Bakgok Mission

History & origins

The origins of Bakgok Mission Station go back to 1951. According to a diocesan account in the magazine Light, a couple living in Bakgok-ri, Lee Pyeong-seok and his wife, were baptized at Seongju Parish after encouragement from Lee's sister, then began sharing the Catholic faith with neighbors and holding mission-station prayers. On December 8, 1953, Father Reginald Egner of Seongju Parish celebrated Mass and administered the seasonal sacrament of reconciliation, and Lee Pyeong-seok Peter became the first mission-station leader.

In the spring of 1955, the community rented a house near the local market hill, converted it for worship, and began using the name “Bakgok Mission Station.” Several residents were baptized that year and the community continued to grow. In 1957, however, a fire destroyed the mission station, forcing the faithful to gather temporarily in a parishioner's home while working toward reconstruction.

On June 3, 1959, a new mission station of about fifteen pyeong was built on land made available by a Catholic resident. Contributions from clergy, Catholics in Daegu, and the mission-station leader helped fund the project, and the new building was blessed and again became the center of the community.

In 1985, with the support of benefactors and the dedication of local Catholics, the present mission station and ancillary building were constructed, and the new complex was blessed on September 22 of that year. The history of Bakgok is therefore not simply the story of one building, but a continuing process in which the community survived fire, rebuilt, and preserved its own place of faith.