내포홍북 성당

History & origins

As Naepo New Town developed and the Chungcheongnam-do provincial government relocated there, the local population increased and an independent pastoral center became necessary for an area previously served by Hongseong Parish. In November 2017, the Diocese of Daejeon established Hongbuk Parish by separating it from Hongseong Parish, and the official directory records November 24, 2017 as the establishment date. Diocesan material states that the new parish began with roughly 400 Catholics and served the Naepo New Town area.

The new parish did not initially have a freestanding church building. According to local reporting, the community began parish life in November 2017 by celebrating Mass in space at an LH apartment complex in Naepo New Town. This illustrates the early stage of a new parish in which a Catholic community formed first and sustained liturgy and pastoral life using available local space.

Around February 2018, the parish moved its base to the sixth floor of the Central New Square building, securing a more stable setting for parish activities. Establishing the church and parish facilities within a commercial building was a practical way of developing pastoral infrastructure step by step in a newly built urban district.

The parish name later changed as well. The official Korean Catholic directory records that on January 17, 2025, the name was changed from “Hongbuk” to “Naepo Hongbuk.” By including not only the administrative locality of Hongbuk but also the name of Naepo New Town, the parish's current name reflects the identity it had developed as a Catholic community serving the new city.