Misa Riverside Church

History & origins

Misa Gangbyeon Parish was established in the Diocese of Suwon on June 13, 2017. At first it used the provisional name “Hwangsan Parish” and began as a new parish responsible for part of the Hanam Misa housing-development district. As large-scale residential development created a new living area and population, a separate pastoral community became necessary for Catholics in the district, and a newly established parish began to take shape apart from the older neighboring parishes.

After the parish community was organized, construction of an independent church followed. According to the Diocese of Suwon construction records, the project listed as “Misa Gangbyeon (formerly Hwangsan) Parish — construction of Hwangsan Parish church” began on May 27, 2020, and was completed on March 23, 2021. Within about four years of the parish’s foundation, the faithful had a permanent church in which Mass and the sacraments could be celebrated. The process illustrates a modern pattern in which a Catholic community is first organized in a new town and then receives a lasting church building.

Even after the church was completed, the community continued for a time to use the provisional name “Hwangsan Parish.” In October 2022 the Diocese of Suwon announced the results of its Presbyteral Council and confirmed the official name as “Misa Gangbyeon Parish.” The present name thus became established by reflecting the local designation familiar to residents of the new urban district.

The history of Misa Gangbyeon therefore differs from that of older parishes that grew from long-established mission stations or Catholic villages. Here, a parish was created in response to new-town development, a church was built a few years later, and finally the official name reflecting the local identity was confirmed. This short but clearly documented sequence—parish establishment, church construction, and naming—forms the core of the parish’s history.