Solmoru Catholic Church

History & origins

Solmoru Parish has its roots in Songu-ri Mission Station, which belonged to Pocheon Parish. According to the Diocese of Chuncheon parish history, Father Philip Cho Seon-hui, then pastor of Pocheon Parish, secured the present church site in 1975, and in 1978 a mission-station building of about fifty pyeong was erected as the local Catholic community grew. As the number of Catholics and the pastoral needs of the area increased, Songu-ri developed the foundation for becoming an independent pastoral community.

The master chronology of the Diocese of Chuncheon records the establishment of Songu-ri Quasi-Parish in August 1991 and its elevation to Songu-ri Parish in April 1994. The establishment table on the individual parish page gives April 19, 1994, providing a more precise date for the parish elevation. After the elevation, the former mission-station building was enlarged and remodeled in December 1998.

In January 2005, the parish name was changed from “Songu-ri” to “Solmoru.” Gasan Mission Station, then administered by Solmoru, and Naechon Mission Station, which belonged to Ildong Parish, were prepared for separation as a new community and in September of that year became St. Thomas Quasi-Parish. Solmoru Parish later undertook construction of a new church; the present church was completed and dedicated by Bishop Luke Kim Woon-hoe on December 7, 2010. The progression from mission station to quasi-parish and parish, followed by the separation of neighboring communities and the building of a new church, reflects the growth of the Catholic community in the Songu area of Pocheon.