Originally published at Orange County Catholic

FR. CHEYOON CHUN remembers fondly a particular Sunday dating back to when he was in middle school. When at Mass, he saw the priest prepare for Holy Communion.

“When he was lifting up the Eucharist, I really thought to myself, ‘That’s something I think I could do,’” Fr. Cheeyoon shared with Orange County Catholic. “I told my parents, and my parents were quite surprised that I would say something like that. They were somewhat aware that maybe their son could become a priest, but they never pushed it.”

FR. CHEEYOON CHUN CELEBRATES THE MASS OF ORDINATION WITH HIS FAMILY IN 2020. PHOTO COURTESY OF FR. CHEEYOON CHUN

Fr. Cheeyoon didn’t think much of it either. As he continued attending church, he began exploring the world of architecture through a drafting class in high school. An undergraduate degree in fine arts with an emphasis in sculpture followed, before a career as a designer was born.

“I was serving at church quite a lot with retreats, youth group and Bible study,” he recalled. “At the same time, I was a full-time designer at an architecture firm, and it felt like I was serving two masters. I realized this is not sustainable.

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