Saeteo Catholic Church

History & origins

Saeteo Parish was established by the Catholic Diocese of Cheongju on August 16, 2011. Its name was taken from “Saeteo,” an old village name in the Sacheon-dong area and the present road name derived from it. The community did not begin with the church building that exists today. For several years after the parish was erected, Catholics worshiped in a temporary church while preparing to build a permanent sacred space of their own.

Preparations for construction became more intensive around 2015. Parishioners made voluntary building offerings and raised additional funds by producing and selling blueberry jam, traditional snacks, rice punch, kimchi, and handmade knotted rosaries. These efforts show that the new church was not simply a construction project managed from outside, but a shared task in which the parish community participated directly.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 5, 2017, and construction continued until the new church was dedicated by Bishop Jang Bong-hun on April 14, 2018. The building has one basement level and three stories above ground, with a total floor area of about 1,447 square meters; the main church on the second floor seats about 300 people. Its liturgical interior incorporates arches, a vaulted ceiling, a crucifix and Stations of the Cross, and stained glass on the theme “Light of Salvation.”

Completed about seven years after the parish was established, the church marked the community's transition from a temporary worship space to a permanent sacred home. Because the parish name itself comes from the old local place-name, the completion of the church also gave the Saeteo neighborhood a visible Catholic center. The finished building brought the long preparation period to a close and provided a stable base where subsequent pastoral and community activities could be gathered in one place. The completion of the church brought the period of preparation after the parish was established to a close and provided a stable center where subsequent pastoral work and community activities could be gathered.