Yeongju Catholic Church

History & origins

Yeongju Parish began as an independent community on September 24, 1970, when it was separated from Jungang Catholic Church. It emerged as the Catholic community in Busan’s old downtown area grew and a separate parish became necessary. For nearly a decade after the separation, the community continued preparing to secure a church of its own.

In September 1976, the parish organized a committee for the construction of a new church and began the project in earnest. A contemporary report in The Catholic Times states that parishioners offered Rosary prayers and raised funds in various ways, including selling daily necessities, and construction began on May 21, 1978. The new building was designed to contain not only the church but also a rectory, catechetical rooms, meeting rooms, a hall, and a convent, making it a place that could support the whole life of the parish.

After ten months of construction, the new church was consecrated on March 1, 1979, in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Gab-sou Lee. The report noted that some 800 parishioners had finally obtained their church after years of preparation. This history shows that Yeongju Parish was not formed merely by an administrative division; its faithful built the foundations of an independent community through prayer, fundraising, and shared effort.