Kkottongnae Sisters of Jesus / Brothers of Jesus

Kkottongnae Founder, Father Oh Woong-jin (hereafter Fr. Oh), was born on March 22, 1944, in Sangsam-ri, Hyeondo-myeon, Cheongwon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, as the third son of four sons and two daughters in a farmer family with an altruistic family tradition.
At the time of Fr. Oh’s birth, it was a time of suffering under Japanese colonial rule, and the miserable situation of the Joseon people amidst political coercion and exploitation was indescribable.
Oshinbu’s mother, who married at the age of 16 avoiding public offering of a virgin, experienced the sorrow of a country without sovereignty early on in the circumstances of the times above, and had an earnest desire to give birth to a wonderful child who would save the country.
During his elementary school days during the Korean War, Oshinbu, who witnessed the desperate situation of refugees dying of starvation, made a firm decision to dedicate his life to serving poor neighbors and tried to become a politician. Impressed by Father Oh Ki-seon, he decided to become a priest, thinking that becoming a priest would allow me to live my life on the side of the poor.
On May 3, 1976, Oshinbu was ordained a priest by then Bishop Jeong Jin-seok of the Diocese of Cheongju, and on August 20 of the same year, he was appointed as the parish priest of Mugeuk Catholic Church in Geumwang-eup, Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do.
On September 12, 1976, I witnessed the lives of beggars (18 people) living under Mugeukcheon Bridge through a fateful meeting with Grandpa Choi Gwi-dong (Peter Meridian) holding a can of begging, I realized that “Even if you have only some strengths to beg for food, it is a gift of God’s grace”.

At the time, Fr. Mr. Oh emptied his pockets of everything worth about $2 and started building a ‘house of love’ with five rooms and five kitchens at the foot of Yongdam Mountain. On November 15, 1970, beggars moved in, which became the origin of Kkottongnae.

On August 16, 1978, Fr. Oh, who found an old man dying in a coma on the Bantan Bridge in Jeungpyeong-gun, put him in his car and ran to the hospital. At that time, Fr. Oh had a mysterious experience of hearing the word from heaven, “Where else is there a happy and proud day like today? I am very happy and grateful that you saved the son I love. I will sign a new contract with you, so in the future I will welcome insignificant people like this in my name. If you do, I’ll take care of the rest.” At this time, Fr. Oh has deeply experienced that what he is doing truly pleases God, and our congregation is convinced that this ‘Word’ is God’s call to providence for this congregation through Founder Fr. Oh.
Around the time, God was taking care of the lives of the beggars with the devoted love of the priest and the sacrificial devotion of the believers at the Geumwang Catholic Church, God was preparing young men who would dedicate their entire lives for them. A young man in 1979 and two young women in 1981 came and started their lives with a resolution to dedicate their lives in love and service to the poor people who had no place to lean on and no power to eat. This is what the community is based on.
As God’s love was naturally passed on to neighbors and beggars began to gather, the community prepared a place at the foot of Sosokri Mountain, 1-45, In-gok-ri, Maengdong-myeon, Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.
On December 27, 1986, the Feast of St. John the Evangelist which is Fr. Oh’s Christian namesake, Bishop Jeong Jin-seok of the Cheongju Diocese, who visited Kkottongnae Community, declared approval for the establishment of the religious order in front of the parish priests. On February 2, 1987, under the guidance of the Sisters of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they started training for the religious Brothers and Sisters, and on February 2, 1988, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, they made their first vow in God’s grace and church blessings.