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12 out of 35 open spots remaining for retreat
what is ryc?
RYC stands for Reborn Young Christ, a
movement founded by Fr. Augustine Woon Taek
Baek in 2004. Fr. Baek devoted his life to serving
the youth, and he did so tirelessly through the
RYC retreat program.
Since then, over 50 retreats have been held,
bringing together more than 2,500 Korean
Catholic high school students to rediscover their
faith and find a sense of real community that
feels like family.
RYC retreats are fun, hands-on, and full of heart.
They create space to deepen your relationship
with God, connect with people who understand,
and discover what faith really looks like in
everyday life.
ryc: present day
In 2025, RYC is still rooted in the same mission
Fr. Baek began, but we’ve grown a lot since then.
Today, we’re a group of Korean Catholics across
the Tri-State Area, united by a shared goal to
serve our parishes and build meaningful
community.
Through retreats, praise nights, and other
events, we create space for Korean American
Catholics along the East Coast (and beyond) to
gather, pray, and grow in faith together.
Our team is comprised of former RYC counselors
and participants, representing parishes from
across NY, NJ, and PA.
St. Paul Chong Hasang (Flushing, NY)
St. Andrew Kim (Maplewood, NJ)
Our Lady of Mercy Parish (South Bound
Brook, NJ)Madonna Roman Catholic Church (Fort Lee,
NJ)St. Francis of Assisi (Manhattan, NY)
St. Raphael RC Church (Woodside, NY)
St. Anthony's Church (Nanuet, NY)
Roman Catholic Church of the Korean
Martyrs (Saddlebrook, NJ)Holy Angels Korean Catholic Church
(Philadelphia, PA)St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church
(Palisades Park, NJ)
represented parishes
include...
2025
new beginning
retreat
This summer, we will be hosting our
first-ever retreat for college students to
recent college graduates. We welcome
all participants ages 18-24, looking to
reconnect with their faith and discover
members of the community to
experience this journey with.
Fr. Gus Baek
Renewal Retreat
2023
We celebrated our
first annual Fr. Gus
Baek Renewal
Retreat in August
2023, with a full
house of 40
registrations and
over 55 total
attendees.
Check out our full
event recap in the
link below!
RYC
Renewal Retreat
2024
Our second annual
Young Adult RYC
retreat has come
and gone! 60 total
staff and
participants came
together to
celebrate our
Catholic faith,
taking a deep dive
into the Retreat
theme of humility.
I want to serve at the retreat this year because I’ve
personally experienced the struggles of committing to
the journey of faith as a young adult. During this time, I
found that there were limited resources and attention
given to young adults in our communities - this made it
difficult for me to find the guidance I needed in my
journey. I believe that retreats like this one can provide
opportunities to help young adults strengthen their
relationship with God and find support in each other. I
want to be part of that experience for others, offering
the support and guidance that I wish I had when I was at
that stage in my faith.
Regina Shin
+St. RAPHAEL’S RC CHURCH
WOODSIDE, NY
meet the team
I've been serving as a YG teacher at my
home parish for about 2 years, and it's been
a blessing to watch my students grow in their
faith. College is an exciting yet difficult time,
as students are now responsible for nurturing
their own faith without the accountability of
their parents. I hope the RYC Retreat will give
my current and former students something to
look forward to, helping them renew and
strengthen their faith.
natasha kim
+ST. joseph’s RC Church
demarest, nj
I want to follow in the footsteps of my patron
saint, Saint Don Bosco, by serving as a mentor
to those younger than me and guiding them on
the right path in their spiritual journey. At the
same time, I have a lot to learn and grow by
listening to different and meaningful spiritual
experiences shared by others during the
retreat.
junhyung so
+St. MICHAEL’S RC CHURCH
PALISADES PARK, NJ
Why do you want to serve for this retreat this year?
To be born again in my religious life means
forming a genuine, personal connection with
God and recognizing His presence in the
everyday moments of life.
chiwon ahn
+RCCKM
SADDLEBROOK, NJ
meet the team
For me, when I consider to be reborn in my
religious life, I often think about the time I
was Confirmed. After Confirmation, I was
introduced to the Youth Group community at
St. Paul’s, which became my community, and
brought me closer to God, and because of
those experiences, I try my best to serve my
community.
daniel lee
+ST. PAUL CHONG HA SANG
FLUSHING, NY
For me being born again in my religious life
means being forgiven and starting fresh even
though I’ve done nothing to deserve it. God’s
mercy is so powerful and loving that it makes
me want to strive to be a better Catholic
everyday.
diana kim
+ST. joseph’s RCC
demarest, nj
What does it mean to you to be born again
in your religious life?
