St. Andrew Kim Korean Catholic Church stands on Halsted Road on the north side of Northville, Michigan, a parish where Sunday morning sounds carry in Korean, where children gather in classrooms during the second Mass of the day, and where a Korean language school keeps the next generation reading and writing in their parents' tongue. The parish is named for St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon, the first Korean-born Catholic priest and a martyr of the faith, and it belongs to the Archdiocese of Detroit. Its members come from across the Korean Catholic community of southeastern Michigan, including a second congregation that gathers every other Sunday in East Lansing.
From a Dearborn Side Chapel to a Parish of Its Own
The story of the parish begins not in Northville but in Dearborn, in 1970. Roughly twenty Korean Catholic families living in the area asked two priests visiting from the Diocese of Suwon, Fathers Kim Eun-sik and Lee Yun-seong, to celebrate Mass in their language. The first Korean-language Mass was offered at St. Sacred Heart Church in Dearborn. For five years the small community continued to gather in borrowed spaces, until June 1, 1975, when Fr. Son Tae-seob Mark celebrated the founding Mass at St. Agatha Church. That day is taken as the birthday of the parish.
Through the late 1970s and 1980s the community moved from one host parish to another. In December 1978 the Korean Catholics settled at St. Beatrice, where they remained for more than a decade. In July 1989 they moved into their first church of their own, St. Eugene. Sunday school had been running since 1980, the parish newsletter since November 1976, and a lay pastoral council had been in place from October 1978. Lay sodalities and study circles - the 반석회 (Banseok) circle in 1983, the 성친회 (Seongchin, or Holy Family society), the 성모성심회, the 상지회 of Wayne State and University of Detroit students in 1984, and the 하상 바오로 (Ha-sang Paul) circle in 1993 - shaped the life of the parish from the start.
The Diocese of Detroit formally approved the construction of a new church in August 1993. Ground was broken in May 1996, the building was occupied for the first Mass on November 30, 1997, and on October 10, 1998, Bishop John A. Burgess dedicated the new church, with the rectory completed the same month. The parish celebrated its 10th, 25th, and 40th anniversaries with commemorative booklets in 1985, 2000, and 2015. On June 17, 2012, the parish was formally elevated in a ceremony that gathered the whole community. The new classroom building was blessed in June 2007, and a Korean language school had been running in the parish since February 2000.
Through these decades a procession of priests have shepherded the community. The current pastor, Fr. Oh Seung-su Simon, was assigned on January 10, 2023. He was preceded by Fr. Im Seong-jin John the Baptist (2019 to 2023) and Fr. Park Jae-woo Peter Fourier (2014 to 2019). Earlier pastors include Fr. Jeon Dong-hyeok Peter, Fr. Im Hyo-jin James, Fr. Baek Nam-guk John, Fr. Lee Hyung-su Blase, Fr. Heo Cheol-su Michael, and Fr. Kang Yoon-cheol John Bosco, among many others named in the parish's printed history.
Sunday at St. Andrew Kim
Two Korean-language Masses are offered on Sundays in Northville, at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. The earlier Mass was added in December 2001 to accommodate a growing congregation. The 10:00 a.m. Mass is the principal Sunday gathering, and it is during this Mass that the Sunday school meets in the parish classrooms.
Children and teenagers sit with their families in the church until the start of the liturgy of the word, then move to their classrooms. After the homily and a children's dismissal, the students disperse by grade - from Pre-K through ninth grade - while the community continues the Mass. A youth Mass follows at 11:30 a.m., offered by and for the older students. Confession is heard before Mass, and visiting Korean-speaking priests occasionally assist the regular pastor with the sacraments.
The worship is fully Roman Catholic in form: the Korean-language Mass of the Roman Missal, with readings, responsorial psalm, homily, Eucharistic Prayer, and Communion sung or recited according to the liturgical season. Choir members of the 하늘울림 성가대 lead the congregational singing, with solo and choral pieces prepared for feast days such as the Easter Vigil, First Communion, Confirmation, and graduation Masses.
