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About this place
Gwangyeong-dong Catholic Church is a parish church of the Archdiocese of Gwangju in Gwangyeong-dong, Gwangyang, within the Suncheon area of the archdiocese. The archdiocese records February 7, 1990 as the parish establishment date and names St. Thomas the Apostle as its patron.
The Catholic community in Gwangyeong-dong grew during a period of rapid population increase associated with the construction and development of the Gwangyang steelworks. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Mass for a mission community began in a rented apartment in 1983. As the community expanded under the pastoral care of Gwangyang Parish, the need for a separate parish increased, and Gwangyeong-dong was established as an independent parish in 1990.
The parish therefore reflects the way a new Catholic community formed and matured amid industrialization and urban growth. Alongside its present role as a place for Mass, the sacraments, catechesis, and parish activities, the church preserves the memory of a community whose roots lie in the social changes that transformed the Gwangyang area in the 1980s.
History & origins
The Catholic community in Gwangyeong-dong took shape in the 1980s as the population of the area grew rapidly with the development of the Gwangyang steelworks. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the community began on March 5, 1983, when about twenty Catholics celebrated mission-station Mass in a rented unit of Dongbaek Apartments.
Continued development made the original meeting arrangements difficult to maintain, and a church construction committee was formed in 1987. After land acquisition and preparations for construction, the Gwangyeong-dong mission was separated from Gwangyang Parish and elevated to an independent parish on February 7, 1990. A Mass marking the start of church construction was celebrated on April 29 of that year, and the new church was completed on July 9, giving the community a permanent place of worship.
In reporting the parish’s twentieth anniversary in 2010, the Archdiocese of Gwangju again noted the community’s growth alongside the development of the Gwangyang steelworks. The history of Gwangyeong-dong Parish thus reflects how a small mission community in a newly industrializing district grew into a parish with its own church.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Gwangyeong-dong Catholic Church: history and architecture
Read about the place's history, architecture, people, and events in the Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia articles are currently available in Korean.
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- Francisco Diary
Diocese
Gwangju Archdiocese (Archdiocese of Gwangju)
Official website: https://www.gjcatholic.or.kr/
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