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Gallaudet gets new chaplain

A deaf priest is now serving as chaplain at Gallaudet University.

Min Seo Park is also chaplain at Francis of Assisi Deaf Catholic Church in Landover Hills, Maryland and is providing pastoral ministry to the Archdiocese of Washington’s Deaf population overall. He took on these roles in January.


Park is from South Korea where he became deaf at the age of two. He studied math and philosophy at Gallaudet University, graduating in 1999. He returned to South Korean where he completed seminary and went on to lead a large parish for deaf Catholics for 14 years. One of the five other priests in South Korea who can sign is taking Parks place now that he is back in America.


The National Catholic Reporter has an article about Park which you can read here


He told the Catholic Standard:

“Some Deaf people, who were poor at Korean writing and could not communicate with non-signing hearing priests, had not confessed to priests for many years, like 20 years. They felt confident and comfortable to confess to me in sign language. Deaf people witnessed my priesthood ordination and realized that Deaf people were children of God as well. They felt joyful and happy to listen to the Word of God, the Gospel from me, a Deaf priest.“

Read the full interview here.


Park celebrated his first livestreamed Mass in American Sign Language on Feb. 6. You can watch it below.







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