Jeonju. Rev. Jae-Sik Yang served as the founding pastor in 2012 and celebrated the inaugural Korean-language Sunday Mass at 10 a.m. in the new parish building. Rev. Yeongtae Thomas Kim was the pastor in late 2024 and concelebrated the First-Sunday-of-Advent Mass with Bishop Timothy C. Senior during his pastoral visit in December 2024. Most recently, the Diocese of Harrisburg appointed Rev. Sanghun Lee as the new pastor effective April 10, 2025.
- Rev. Jae-Sik Yang — founding pastor (2012)
- Rev. Yeongtae Thomas Kim — pastor through late 2024
- Rev. Sanghun Lee — pastor, effective April 10, 2025
Mass and Worship Schedule
All Masses at St. Peter Son are celebrated in the Korean language for the parish's community and for Korean Catholics traveling from across the midstate. The parish's home page lists Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. and a Wednesday Mass at 10:00 a.m., and a third-party Mass directory also lists additional weekly Masses on Wednesday evening and Thursday. Confession, adoration, and other devotional times are not published on the parish or diocesan pages and are best confirmed by calling the parish office.
- Sunday: 10:00 AM (Korean)
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM (Korean)
- Wednesday: 7:30 PM (Korean)
- Thursday: 5:30 PM (Korean)
Community Life and Fellowship
St. Peter Son gathers about 250 members from several midstate counties and has long been a place where Korean Catholics in the Harrisburg region can preserve their language, culture, and Catholic traditions. After Mass, parishioners share fellowship in the parish hall — including on special occasions such as the December 2024 Advent visit by Bishop Senior. Religious-education classes, once held in a private home in Lemoyne, are a continuing part of the community's ministry to families, and the parish works with the Diocese of Harrisburg's Korean Apostolate to encourage vocations and to coordinate pastoral care for Korean Catholics throughout the region.
- Fellowship after Mass in the parish hall
- Religious education for children
- Coordination through the Diocese of Harrisburg Korean Apostolate
Within the Diocese of Harrisburg
St. Peter Son is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, where it holds the distinction of being the first Asian parish in the diocese. Because of its particular mission to Korean Catholics, the community is also linked with the Diocese of Jeonju, South Korea, which has supplied priests to the parish since 1989. Diocesan leaders have repeatedly affirmed the parish as a vital and welcome part of the local Church — Bishop McFadden spoke at the 2012 dedication of the 'beautiful mosaic' of cultures in the diocese, and Bishop Senior told the community during his 2024 visit, 'We are so blessed to have such a vibrant Korean faith community here in our Diocese.'
- First Asian parish in the Diocese of Harrisburg
- Sister-diocese relationship with the Diocese of Jeonju, South Korea
- Pastoral visit by Bishop Timothy C. Senior on December 1, 2024
Planning Your Visit
The parish is located at 571 Valley Road in Enola, Pennsylvania, in the village of Summerdale at the foot of Blue Mountain in northern Cumberland County. The church sits in a repurposed Protestant church building and is reachable by calling the parish office at (717) 732-1220. Because confession, adoration, and other devotional schedules are not posted online, visitors — especially those attending Mass for the first time or traveling from a distance — are encouraged to confirm the current schedule directly with the parish before visiting.
- Address: 571 Valley Road, Enola, PA 17025
- Phone: (717) 732-1220
- Language: Korean
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jae-Sik Yang2012 (at founding and dedication)
First pastor of the community, celebrated the inaugural Korean-language Sunday Mass at 10 a.m. in the new parish building.
- Rev. Yeongtae Thomas Kimthrough at least late 2024
Concelebrated Mass with Bishop Timothy C. Senior during the pastor's First-Sunday-of-Advent pastoral visit in December 2024.
- Rev. Sanghun Leeeffective April 10, 2025
Assigned as Pastor of St. Peter Son Korean Catholic Community by the Diocese of Harrisburg, effective April 10, 2025, coming from an assignment outside the Diocese of Harrisburg.