Dunpo Church

History & origins

Dunpo Parish was established in September 1976 after being separated from Seonghwan Parish. As the number of Catholics in northern Asan and the Dunpo area increased, separate parish ministry became necessary, and the new community took the Immaculate Heart of Mary as its patronal dedication. Over the following decades, the parish became responsible for local liturgy and faith formation while also maintaining pastoral links with its mission station.

The effort to replace and improve the facilities used for many years entered a major new phase when construction of a new church began on March 24, 2018. The project was treated not simply as a building program but as a preparation involving the whole community, with parishioners undertaking Scripture transcription, weekday Mass participation, and the Rosary as spiritual preparation for the dedication.

After the years of construction and preparation, the new church was dedicated on October 19, 2024, in a ceremony presided over by Bishop Augustine Kim Jong-soo. The new complex, combining liturgical and educational spaces, marked an important completion of a long process that had continued since the parish separated in 1976. Dunpo’s history thus shows the development of a local Catholic community from dependence on Seonghwan Parish to an independent parish that eventually provided new spaces for both worship and formation.