Shrine Catholic Church

About this place

Seongji Catholic Church is a parish of the Gaya District in the Diocese of Busan and serves as a center of Catholic life for the Yeonji-dong and Choeup-dong area of Busanjin-gu. The Catholic Church directory in Korea identifies St. Francis Xavier as its patron and records the presence of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres in parish ministry. The current Diocese of Busan directory likewise lists Seongji as a parish of the Gaya District.

Because of its Korean name, the parish can easily be confused with a pilgrimage “shrine,” but here Seongji is the proper name of an ordinary territorial parish. It serves the daily faith life of Catholics through Mass, the sacraments, catechesis, devotional associations, and local community activities. The community has a historical background in the residential expansion of Busanjin-gu during the 1970s; however, the exact founding date differs between the current Church directory and historical Church sources, so that issue is treated separately as unresolved in the history section.