Bongmyeong-dong Cathedral

History & origins

From the late 1970s, western Cheongju experienced rapid population growth as new residential districts were developed. The Catholic community changed along with the city: Sachang-dong Parish was separated from Sajik-dong Parish in 1981, and continued growth in Bongmyeong-dong led to the establishment of Bongmyeong-dong Parish from Sachang-dong on 18 May 1986. Fr. Francis Kim Won-taek became the first pastor.

The new community focused both on strengthening unity among parishioners and on building a permanent church. Using a diocesan site of about 648 pyeong, construction began in March 1988, and in April 1990 a Neo-Romanesque church with one basement level and three floors above ground was completed. Alongside the building project, the parish developed a pastoral council and lay apostolic groups such as the Legion of Mary and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Continued urban growth eventually led Bongmyeong-dong itself to give birth to another parish. In July 1992 a new parish was created for the Bongmyeong 2-dong area, and the corresponding parishioners were transferred. Bongmyeong-dong then adopted the name “Bongmyeong 1-dong Parish,” before returning to its original name in June 1996.

The history of Bongmyeong-dong Parish clearly illustrates how pastoral territories were reorganized as western Cheongju urbanized: a new parish was formed, developed its own church and ministries, and later became a mother parish for another community. Its building projects, division, and name changes all reflect the diocese’s effort to keep pastoral care close to changing neighborhoods. The sequence of separation from Sachang-dong, construction of a parish church, and later creation of Sinbong-dong as a daughter parish signifies more than the growth of one parish. It also shows how the movement of Catholics and the reorganization of urban life in western Cheongju led to changes in the Church’s pastoral boundaries.