The Lansing Community: Every Other Sunday in East Lansing
Members and friends who live toward the center of the state gather as a satellite community in Lansing. Since March 1984, when the first Lansing gathering of Korean Catholics was organized, the community has met for Mass in the chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas Church at 955 Alton Road in East Lansing. The Lansing Mass is celebrated in Korean by Fr. Oh Seung-su Simon or another priest of the parish, on the second and fourth Sundays of the month at 3:50 p.m. Confession is heard thirty minutes before Mass. The schedule runs from late August through May, with a break during the summer.
Parishioners can also attend the regular English-language schedule of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, with its Sunday Masses at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., daily Mass at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. Masses on Wednesday and Friday, and a Saturday Vigil at 5:00 p.m.
Forming the Youngest Catholics: Sunday School
Religious education for children began in 1980 and has run continuously since. The school year follows a two-semester rhythm: the fall semester opens in September or October and closes before Christmas; the spring semester opens in January and closes in May or June. Class meets at 10:00 a.m. each Sunday, alongside the second Korean Mass.
Eleven classes are organized by grade, from Pre-K through ninth grade, with students in grades ten through twelve serving as assistant teachers, student council members, or in liturgical ministries of their own. The third-grade year focuses on First Communion preparation, and the ninth-grade year focuses on Confirmation; students in fourth grade and above also receive ongoing formation for the sacrament of Reconciliation. A Vacation Bible School in the summer, an Advent Bible-writing program, and a Lenten retreat for teens are part of the regular year. The bulletin board for the Sunday school carries the latest enrollment forms, scholarship announcements from the Korean Parents' Association, and the names of volunteers serving as lectors, servers, and ushers at the Sunday Masses. Updates also appear on the school's Instagram account.
Keeping the Language Alive: The Korean Language School
Since February 2000 the parish has operated a Korean language school for the children of the community, with the stated aim of passing on Korean language, history, culture, and identity to a generation growing up in the United States. The school runs on Sundays after the English Mass and follows the same September-through-December and January-through-June calendar as the Sunday school. Eight grade levels, from kindergarten through eighth, are organized by age and Korean-language ability; high school students serve as classroom volunteers. Registration opens two weeks before the start of each semester. The school publishes a regular newsletter with classroom news, poems, student writing, and announcements, archived in the parish's bulletin boards.
The Choir and the Sela Music Team
Music is a strong thread in the parish. The 하늘울림 성가대, whose name translates roughly as "Sky Echo Choir," leads the singing at the principal Masses and at major feasts, with the director Kim Young-gi Apostle John. New members are welcome in any voice part (soprano, alto, tenor, or bass), and the choir's archive includes recordings of the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Alleluia from the Easter Vigil, as well as the special pieces prepared for First Communion, Confirmation, graduation, and the annual visit of the Masan Diocese priests' delegation.
A second music ministry, the 셀라 생활성가 찬양팀 (Sela Daily-Hymn Praise Team), focuses on contemporary Korean Catholic music and supports smaller gatherings and devotional events; clips of its music are shared on YouTube.
Wednesday and Friday Bible Study
Two evenings a week, the parish gathers for 성서 공부, a Bible study led by the pastor or a visiting scholar. The sessions are scheduled on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the program moves slowly through a single book at a time. The most recent cycles in the parish archive include Philemon, the pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus, and the Letter to the Hebrews. Reflections from the most recent session are posted each week, and audio recordings of the most recent homily are shared each Sunday.
Apostolic Devotion: Legion of Mary and the Blue Army
Two long-standing devotional groups shape the prayer life of the parish. The 레지오 마리애 (Legion of Mary) operates as a praesidium under the worldwide Legion structure founded in Dublin in 1921, with active members committing to two hours of apostolic work each week. The 푸른군대 (Blue Army), the popular name for the Fatima World Apostolate, gathers members who commit to praying five decades of the Rosary daily, offering up the sacrifices of daily life in reparation for sin, consecrating themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and wearing the brown scapular of Mount Carmel. Monthly First Saturday devotions are observed. The parish also has a 울뜨레아 (Cursillo) group, whose members continue the small-group formation begun at a Cursillo weekend and meet to support the parish's spiritual life.
