Embracing Our Inheritance

Korean American Catholics are celebrating their jubilee after having been officially recognized by the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1966. This occasion affords the flourishing Korean American Catholic community to take stock of their identity, celebrate this milestone, and prepare for the future. What does it mean to be a Korean American Catholic? What are their particular challenges and hopes? The works contained in this book, articles written by leading Korean American scholars, theologians, and priests, serve to answer those questions and pose new ones, and lay down a marker that will surely one day be recognized as another significant one in the history of this growing voice in the United States religious landscape.

Simon C. Kim is a Korean American priest of the Diocese of Orange, California, and serves as the Thomas E. Chambers Assistant Professor of Theology at Our Lady of Holy Cross College.As a theologian of culture focused on doing theology within a particular context Kim is able to understand not only his own cultural relevance in theological reflection but also the culture of others as well. His stories, experiences, and theological reflection resonate both with initial immigrants and the next generation and have won high praise from both groups as they draw on their Catholic faith to navigate their way in Church and society. His recent publications illustrate the bridging of his theological endeavors and pastoral engagements.