Bongpyeong Catholic Church

History & origins

The origins of the Bongpyeong Catholic community go back to 1961. According to the Diocese of Chuncheon, Bongpyeong Mission Station was established under Daehwa Parish. When Jinbu Parish was established on September 10, 1968, Bongpyeong was transferred to its jurisdiction. The present site was acquired in 1969, and a chapel was completed on October 30, 1973, followed by a dedication celebrated by Bishop Thomas Park.

For many years afterward, the community continued its Catholic life as a mission station of Jinbu Parish while preparing for eventual elevation to parish status. Diocesan records note that Benedictine sisters were assigned there for roughly a decade before the elevation and helped sustain the life of the mission station. These preparations culminated on September 5, 2014, when Bongpyeong Mission Station was formally elevated to a parish.

At the time of parish establishment, the patron was Blessed Hong Gyo-man Francis Xavier. On November 5, 2015, the patronal title was changed to St. Luke. The development from mission station to parish, together with this later patronal change, marks the community’s gradual establishment as an independent parish within the pastoral structure of the diocese.