Korean Catholics celebrate Lunar New Year

On Saturday 10 February, the day of the 2024 Lunar New Year, a group of 25 Korean Catholics gathered at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Sandy Bay for Mass in Korean and a celebration of the New Year Korean-style.

The event marked the first such gathering of Korean Catholics in Hobart for over 10 years and it is hoped regular Masses will take place in the coming months.

Hobart is currently the only metropolitan city in Australia without a regular Mass celebrated in Korean. 

Two priests from the Augustinian Community in Melbourne attended the New Year celebration and were joined by Fr Shammi Perera, Parish Priest of Sandy Bay and Vicar General of the Archdiocese.

The gathering consisted of Koreans who were long-time Hobart residents, as well as recently-settled Catholics. A group of young Koreans representing the next generation of Koreans in Tasmania also attended after becoming aware of the event through social media.

The president of the local Korean Residents Association attended and congratulated the group on the initiative.

Frs Luca Park and Brian Buckley from the Augustinian Community in Melbourne travelled to Hobart for the celebration and held a short meeting afterwards to plan future Masses.

The Augustinian Community ministers to the well-established Korean Catholic Community at Mount Waverley, Melbourne.

The next scheduled Mass after Easter will be celebrated on 6 April at 3pm at Sandy Bay. The group is keen to make contact with other Koreans who live in the Hobart area who might also wish to attend and be kept informed of future events.

The Korean group and the Augustinians are grateful to the Sandy Bay Parish and the Archdiocese for their warm welcome.

For more information contact Fr Brian Buckley at parishpriest@parishofsouthyarra.org.au or on 0434 608373, or contact Fr Luca Park at lukeosa@gmail.com or on 04 2181 4925.