Among the first things I researched before my Seoul trip was the location of the nearest Catholic Church. Since I was spending Sunday there, hearing mass was an imperative.
Luckily, the Myeongdong Cathedral, the seat of Catholicism in Seoul, was just 3 stations away from where I was staying. Further research revealed that there's only 1 English mass at 9:00 am, so the date and time were set.
This morning, I left the hotel early to give a bit of time to find the place. By 8:40 am, I was in Myeongdong, then 10 minutes after, I found the place, quietly walked into the area that said "For Foreign Visitors" and took my seat. Picking up the literature, it said "Seoul Presbyterian Church."
Yup, wrong church.
After quietly sneaking out, off I ran and looked up to try and locate the bell tower of the cathedral. And after 5 minutes, I saw it!
Good thing it was just a few blocks away.
Got inside a few minutes after the mass started. For a Catholic Church on a Sunday, it wasn't very full. After seeing Catholic Churches in Hong Kong, Bangkok, China, and Japan, it was a surprising sight. Churches - even in North Asian countries - are usually packed to the rafters. But not so much in Seoul.
Another surprise is that there aren't too many Filipinos. Unlike in the church in Yotsuya, Japan, where there are multitudes of Pinoys - plus the occasional Pinoy vendors - there were only a handful here in Myeongdong.
The interiors of the church was very nice. It's reminiscent of the interiors of the Notre Dame in Paris. The interiors and exteriors were very European in look and feel.
The only Asian elements I saw were the statue of the first Korean saint, and this very nice portrait of the 79 beatified martyrs in Korea. Looking at the photo inspired me to read up on their story - which I'll probably do after this.
After mass, it was off to Myeondong for breakfast, then a bit of shopping before heading off to the temples. And writing about that episode is something I'm saving for next time.
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