The Archdiocese of Seoul in South Korea is expanding sign language-interpreted Masses to make Catholic worship more accessible to hearing-impaired faithful.
Beginning August 23, the Deungchon 1-dong Catholic Church in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, will offer a weekly Mass with sign language interpretation, according to an announcement on the archdiocese’s website.
Two sign language volunteers from Ephatha Catholic Church, which has a dedicated ministry for the deaf community, will serve at the parish each week.
The parish is also home to Fr. Park Min-Seo, Asia’s first deaf Catholic priest, and Fr. Kim Dong-jun, who was ordained in 2025.
Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul said expanding sign language services is an important step toward ensuring that deaf Catholics can participate fully in the life of the Church.
“Offering sign language interpretation at Mass and assigning sign language interpreters in parishes is an important practice to guarantee religious access for deaf believers and to help them fully participate in the faith community,” Archbishop Chung said.
He added that providing interpretation at local parishes would allow hearing-impaired Catholics to participate in Mass without having to travel to a separate parish serving the deaf community.
“We must understand that disability is not an individual issue, but a challenge that society must solve together,” Archbishop Chung said. He called for concrete efforts to build an inclusive Church where all believers can participate in religious life without discrimination.
The Archdiocese of Seoul currently offers sign language-interpreted Masses at Catholic churches in Gaebong-dong and Haengun-dong.
The expansion comes amid growing demand for the ministry and a shortage of qualified sign language volunteers. The archdiocese is reviewing its recruitment and screening processes as it considers extending the service to more parishes.
The initiative reflects a broader effort by the Church in South Korea to ensure that disability does not become a barrier to participation in Catholic worship and community life.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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