Dongrae Catholic Church

History & origins

Dongnae Parish was established on September 20, 1951. This date, confirmed by the official Catholic directory in Korea, coincides with a period of rapid social change in Busan during the Korean War. However, the official sources secured for this research do not establish the detailed process of separation or the precise circumstances of foundation, so those points have not been reconstructed by inference.

After the parish became established, the physical foundation of the present church in Suan-dong was also secured. The August 1, 1965 issue of The Catholic Times reported that a groundbreaking ceremony had been held on July 20 at newly purchased land at 465-1 Suan-dong. The plan called for a modern two-story building of roughly 349 pyeong, making the project an important step in establishing a long-term pastoral base for the parish in its present area.

Dongnae later also became a parish that carries the memory of local Church history. When the Diocese of Busan created the Dongnae Eupseong pilgrimage route in honor of Blesseds Yi Jeong-sik John and Yang Jae-hyeon Martin, it used the parish as the route's starting and finishing point. This shows how the parish's history expanded beyond the growth of its buildings and community to connect the local memory of martyrdom with contemporary pilgrimage and prayer.