Reporter Lee Ji-hye 
April 23, 2025

 

Rev. Jun-ho Park, the pastor of Ui Parish in the Archdiocese of Seoul, is holding hands and having a conversation with grandmother Soon-seong Lee.

This year marks the centenary of Anna Lee’s baptism—a quiet milestone in the life of a woman whose faith has been unwavering for a hundred years. A parishioner at Ui Church in northern Seoul, Ms Lee, now 100, continues to live by the rhythms of Catholic devotion with rare intensity.

Born in October 1924, Ms Lee was baptised at the age of one at Ori Church in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do—now known simply as Yesan Church. Her early spiritual life took root there, encompassing not only baptism but also confirmation and marriage. In April 1942, she married Benedict Shin Byung-gyu, now deceased, with whom she raised eight children. After his death—when their youngest child was still in primary school—Ms Lee supported the family by cultivating rice, her resilience underpinned by religious conviction. Her home life was shaped by ritual: she led her children in an hour of kneeling prayer every morning and evening.

Age has slowed her gait. Her stooped frame and white hair speak to a life long lived. She now walks with a cane, each step a studied act. But her reverence remains undiminished. At church, she carefully approaches the altar, kneels on the cold marble floor in prayer, and accepts a gentle hand to help her into a seat. Her punctuality is similarly resolute—she typically arrives for weekday Mass more than an hour early.

During Lent, Ms Lee participates daily in the Stations of the Cross. While others of her age opt to remain seated, she kneels at every station—including the twelfth, which commemorates Christ’s crucifixion. Her hearing aid ensures that no word is missed.

She lives in a small house adjacent to the church—just twenty steps away for most, though it takes her ten minutes to cover the distance. Her front steps lack a handrail; she climbs them on hands and knees, having set aside her cane. At dawn, she bows deeply in the direction of a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus visible from her window, offering a silent prayer to begin the day.

The death of her youngest son, once a parish secretary at Dogo Church, remains her deepest sorrow. Her children, now living in Seoul, moved her closer so she could remain near a church. “I live for the joy of attending Mass,” she says. “I pray for forgiveness, and to be reunited with my son.” Neither cold weather nor infirmity deters her. “Without the Eucharist, I feel unsettled.”

At home, she watches Mass three times a day on Catholic Peace Broadcasting. Her television remote has all but one button covered with tape to prevent any channel changes.

A fall on an icy path once fractured a bone and interrupted her routine, but she soon recovered and resumed her daily practices.

Though she lives alone without a caregiver, the Ui Church community is attentive. A parish sister has access to her home, and the church is planning a celebration to mark the centenary of her baptism. Her third daughter, Shin Il-mina, says, “The priest, sisters, and parishioners are so kind to my mother. That’s why she loves it here.”

Father Park Jun-ho, the parish priest, observes: “Many people’s faith falters in old age. To remain steadfast to the end is a rare grace. Anna Lee is an inspiration to the Korean Church.”