Seonwon (Jun) Church

History & origins

The immediate origin of Seonwon Quasi-Parish is documented in the reorganization of Naengjeong-ri Mission Station and part of Ganghwa Parish into a new pastoral unit. The Catholic Times reported that the Diocese of Incheon established Seonwon Quasi-Parish effective January 16, 2023, assigning it jurisdiction over Naengjeong-ri Mission Station and part of the former territory of Ganghwa Parish. The new community was reported to have begun with 363 households and 849 Catholics.

The official Catholic directory in Korea also records January 16, 2023, as the establishment date of Seonwon Quasi-Parish, independently confirming the date. The directory lists Saint Joseph as its patron. The key change was the reorganization of a local faith community that had been centered on a mission station into the more independent pastoral structure of a quasi-parish.

This establishment can be understood as an adjustment of diocesan pastoral structures within the broad Ganghwa area, dividing existing parish territory according to local living patterns so that Catholics could continue their liturgical and sacramental life closer to home. Because reliable official sources for the earlier origins of Naengjeong-ri Mission Station were not sufficiently identified in this research, the history of Seonwon Quasi-Parish begins here with the securely documented foundation in 2023.