Jeon-gok Mission Station

History & origins

The Diocese of Andong's account of Jeongok Mission Station dates the establishment of the community to 1933 and explains that it was then known as Mulmi Mission Station. Because other Catholic communities also used the name Mulmi, confusion is possible, but the diocesan article clearly distinguishes the line of this mission station in Jeongok, Gaeun-eup. In a period when the parish church was far away, the mission station became the local center for prayer, catechesis, and visits by priests, making the role of lay leaders especially important for continuity.

According to the diocesan article, Jo Se-ung served as the first mission leader from 1950 to 1977, and another leader took over the responsibility from 1978. During this period the community sometimes held Sunday mission services in the leader's home because it did not yet have a stable dedicated space. The use of a family home for common prayer shows that Jeongok was sustained first by the responsibility and faith of its members rather than by a building. After Gaeun Parish was established in 1957, pastoral care for the mission station could continue within a more stable parish relationship.

The long-awaited mission building was finally completed in 1988. The Diocese of Andong records that the present mission station was blessed on 2 October of that year, providing a stable place for Mass, mission services, and community gatherings. The history of Jeongok thus runs from a small community of the 1930s, through decades in which lay mission leaders and their homes sustained Catholic life, to stronger ties with Gaeun Parish and the creation of a permanent mission site in 1988. This development makes clear that a mission station is not merely a building, but a community preserved over time through the responsibility and service of local Catholics.