연일 성당

History & origins

The establishment of Yeonil Parish can be understood within the broader development of Catholic life in Pohang as the city grew and pastoral care was divided among a larger number of parishes. According to a history of the Pohang region published in the Archdiocese’s monthly magazine Bit, organized parish ministry in Pohang began in 1950 with Pohang Parish, after which new parishes were established as the city expanded and the Catholic population grew. The need for an independent parish in the Yeonil area arose within this expansion of the pastoral network.

The current official information of the Archdiocese of Daegu records that Yeonil Parish was established on September 3, 1998 and identifies Saint Peter the Apostle as its patron. The pastoral record of the eighth Archbishop of Daegu, Paul Ri Moun-hi, also lists Yeonil among the parishes established in 1998, providing an independent Archdiocesan confirmation of the founding chronology. Publicly available diocesan sources, however, do not provide a sufficiently clear chronology for the parish’s first temporary church or the construction of its present church.

After its establishment, Yeonil participated in joint pastoral life with other parishes in the Pohang area. During the 2010 celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Pohang pastoral district, parishes across the region reflected on their shared history and held cultural and liturgical events together, with Yeonil Church serving as one of the venues. This demonstrates that the comparatively young parish had become an established part of the wider Catholic community in Pohang.

The verifiable history of Yeonil therefore centers on the period after its establishment in 1998 and its gradual consolidation within the regional pastoral network. Although public sources do not support a detailed architectural chronology, the official founding records and the regional anniversary materials clearly show its development as an independent parish serving the southern Pohang area.