Seodong Catholic Church

History & origins

Seodong Parish was established in the early 1970s as industrialization and urban expansion in Busan brought rapid population growth to the Seodong area and increased the need for a new parish. It was separated from Oncheon Parish and erected on November 19, 1973, initially using the name Dongsang-dong Parish. In its earliest period, the priest stayed at the diocesan offices and a parishioner's home was used as a temporary chapel while the community was becoming established.

After the diocese secured a site, construction of the church began in September 1974, and the principal buildings were completed by the end of that year. The new church was dedicated in April 1975. The parish subsequently expanded its foundations by providing a convent and educational facilities and by enlarging the church. These developments marked the community's transition into an independent parish within a rapidly growing residential area.

As the community grew, new parishes were formed from its territory. Bugok Parish was separated in 1988, and in the 1990s additional educational space was prepared to support catechesis and parish life. Thus a community that had begun with a temporary chapel gradually acquired the liturgical and educational infrastructure needed for local pastoral life.

In 2023 the parish marked its 50th anniversary with a pilgrimage involving the whole community. The half-century journey shows how a parish formed alongside the urban growth of Seodong continued through parish divisions and improvements to its facilities to become an established Catholic community.