Weekly Mass Schedule
Korean
Select a Mass time to view sources or report a change.
About this place
‘옥천 성당’ is the parish church of a Catholic parish in the Diocese of Cheongju and a place where the long Catholic presence of the region and modern church architecture meet. The Diocese of Cheongju identifies St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus as the parish patron, and the Catholic community of 옥천 continues to gather here for Mass, the sacraments, catechesis, and parish life.
The church building is protected by the Korea Heritage Service as the National Registered Heritage “옥천 Catholic Church.” It therefore has a dual identity: it is an active parish church and also a cultural heritage property preserving the memory of the local Catholic community and traces of twentieth-century church architecture. Visitors can understand ‘옥천 성당’ both as a living place of faith and as a historic building preserved within that continuing parish life.
History & origins
The history of the parish reaches back to the early twentieth century. The Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea records that the parish was separated from Gongju Parish on May 20, 1906, with Fr. 홍병철 (Luke) appointed as its first pastor. At that time, 옥천 served as the center of a broad pastoral territory covering 옥천, 영동, 보은, and part of southern Cheongju.
The parish center did not remain in one place. In 1914 it was moved to 비룡, and in 1919 it was moved again to 방축리 in Daejeon and renamed 대전본당, leaving 옥천 as a mission station. 옥천 became a parish again in September 1928 when Fr. 윤예원 (Thomas) was assigned there. This sequence shows that the present parish emerged through a period of pastoral reorganization in which 옥천 moved between the status of parish center and mission station.
The present church building was reshaped in the postwar period. The Korea Heritage Service estimates that an earlier church was built in either 1945 or 1948 and explains that the current Western-style church was reconstructed in 1955 by an American Maryknoll missionary priest. Originally a rectangular hall-type plan, it was changed to a cruciform plan in 1991 when the rear wall was removed and a transept and sanctuary apse were added.
The building was registered as National Registered Heritage on February 28, 2002 and has since been preserved through repair and conservation work. The site is distinctive because the early-twentieth-century history of the parish, the church architecture of the 1950s, subsequent alterations, and modern heritage conservation are all layered together in one place.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Okcheon Catholic Church: history and architecture
Read about the place's history, architecture, people, and events in the Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia articles are currently available in Korean.
Would you like to record this place in your pilgrimage passport?
Sign in to keep this record with you.
Accessibility information
Accessibility information is not available yet. Please check with the location before visiting.
Sources and updates
- Information Status
- Official
- Source
- Diocese source
- Data freshness
- Fresh
- Last updated
- Source
- Francisco Diary
Diocese
Cheongju Diocese (Diocese of Cheongju)
Official website: https://www.cdcj.or.kr
Help verify information
Did the Mass schedule or church information change?
Let us know if you confirmed the displayed information or noticed something different.
Information Status: Official source
Visited here? Share details about toilets, parking or ramps.
Sign in to leave a visitor check.
Sign in to confirm the schedule or report a change.
Reports are saved for review. Mass times are changed after evidence such as official sources is checked, not automatically based on visitor confirmations.