Sudong Church

History & origins

As the Catholic population of Cheongju grew in the 1960s, the Diocese of Cheongju planned a third parish in the city after Seoun-dong and Naedeok 2-dong. After purchasing about 2,500 pyeong of land at the present site, the diocese established Sudong Parish on September 6, 1964. Because no church had yet been built, the first pastor, Fr. Gerard Hammond, arranged a temporary church within the diocesan offices for the celebration of Mass. A local house of the Korean Martyrs’ Sisters was also established in December of that year.

Construction of the parish church began on September 26, 1965. The church, rectory, and hall were completed and dedicated on August 15, 1966. In May 1967 a convent was completed and St. Anne Kindergarten opened, broadening the parish’s foundation for education and pastoral community life alongside the liturgy.

During the 1970s the parish’s pastoral area expanded as responsibility for nearby mission stations was transferred to Sudong. As the community grew, Sajik-dong Parish was separated on September 28, 1974, with the transfer of records for 537 households and 1,611 Catholics. In 1979 the parish published a history titled Sudong: Fifteen Years, and in May 1985 it built an education center for devotional groups and community activities.

In the 1990s, as auxiliary facilities again became insufficient, the parish began fundraising in 1995 for a new community hall. Construction started in May 1997, and on October 25, 1999, the St. Anne Hall was completed to mark the parish’s 35th anniversary. Beginning in 2000, the parish also promoted family Bible-copying, pursuing growth in the life of faith alongside the expansion of its facilities. This history shows how Sudong Parish steadily developed its jurisdiction, facilities, and communal faith life in step with the growth of urban Cheongju.