Songjeong Mission

History & origins

The Catholic community in Songjeong began to take shape in the late nineteenth century. The Diocese of Chuncheon’s historic-site account says that around 1890 relatives of Father Seo Byeong-ik settled in Beodeongmal, Songjeong-ri, together with several Catholic families, creating the basis of the community. Bishop Mutel’s mission visitation record from 1900 and a 1900–1901 church statistics report also mention Songjeong Mission Station and 111 Catholics, indicating that a recognizable mission community was already present by around 1900.

Songjeong was first under Pungsuwon Parish and, after Go-eun-ri Parish was established in Chuncheon in 1920, came under that parish. On June 21, 1923, Songjeong Mission Station was elevated to parish status and became a center overseeing several mission communities across Hongcheon and Inje. Father Hwang Jeong-su developed the parish base in Songjeong by establishing a Korean-style parish house there.

Because the administrative and everyday center of the region was in Hongcheon-eup, the parish moved to Huimang-ri in 1936 and its name changed from Songjeong Parish to Hongcheon Parish. Songjeong consequently became a mission station once again. The community remained sizable for some time, but rural depopulation later reduced the number of Catholics. When Seongsan Mission Station was elevated to parish status in 1976, Songjeong was transferred to Seongsan Parish. Its history is an unusual example of a Catholic community that became a parish and later returned to mission-station status while continuing to preserve the roots of regional Catholic life.