I still remember the immense amount of joy &
happiness I felt after attending my RYC retreat as a
high schooler. It was such a new & invigorating
experience for me since there are little to almost
zero korean catholic churches around Philly. I
came back from the retreat so inspired &
energized that I knew I wanted to serve with the
RYC community one day & try to bring back some
life into my own church’s youth groups.
esther shin
+Holy Angels
Philadelphia, pa
meet the team
I want to serve for this retreat this year
because I believe the Catholic community
really needs a space for this age group. It's
often where we see the most people drift
away, and I'm truly excited to help create a
community where people can experience
and share God's love.
Heajin joung
+St. pAUL CHONG HA SANG
FLUSHING, NY
My faith formation was in my hands after
graduating from Sunday School, which was
intimidating without knowing where I could turn
to keep growing my faith. I wanted to be a part
of providing that outlet through RYC and to
serve those who are looking to now continue
their faith journey as adults.
Andrew juhyun kim
+ST. PAUL CHONG HA SANG
FLUSHING, NY
Why do you want to serve for this retreat this year?
I believe our spiritual rebirth comes not only
through the form of baptism, but also in always
remembering HIM in moments of wavering faith.
In times I am confronted by reality or am taking a
leap of faith back into service which I know will
be difficult (like RYC! haha..), I always ask for
guidance and assistance through prayer and
hope to be spiritually reborn closer to HIS
image.
daniel jo
+St. RAPHAEL’S RC CHURCH
WOODSIDE, NY
meet the team
I am born again every time I find a new
purpose, meaning, or perspective of the
Catholic faith that I can apply to everyday
life.
HELENA SO
+ST. PAUL CHONG HA SANG
FLUSHING, NY
I think being born again is every choice where
you choose God. No matter how far you’ve
gone, or how many mistakes you’ve made,
every decision to do better for Him is a chance
to be born again.
Jen im
+Holy Angels
Philadelphia, pa
What does it mean to you to be born again
in your religious life?
I want to serve for this retreat because I know
our target age group is a sort of “missing
generation” at our churches. There isn’t much
for them, but they’re expected to come to
church. This is an opportunity to provide them
with something to come home to.
Derrick seo
+St. PAUL CHONG HA SANG
FLUSHING, NY
meet the team
I've always dreamt of a Catholic retreat for
our network, for college students. This year,
we're truly blessed with the opportunity to try
to make this a reality.
RONO YICK
+St. PAUL CHONG HA SANG
FLUSHING, NY
I want to serve this year because I truly believe
that we need to have a better support system
for the youth in our church; they are so, so
important and often go overlooked. I’ve seen
firsthand how powerfully God can move
through these retreats and I feel lucky to help
create a space where people can reconnect
with their faith.
RINA IM
+RCCKM
SADDLEBROOK, NJ
Why do you want to serve for this retreat this year?
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Our very first annual Fr. Gus Baek
Renewal Retreat @ St. Paul’s Abbey
(Newton, NJ).
August 11-13, 2023
2023 Renewal Retreat
First reunion event @ St. Paul Chong
Ha Sang (Queens, NY) following
retreat with 54 attendees.
September 16, 2023
2023 Fall Praise Night
Winter/end-of-the-year event @ Madonna RCC (Fort Lee, NJ) filled with the Christmas cheer of 65 attendees.
December 9, 2023
2023 Winter Praise Night
our milestones
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Spring event @ St. Raphael's Roman Catholic Church (Long Island City, NY) with 60 attendees.
May 4, 2024
2024 Spring Praise Night
Our second annual Fr. Gus Baek
Renewal Retreat @ Marian Shrine
(Stony Point, NY).
july 19-21, 2024
2024 Renewal Retreat
Our fourth praise night and end-of-year event @ St. Michael’s (Palisades Park, NJ) with 73 attendees.
December 20, 2024
2024 Winter Praise Night