Hwabong Church

History & origins

Hwabong Parish began on December 26, 2002, when the Diocese of Busan created a new parish by separating part of the territory of Byeongyeong Parish. The new parish was assigned the Hwabong, Songjeong, and Yeonam areas of Buk-gu, Ulsan. The establishment responded to the growth of northern Ulsan and the expansion of the local Catholic community by dividing the pastoral territory of the older parish and creating an independent parish structure for Hwabong. Records from the time of establishment describe about 369 households and roughly one thousand Catholics forming the new parish, giving a concrete indication of the growth in northern Ulsan that had made a division of parish territory pastorally necessary.

After its establishment, the community continued preparations for a permanent parish church. Construction of a new church began with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 14, 2013, and continued for about a year. The completed reinforced-concrete building has a total floor area of 1,688.52 square meters, with one basement level and four floors above ground. It includes the sanctuary, catechetical rooms, a hall, choir facilities, and other spaces needed for the liturgical, educational, and communal life of the parish. The sanctuary was arranged with 216 seats and the building also included a separate confessional, sacristy, choir rehearsal room, nursery, and Sunday-school teachers’ room, allowing liturgy and faith formation to be carried out within the same parish complex.

On July 20, 2014, Bishop Hwang Cheol-su of Busan presided at the dedication of the new church. The dedication marked an important stage in which roughly twelve years of community development after the parish’s establishment found expression in a permanent church complex. The documented history of Hwabong thus proceeds from its separation from Byeongyeong Parish, through the formation of an independent Catholic community, to the construction and dedication of the present church.