Haan Catholic Church

History & origins

Haan Parish was established on February 9, 1996, after being separated from Cheolsan Parish as the Catholic community in Gwangmyeong continued to grow. A Diocese of Suwon pastoral visitation record states that the new parish was founded in Haan 1-dong.

After its establishment, the community worked together to secure a church of its own. That effort culminated on October 9, 1999, when Bishop Paul Choi Deok-ki presided at the dedication of the present church. About three and a half years separated the founding of the parish from the dedication, providing a stable setting for the liturgy, formation, and fellowship of the new community.

With the church in place, the parish continued to develop around pastoral priorities such as the sanctification of family life, small Christian communities, youth faith formation, and a life centered on Scripture. The early history of Haan is therefore shaped above all by its separation from Cheolsan and the building of an independent church, within the broader expansion of Catholic communities in Gwangmyeong.

The early pastoral priorities recorded by the diocese show that establishing the parish community proceeded together with providing a church building. Rather than treating construction as the only goal, the parish emphasized family life, small communities, youth, and Scripture. Haan’s settlement as a parish can therefore be understood as a history in which the building of a physical church and the growth of a faith community developed side by side. The relatively short interval between establishment and dedication shows that the new parish focused from the beginning on securing an independent liturgical space. The later broadening of pastoral priorities toward families, youth, and small communities can be read as a shift from establishing the building itself to deepening the content of the community’s life of faith.