Sister Agnès Kim: World Youth Day 2027 could open new paths for the Korean Church

Ahead of World Youth Day (WYD) “Seoul 2027”, Fides News Agency is publishing a series of articles on South Korea, exploring its history, martyrs, young people and their experiences through interviews and visits across the “Land of the Morning Calm”.

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by Pascale Rizk

Seoul (Fides News Agency) – Between Paris and Seoul, Sister Agnès Kim Mi-Jeung devotes her vocation entirely to formation and accompaniment. Whether through her academic work at the Centre Sèvres – now known as Facultés Loyola Paris – or her pastoral ministry in Seoul, the South Korean theologian, a member of the Sisters of Saint Andrew, is committed to sharing the faith and fostering dialogue between Eastern and Western theology, with a particular focus on the theology of religions.

Fides News Agency met Sister Agnès in her office at the Spirituality Centre of Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, where she accompanies groups of lay people through lectio divina – the prayerful reading of Scripture – formation programs and insights drawn from the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, applied to everyday life.

Learning to listen

Despite Seoul’s busy lifestyle, people of all ages come to the centre with what Sister Agnès calls “a genuine thirst for spirituality”. Her formation groups bring young and older people together, even though age often shapes social relationships and makes it difficult for different generations to find common ground. “Younger people find it very enriching to listen to older participants. The older ones, in turn, are delighted to have young people among them, and often ask them for help with technological tools. This diversity is a source of richness, even if it requires some adjustments,” Kim observes. She emphasizes that “everyone must find their own place, while remaining mindful of their expectations and making the most of their abilities and talents”.
“It is not simply a matter of acquiring knowledge, but of integrating it into a lived experience,” Sister Agnès stresses.

According to the programs published by the Archdiocese of Seoul, catechists should receive formation that brings together knowledge of Scripture and Catholic doctrine as part of their journey of faith, alongside practical preparation for accompanying others.

In Seoul, the Catholic Catechetical Institute offers a two-year program designed to prepare catechists for their ministry.
“The people I meet are very generous and eager to move forward. But sometimes they take on too much and risk becoming exhausted. Priests need support in their parishes, and lay people are often asked to do a great deal. “In the programs we offer, however, listening occupies a central place,” Sister Agnès concludes.

Initiatives inspired by a preferential love for the poor

Speaking about the Church's social doctrine and its preferential option for those in need is not always easy in South Korea. It remains a dimension that is difficult to bring to people's attention, observes Sister Agnès, a member of the Sisters of Saint Andrew, an Ignatian congregation whose history dates back to 1231 in Tournai, Belgium.

“Direct encounters with the poor can open up a path,” Kim says, describing how one woman's particular sensitivity towards those living in poverty inspired the group to begin regularly distributing meals to people experiencing homelessness and to those living in extremely small rooms.
“At first, we went once or twice a year, and it was not always easy. I used to say: ‘We do not go there only for those in need, but also for ourselves.’ We need to become more open to this social dimension of the faith. Gradually, something began to change,” Kim recalls.
Several women have since become much more attentive to these issues and now take part in cleaning the small accommodation units where people living in precarious conditions reside, sometimes in extremely difficult circumstances.
In Korean culture, people tend to keep their private and public lives separate. “People are quite reserved and do not easily enter one another’s personal space. As a result, poverty is not always visible,” Sister Agnès explains. “Visiting people in their homes and seeing how they live already means overcoming a significant distance. Yet, when we do so, we also discover an entire world of solidarity.”
Countless people quietly help the poor, even though they themselves are not wealthy.
“I think of the women who regularly come to care for people and clean their homes. They travel from far away, always carrying suitcases full of things that others need. They take responsibility for so many things... so much so that one day I asked them whether they were crazy. One woman replied: ‘Yes, we are crazy about Jesus.’ To me, this is the beauty of the Korean Church: a beauty that lies not primarily in its structures, but in this spirit of generosity.”

Young people, caught between social pressure and the desire for freedom

Young Koreans face strong pressure in their studies and work, often feeling they have little choice about their future. Many fear they “will not succeed”.
“The Church community can offer a different kind of space, but we must give them the freedom to make it their own!” Sister Agnès stresses.
She explains that the approach of priests has gradually changed, as they have come to realize that many initiatives conceived “for young people”, even when carefully organized, failed to attract their interest.
“Many people in positions of responsibility have realized that their role is not to do everything on behalf of young people, but to enable them to take the initiative themselves,” Kim explains.

World Youth Day: An opportunity to accompany young people and learn from them

World Youth Day (WYD) offers an opportunity for those holding positions of responsibility within Church structures to change their perspective as well, recognizing that young people should not merely be “guided” and formed, but also accompanied, particularly when their faith and enthusiasm – free from presumption and any desire to “take charge” – can show others the way.
“Of course, preparing for this event is already something positive, but what matters is not simply organizing an event well,” Kim observes.
“During WYD, the Magis Foundation will welcome groups of no more than thirty people, in order to make genuine experiences of sharing possible. The program will include a spiritual retreat, as well as a day dedicated to meeting and serving the poor and people experiencing homelessness.
“In particular, young people will have the opportunity to help clean their rooms and discover the conditions in which they live. In this way, they will encounter a Korea that goes beyond K-pop and television series. Behind the country's cultural image lies an entire world of solidarity, often little known but very much alive,” Sister Agnès concludes.
(Fides News Agency, 15/11/2026)

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