Miryang Cathedral

History & origins

The history leading to Miryang Parish began with the Catholic community at Myeongnye and continued through several relocations of the parish center. Records show that Myeongnye mission station was established in 1888, and around January 1898 it became a temporary parish when Fr. Kang Seong-sam (Lawrence) was assigned there. After Fr. Kang died in 1903, Myeongnye was reduced again to mission-station status. On May 30, 1926, the parish was restored with the arrival of Fr. Gwon Yeong-jo (Mark), and in 1928 a traditional Korean-style church was built.

Because Myeongnye was difficult to reach, the parish center was moved toward Samnangjin. It relocated to Ugok-ri in 1930, and a new church near Samnangjin Station in Songji-ri was completed in 1935. In the late 1930s, however, the diocese directed that the parish be moved to the town of Miryang. Fr. Yu Heung-mo (Andrew) acquired land and built a church and rectory, and on June 29, 1940, the parish center was transferred to Miryang. The current Catholic directory in Korea uses June 29, 1940, as the establishment date of Miryang Parish, reflecting this move into Miryang proper.

Even after settling in Miryang, the church continued to change as the community grew. In the 1960s, a new site was obtained to resolve problems of access and limited space, and a new church was dedicated on February 21, 1965. As the number of parishioners later increased and the city-center setting became congested, the parish acquired its present, larger site in 1990 and began construction of another church in 1994.

After about three and a half years of work, the new church and associated education, rectory, and convent facilities were completed in October 1997. The history of Miryang Parish is therefore a combined story of movement from Myeongnye to Samnangjin and then Miryang, and of repeatedly rebuilding sacred space as the local Catholic community developed. It is important to distinguish the restoration of the parish in 1926 from the transfer to Miryang in 1940 as separate stages in that history.