Yanggu Catholic Church

History & origins

Diocesan records note Catholics from Yanggu among accounts of those martyred during the Byeongin Persecution, suggesting that the faith had reached the region before that persecution. A pastoral report by Fr. Poinel in 1883 recorded forty Catholics in Yanggu, and later sources identify Catholic villages in places such as Jaegunggol, Origol, Bangsan, Gaojak-ri, Sangmuryong-ri, and Jung-ri.

The Catholic communities of Yanggu passed through the jurisdiction of Wonsan and Pungsuwon parishes. After Gomsil Parish was established in 1920, Yanggu came under its care. When Inje Parish was founded in 1954, Yanggu became one of its mission stations, and in 1956 a new mission chapel was built in Hari, Yanggu-eup, with assistance from military personnel.

The faithful later received further support from nearby military units, made bricks themselves, and proceeded with the construction of a church. After the church was completed and the first resident pastor arrived, Yanggu was elevated to a parish on December 29, 1966. The creation of Yanggu Parish marked the development of a long-dispersed border-region Catholic community into an independent center of pastoral life.