Passed Away in Ireland After a Long Illness
First Arrived in Korea in 1957...
Pioneer of Group Homes for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Lifelong Service
Father Noel Chun (Noel O'Neill), who dedicated his life to people with intellectual disabilities, has passed away at the age of 93.
According to the Catholic Archdiocese of Gwangju on June 2, Father Noel Chun died of a chronic illness in his hometown of Ireland at 12:30 a.m. on June 1 (8:30 a.m. local time).
After studying theology in Ireland and being ordained as a priest in 1956, Father Chun set foot in Korea for the first time in 1957. He began his missionary work in 1958 as an assistant priest at Jangseong Parish in South Jeolla Province, and later served as parish priest at Seogyo-dong Parish, Wondong Parish, Jeju Central Parish, Bukdong Parish, and Nongseong-dong Parish.
He established the first group home in Korea for people with intellectual disabilities, allowing them to live with volunteers in a family-style residential facility rather than being isolated from the community. In 1981, after meeting a woman with level 3 intellectual disability and two volunteers while volunteering at Mudeung Rehabilitation Center, he rented a house in Wolsan-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, and set up the first group home for people with intellectual disabilities.
In 1985, he founded the Emmaus Welfare Center, and in 1993, he established the Rainbow Community social welfare foundation, enabling people with intellectual and autism spectrum disabilities to participate in economic activities and achieve self-reliance within the community.
For his dedication to protecting the rights and improving the awareness of people with disabilities, Father Chun was named Gwangju's first honorary citizen in 1991 and was granted South Korean citizenship as a special contributor by the Ministry of Justice in 2016. Having devoted 67 years to service in Korea, Father Chun returned to his hometown of Ireland on July 11 last year due to health and other reasons after his retirement.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Gwangju has set up a memorial altar at the cathedral of the archdiocese and is receiving visitors. Memorial Masses will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on this day, and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on June 3. The funeral Mass for Father Chun will be scheduled by the funeral committee in accordance with the arrival of his remains.
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