Choryang Church

History & origins

The first parish history associated with Choryang is tied to the movement of Busan's earliest parish. Busanpo Parish, which had been located on Jeoryeongdo, moved to a newly prepared church in Choryang in 1893, making the area a center of the Busan mission for a time. As the city developed and transportation conditions changed, however, the parish moved to Beomil-dong in 1916, bringing the first Choryang period to an end.

The direct origin of the present Choryang Parish is connected with the rapid increase of refugees during the Korean War. As large numbers of people gathered in Busan and more churches were needed, Maryknoll missionary Father J. W. Connors settled in Choryang, acquired land and buildings, and converted them for church use. With the approval of the Apostolic Vicar of Daegu, Choryang Parish was established on May 1, 1951, and Father Connors became its first pastor. In the realities of war and displacement, the parish organized a Catholic community while combining pastoral care with relief work.

In the mid-1950s, lay spirituality and apostolic organizations developed rapidly. In 1956, the first Legion of Mary Curia in the Busan area was organized at Choryang Parish, and growing numbers of Catholics also created the need for a larger liturgical space. Construction of a new church began in 1961, and it was completed and dedicated in 1962. Around the same time, the Young Christian Workers movement also took root in the parish.

In 1964, the parish began publishing its bulletin, Gyeojassi ("Mustard Seed"). The publication later became a precursor to a diocesan medium that shared news and faith across the Diocese of Busan. Choryang's history therefore brings together two layers: the memory of an early mission center in the port city and the growth of a new parish formed to meet the needs of the wartime refugee community, from which lay apostolates and diocesan communication also developed.