South Korean diocese launches Lenten fundraising drive

This is the first time Uijeongbu Diocesan Social Welfare Association is running the drive via Catholic Hasang mobile app

Mar 22, 2025

SEOUL: A Catholic diocese in South Korea has launched a Lenten fundraising drive through a Church-run mobile app to collect donations for its humanitarian activities.

The 2025 edition of the Lenten Piggy Bank was launched by the Uijeongbu Diocesan Social Welfare Association.

This is the first time the diocese is running the drive via the Catholic Hasang mobile app.

Father Lee Jung-woo, chair of the association, said the diocese has established a temporary system to receive donations through Catholic Pay at the diocesan level and is “implementing it in the form of a pilot project.”

“In the future, we plan to use both cash donations and donations through Catholic Pay for the Lenten piggy bank,” Lee said.

The Catholic Pay was developed by the National Conference of Catholic Priests for Computerization (NCCPC) and launched in 2023.

Catholic Pay is a mobile payment system specifically designed for Catholics to conveniently pay their church offerings and donations through a dedicated app called "Catholic Hasang.”

The Catholic Hasang platform is an integrated Catholic register linked with the national integrated administrative program “Next Generation Bondang (Parish) Yangeop 22.”

The Catholic users are connected to their respective registers in the nation’s Catholic Churches and their records such as baptism and confirmation data, among other details.

Diocesan officials said the Lenten Piggy Bank has a QR code enabling donors to scan and pay donations of 1,000 South Korean Won (around 69 cents).

Parishioners who are unfamiliar with digital payment systems can make their payments in cash by depositing them in the piggy bank.

Lee said the diocese aims to make the donation process smoother as compared to the previous system.

“Until now, it was somewhat complicated to donate to social welfare organizations in addition to the Lenten piggy bank, including submitting documents,” Lee said.

“But after the system is implemented, it will be convenient for anyone who wants to donate,” Lee added.

The priest cited difficulty in depositing the coins collected through the Advent and Lenten piggy banks as commercial banks are reluctant to handle coins in large numbers.

The diocese said it also plans to expand the payment system from parishes and shrines to include the Catholic church’s various organizations.

The Catholic church in South Korea has been closely involved in humanitarian activities through its organizations.

In 2021, nearly a dozen parishes in South Korea joined hands to donate to a social welfare program titled The Sharing Warehouse to support their poor, needy neighbors badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Sharing Warehouse was a social charity program of Daegu Archdiocese covering 11 parishes that sought to collect money and other materials to supply daily essentials and groceries to needy people who were deprived of state-run welfare schemes.--ucanews.com