New parish established in Gwangju, Diocese of Korea

DECR Communication Service, 28/04/2026

On 26^th April 2026, Third Sunday after Pascha, of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, a momentous event occurred in the life of the Russian-speaking Orthodox Christians in the city of Gwangju, South Korea – a new parish of the Russian Orthodox Church, in honour of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, was established there.

The parish was opened at the request of the local faithful. Gwangju is the sixth-biggest city in the Republic of Korea, with a large Russian-speaking diaspora. For a long time, Orthodox Christians in the region had been unable to regularly attend divine services, living a long distance away from the existing parishes of the Diocese of Korea.

The first Divine Liturgy in the newly established parish was celebrated by Archbishop Theofan of Korea. His Eminence was assisted by Hierodeacon Nektarios (Lim).

Prior to the Liturgy, Archbishop Theofan performed a prayer service and the rite of the blessing of water, sprinkling the walls of the parish premises with holy water.

Among those who attended the first Liturgy in Gwangju, which is the historical centre of the Jeollanam-do Province, were, apart from the local residents, Orthodox Christians from Mokpo, Yeosu and other cities in the province. Many parishioners at long last received the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion.

For the time being, the parish uses rented premises. However, as Archbishop Theofan pointed out in his homily, the main thing has already happened – the Lord granted the faithful the opportunity to gather for worship and participate in the sacraments.

After the Liturgy, the archpastor congratulated the congregation on that long-awaited occasion, encouraging the parishioners to contribute further to organizing the life of the parish and constructing the church building. The celebrations continued during a fraternal repast, website of the Korea Diocese reports.

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New parish established in Gwangju, Diocese of Korea

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons