On August 15, 2025, the parishioners of Korean Martyrs Catholic Center gathered with their pastor, Fr. Benedict Yang, to bless their renovated parish hall. At the parish council meeting, it had been decided that the new hall should be known as “Columban Hall.” This was the parish’s way of thanking the priests of the Missionary Society of St. Columban for their service to the community since the parish’s founding in 1977.
Korean Martyrs is a Catholic parish in Orange County, California, about 45 miles south of Los Angeles. It was established to serve the spiritual and social needs of the Korean Catholics in the area. Its older members are immigrants from Korea, most of whom arrived in America in the 1970s and 1980s. The younger members are now second and third-generation Korean Americans.
While the majority of Korean immigrants to California settled in Los Angeles, many also found their way to Orange County (OC), south of the city. But while Los Angeles had three parishes providing Mass in the Korean language, in OC, there were none.
In April 1977, eleven Korean Catholic families gathered in one of their houses to look for ways to resolve this problem. With the support of the local bishop, they arranged to have a Mass celebrated in Korean in the nearby Blessed Sacrament parish. But their dream was to build a church that would not only provide Masses in Korean but also would become a gathering place for Koreans in the area.
In November 1978, a Columban missionary priest, Fr. Frank Mannion, was appointed as pastor of the growing community. Fr. Mannion had served as a missionary priest in Korea for 25 years before being appointed to the American region to minister to newly arrived Korean immigrants. While he continued to celebrate Korean Masses in the nearby Blessed Sacrament parish, Fr. Mannion understood the need for Korean Catholics to have a church that would cater specifically to their own religious and cultural needs. He began searching for a suitable building, knowing that if he could provide the facilities, the people would gather.
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Eventually, in 1981, Fr. Mannion heard of a Protestant church that was for sale in the Westminster area. The parishioners collected enough funds to purchase the building. The OC Korean Catholics finally had their own church. By that time, there were now 770 adults and children registered as members.
Fr. Mannion retired in March 1980 and was succeeded as pastor by Fr. Sean Brazil, who added meeting rooms and a parish office. In July 1999, Fr John Hogan became pastor. For over 30 years, a total of twelve Columban priests have served as pastors and assistant pastors in the Korean Martyrs Catholic Center.
In 2010, the first Korean American priest, Fr. Eugene Lee, was appointed as pastor. Fr. Eugene already had a strong Columban connection as he was a seminarian when Fr. Brazil was pastor at KMCC. To celebrate the parish’s 50th anniversary, Fr. Eugene erected a plaque commemorating the Columban priests who served in the parish.
Today, the parish is a vibrant community, catering to the spiritual and social needs of Korean Catholics in the area. Masses are celebrated in Korean for the older generation and in English for the younger members. RCIA programs are held in both languages and other parish groups include the Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, Bible study, Korean language school for children and Korean drum groups for students and adults. Yearly celebrations include Chusok (harvest festival), the Korean and the Chinese New Year, a family festival, and outings for Mother’s Day.
While the growth of the Korean Martyrs Korean Catholic Center is a tribute to the Columban priests who served the community there, it is an even greater tribute to the faith of Korean Catholics.
Columban Fr. Gerry Dunne provided this update.
