Gangjin

History & origins

The foundations of the present Gangjin Mission Station were laid by local Catholics themselves around 1960. According to the Diocese of Jeonju, about twenty catechumens, led by Benedict Park Byeong-yo, made earthen bricks and raised building funds. On April 13, 1961, land for the mission station was purchased and a hall was constructed. This process shows that the station was not simply established from outside, but was built through the labor and offerings of the local faithful.

The community preserved old documents such as baptismal lists, records concerning infant baptism and marriage, Easter-duty records, letters from priests, and appointment certificates. When the diocese reported on the mission station, these materials were introduced as important evidence for its formation up to 1961 and for the life of the community afterward. In 1991, the Seonguhoe association was organized for personal sanctification, evangelization, and the development of the Church, giving the community a more structured basis for its faith life.

In 2010, land donated by a parishioner was exchanged for the existing mission-station property, and a blessing ceremony was celebrated by a senior diocesan priest. The history of Gangjin Mission Station can thus be read as the story of a small rural Catholic community that secured land, built its own place of worship, and transmitted its faith through preserved records and lay devotional organizations.