Kimhwa Catholic Church

History & origins

The Catholic community in the Kimhwa area began in April 1955 when three households gathered for mission-station prayers and services. In 1956 it was incorporated as a mission station of Jukrim-dong Parish, and when Cheorwon Parish was established in 1957 it came under Cheorwon’s jurisdiction. This was the gradual establishment of a postwar Catholic community in the border region within the parish structure.

In March 1959 construction began on a church and rectory. After their completion, a resident missionary was assigned to assist with pastoral work, and relief activities were also carried out. On September 1 of the same year, Kimhwa Mission Station was separated from Cheorwon Parish and elevated to an independent parish. At the time, the parish patron was St. Rita.

In 1984, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the parish, a new church was completed. In commemoration of the bicentennial of the foundation of the Catholic Church in Korea, the parish also changed its patron to St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon. The present official name, Kimhwa St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon Parish, is connected with this 1984 change and reflects the history of a community that grew from a small mission station and later renewed both its church building and its parish identity.