Bokdae-dong Catholic Church

History & origins

The origins of Bokdae-dong Parish are closely tied to the rapid urbanization of western Cheongju in the 1980s. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia explains that the site of the present parish had originally been acquired by the diocese for a cemetery, but the plan changed as the surrounding area was developed for housing. When Sachang-dong Parish requested a division because of its growing Catholic population, the diocese reassigned the land for a new parish.

In the spring of 1988, under the leadership of Fr. Peter Kim Gwang-hyeok of Sachang-dong Parish, a prefabricated temporary church was completed, and Bokdae-dong began as an independent parish community that year. Both the current Diocese of Cheongju directory and the Catholic Encyclopedia give 22 May 1988 as the parish’s establishment date. The first pastor, Fr. Sylvester Park Gi-hyeon, soon expanded facilities by constructing an education center when the temporary church became too small.

As the Catholic population and surrounding residential districts continued to grow, Gangseo Parish was separated from Bokdae-dong in 1993 and part of the congregation was transferred to the new parish. Bokdae-dong then pursued construction of a permanent church, beginning work in 1995. The project was conceived not merely as a larger worship space but as a church of prayer for the souls of those who died in the Korean War and the Gwangju Democratization Movement, for unborn children lost to abortion, and for the reunification of Korea. Construction, however, suffered interruptions caused by a contractor’s bankruptcy and financial difficulties.

This development shows how Bokdae-dong Parish grew not simply as a by-product of urban expansion but as a parish that reorganized pastoral space in a rapidly changing city and eventually became a mother parish from which further communities were formed. The progression from a temporary church to an expanded education center, the creation of a daughter parish, and then the construction of a new church clearly shows how rapidly the community and its pastoral responsibilities grew within a relatively short period.