Father Park Min-seo, Asia's first deaf priest, poses with his Doctorate of Practical Theology degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in May. Courtesy of Archdiocese of Seoul.

Father Park Min-seo, the first deaf priest in Asia, has achieved another milestone after earning his Doctorate in Theology from a U.S. institution in May.

The 56-year-old priest, a member of the Archdiocese of Seoul, has been engaged in pastoral activities for the deaf community within the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., while conducting research at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Losing his hearing at the age of two due to drug side effects, Park broke new ground in 2007 by becoming the first deaf priest in Asia. His educational journey has been marked by significant support from Father Thomas Coughlin, a deaf American priest, who helped him enroll at St. John's University, where he completed his master's degree.

"In God's grace, I was able to write my doctoral thesis in English, my fourth language after Korean, Korean Sign Language and American Sign Language," Park said. "I have conveyed to deaf believers around the world that, like me, they too can become theologians."