Sajik-dong Cathedral

History & origins

Sajik-dong Parish began when the growing Catholic population of central Cheongju made it necessary to divide the territory of Sudong Parish. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia’s history of Sudong Parish, Sajik-dong was separated on September 28, 1974, and 537 households comprising 1,611 parishioners were transferred to the new parish. The Diocese of Cheongju’s current directory records the same date as the establishment date of Sajik-dong Parish.

Urbanization and population growth in western Cheongju continued after the new parish was formed. As a result, the territory of Sajik-dong itself later became the source of another parish division, and Sachang-dong Parish was separated in 1981. From the Sachang-dong community, further parishes such as Bongmyeong-dong and Bokdae-dong were later created. This sequence shows that Sajik-dong played a significant role as an earlier parish from which the pastoral network of western Cheongju became increasingly subdivided.

The parish name also changed in response to administrative reorganization. The Catholic Encyclopedia records that on June 3, 1990, the parish was renamed “Sajik 2-dong Parish,” and on February 11, 1998, it returned to its original name, “Sajik-dong Parish.” The changes reflected civil administrative terminology rather than a break in the religious identity of the community.

The later parish genealogy reinforces the importance of Sajik-dong in the history of Catholic pastoral development in western Cheongju. Sachang-dong, which separated from Sajik-dong, later gave rise to other parishes as urban expansion continued. Viewed together, these developments show how demographic change and the growth of residential districts were matched by the creation of smaller pastoral territories. Sajik-dong’s history is therefore one of independence from Sudong, subsequent subdivision, and continuity under a restored parish name.