Igidae Catholic Church

History & origins

Igidae Parish began when the growing Catholic community in the Yongho area led to a subdivision of pastoral territory and a new parish was separated from Yongho Parish. The official Catholic Directory in Korea records January 11, 2002, as the establishment date. The new community was initially known as “Yongho 1-dong Parish” and began building the foundations of an independent parish while preparing a church of its own.

The present parish name was confirmed in 2003. The Catholic Times reported that the Diocese of Busan decided to rename the community, separated from Yongho Parish, as “Igidae Parish.” Because local residents commonly identified the area by the name Igidae, the diocese adopted a name rooted in the locality, in a manner similar to other Busan parishes named after familiar geographic places.

Construction of a permanent church was the community's next major step. According to the Catholic Times, work on the new church began in September 2004, and the completed building was dedicated in July 2006 by Bishop Paul Hwang Cheol-soo. The newly separated community thus acquired its own recognized name, church, and pastoral facilities. Igidae's early history illustrates how an older urban parish was subdivided in response to population growth and how the new community formed a distinct local identity of its own. According to the 2006 dedication report, the new complex was built with one basement level and three stories above ground and included not only the church but also catechetical rooms, a dining area, fellowship space, a rectory, and a convent. This reflected the new parish’s effort to gather the functions needed after independence into a permanent facility. The report that construction began in September 2004 and was completed after roughly a year and a half also shows how quickly the community built a stable pastoral base after its name and local identity had been established.