Age and Family Groups: 반석, 하상, 야곱, 대건, 안드레아
A series of active groups organize the parish by life stage, each with its own elected officers, dues, and meeting rhythm. The 반석회 (Banseok circle) is the oldest, founded in January 1983. The 하상 바오로회 (Ha-sang Paul circle), founded in December 1993, has an active golf sub-committee that organizes tournaments and outings. The 야곱회 (Jacob circle), founded in June 2006, is open to all parishioners and runs the parish garage sales. The 대건회 (Daegeon circle) gathers families whose head of household is between forty and forty-nine years of age, with a monthly meeting that rotates among members' homes. The 안드레아회 (Andrea circle) gathers members born between 1965 and 1980, with meetings every two months. The 청년회 (Young Adult Ministry) supports Korean Catholic young adults in their twenties and thirties, with a structure of seven departments: Liturgy, Choir, Mission, Service, Finance and Planning, External Communications, and Prayer.
The 성친회 (Holy Family Society) is the parish's senior members' group, with membership open to registered parishioners aged seventy and above. It meets six times a year, with annual dues supporting mutual aid and parish activities. The 본당의 날, the parish's annual day of recreation at Our Lady of Fields Camp and at Island Lake Recreation Area in earlier years, is a community-wide gathering that brings together all the circles.
Walking with Families Through Bereavement
The 연령회 (Bereavement Ministry) is one of the most distinctive services the parish offers to its members. Open to any registered parishioner aged twenty or older, the ministry assists families at the death of a loved one: notifying the appropriate half-zone leader, coordinating the funeral Mass with the parish priest, organizing the viewing and rosary, walking the family through the practical steps with a funeral home, and arranging the parish 연도 (memorial Masses) on the first, seventh, and fortieth days after a death.
When a death occurs in the parish, the family or a half-zone leader contacts the ministry president, who in turn coordinates with the parish office and the pastor. The ministry also helps English-speaking family members by providing interpretation during the contract with the funeral home. A separate 연미사 (yearly memorial Mass) and the option of a parish cemetery are available through the ministry. The parish has published a survey of members' interest in a parish-owned cemetery, and the bereavement ministry's own archive of forms and procedures is kept on the parish file server.
Worship Aids, Bulletins, and Homilies
Each week the parish publishes a 주보 (bulletin) with the readings of the Sunday, the prayers of the faithful, announcements, and a calendar of the coming week. Bulletins are archived in PDF form going back more than two thousand issues. Homilies are recorded in audio and posted each week, and the homily archive runs to several hundred entries, with subjects ranging from the readings of Ordinary Time to special lectures by visiting religious such as the September 2026 talk by Sr. Moon Hee-jin Colette.
A separate monthly newsletter, the 울림과 잠김 ("Resonance and Silence") organ, collects the reflections and notes of the parish's small half-groups; a fresh issue is uploaded each month and the archive runs back several years. Together, the bulletin, the half-group organ, the homilies, the Bible study notes, and the Choir archive form a substantial public record of the parish's life from week to week.
Visiting St. Andrew Kim
Newcomers are welcomed at the Sunday 10:00 a.m. Korean Mass, where greeters from the 선교부 (Mission Ministry) and the 안내단 (Welcome Team) stand inside the front entrance of the church to help with seating and orientation. Anyone interested in becoming Catholic can speak with the 선교부장, Jeong Christina, or call the parish office; the office is staffed weekdays by Kwon Agnes. For transfers from another parish, members are asked to stop by the parish office in person to complete the parish registration.
The church is located at 21177 Halsted Road, Northville, Michigan. The parish phone is (248) 442-9026, and the fax is (248) 442-9020. The general email is email@standrewkimdetroit.org. For those in the Lansing area, the Korean Mass is offered at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 955 Alton Road, East Lansing, on the second and fourth Sundays of the month at 3:50 p.m.