Mass for You at Home (Mass Online)
Chaplain: Fr Paul Lee
Website: See Jubilee Parish
Mass times: See Archdiocese of Brisbane (Mass temporarily suspended due to COVID-19)
Background:
The first known Catholic Korean Community was established in Brisbane in 1984. The Community consisted of five families who had regular Prayer Meetings at St Ignatius’ Church in Toowong. Father Carley, a Columban priest who had worked in Korea and spoke the language, met with the Group every so often but did not provide Mass.
A number of priests came and went in a span of five years. In 1989 Father O’Louhglan started to celebrate Mass and officiated a number of baptisms and confirmation for the Community. They moved from St Ignatius’ to St Benedict’s Church at Kangaroo Point.
It needs mentioning that Father Dennis Riley, Parish Priest of Kangaroo Point, looked after the Korean Community for many years. In 1995 Father Bernard Lee, a Korean Salesian priest, came to officially minister to the Community. When Fr Bernard finished his term of two years and the Community was left without a Chaplain, Father Denis readily looked after them while it awaited a replacement Chaplain.
Father Paul Lee arrived in 1998 and used St Joseph’s at East Brisbane as a base until the Community decided to move to St Martin’s Church in Eight Mile Plains. They finally settled at Rosalie and now use Sacred Heart Church for their Mass and other gatherings. By this time, the Community had organised different groups and were using the CMPC Hall for some of their Meetings. A second Community was also established at the Gold Coast where Father Paul says Mass every week.
A number of Chaplains have ministered to the Korean Community after Fr Paul Lee left for New Jersey at the end of 2002: Fr Michael Jo, Fr Joseph Kim, Fr Kolbe Ri and Fr Georgius Kim. Fr Paul Lee returned from Korea in late 2018 to be Chaplain of the Community for the second time.
For a quick guide on general culture visit SBS Cultural Atlas.