세종성프란치스코 성당

History & origins

The origins of Sejong St. Francis Parish lie in Geumnam Mission Station, which belonged to Jochiwon Parish. In January 2014, the mission station was elevated as “Sejong Parish,” creating the first parish in Sejong’s new city. Construction of a new church began in May of the same year, and the first Mass in the new building was celebrated on December 20 after most of the work had been completed. The building was completed in March 2015.

The parish’s name preserves a particular memory of Pope Francis’s 2014 visit to Korea. On August 15, the pope passed the church on his way to the Catholic University of Daejeon and blessed it; in commemoration of that event, the church was renamed “Sejong St. Francis Catholic Church” in November of the same year. The building was designed around the principal image of Noah’s Ark, with its interior circulation, windows, and sanctuary using symbols related to salvation and the sacraments.

As the population and Catholic community of Sejong grew rapidly, the parish in turn gave rise to new parishes. Sejong St. Paul and Sejong St. John were separated in 2015, and the mother parish also supported the construction of their churches. Later, as Sejong St. Francis prepared for the dedication of its church on November 3, 2018, it emphasized building not only an external church but also a “temple of the heart” within the community. This history shows how a community that began as a mission station grew into Sejong’s first parish and then became the mother of several further parishes.