Imho Church

History & origins

The formation of Imho Parish coincided with a period when the Catholic population in the Gimhae area was growing and the need for an independent parish community was becoming stronger. The Catholic Times records that the groundbreaking for the present church took place on July 23, 2000. Although the community had not yet been separated from Gimhae Parish, preparations for a church to serve the new community were already under way, laying the groundwork for the future parish. The Catholic Times subsequently reports that Imho was separated from Gimhae Parish in January 2001, while the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory records February 1, 2001, as the parish’s establishment date.

Construction continued after the separation. The new church was built on a site of 845 pyeong, with a total floor area of 803 pyeong, one basement level, and four stories above ground. The contemporary report describes catechetical rooms, a hall and dining area in the basement, and offices, additional catechetical space, a convent, a smaller hall, priests’ residences, the main church, and choir space on the upper floors. The arrangement brought together in one building the various functions needed by a newly established parish: liturgy, catechesis, meetings, administration, and community life.

On April 14, 2002, the new church was dedicated in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Jeong Myeong-jo of Busan. From the groundbreaking through the separation of the parish and then the dedication of the church, the process unfolded over roughly two years, giving the Imho community the physical foundation needed for an independent parish. The fact that construction had begun before the parish was formally established also shows that space was being prepared with the creation of the new community already in view.

This sequence reflects the growth of the local Church in Gimhae: as a Catholic community expanded, a new parish was separated from an older one and gradually gained a place in which it could conduct its own liturgy, formation, and pastoral life. Imho’s early history is therefore clearer when understood not only through a single administrative date, but as a process in which separation, construction, and dedication converged to form an independent pastoral base.