Beomeo Cathedral

History & origins

The roots of the Beomeo community go back to May 1925, when Eungok Mission Station was established at Homgol in Hwangcheong-dong under Gyesan Parish. After liberation, a Beomeo mission station was opened in November 1945 using a former Japanese shrine building in Beomeo-dong, and in December of that year its jurisdiction was transferred from Gyesan Parish to Samdeok Parish. A new mission building followed in 1948, and as the community grew it was elevated to parish status on March 10, 1951.

In 1959 the Conventual Franciscans began pastoral care of Beomeo Parish. Following a request from the diocesan bishop and authorization from the order's superior general, the pastoral collaboration began in May; the Beomeo friary was established in June, and from July the parish was entrusted to the order's pastoral jurisdiction. This marked an important stage in which Franciscan spirituality and local parish ministry became closely joined.

As the Archdiocese of Daegu prepared for its centenary, construction of a commemorative cathedral became one of its major projects. According to the archbishop's homily, groundbreaking took place at Easter 2013, and after roughly three years of construction the new cathedral was dedicated on May 22, 2016. At that time Beomeo was recognized as the centenary church and as a co-cathedral of the archdiocese, with the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes added as co-patron. In 2026 the parish commemorated both the 75th anniversary of its establishment and the 10th anniversary of the cathedral's dedication.