Bulnodong Catholic Church

History & origins

Bullo-dong Parish began when the Diocese of Incheon established the parishes of Bullo-dong, Majeon-dong, and Wondang-dong together on November 24, 2004. The territory announced at the time included all of Bullo-dong and Daegok-dong in Incheon’s Seo-gu and part of Gamjeong-dong in Gimpo. A later article on the dedication of the church described the community as having been formed through a division from Gimpo Parish. The new parish thus emerged within a broader process of dividing pastoral territories in order to care more closely for a growing Catholic population in the rapidly developing Gimpo-Geomdan area.

In its early years, the community worked toward building a new church, which was dedicated on January 21, 2007, in a liturgy presided over by Bishop Boniface Choi Ki-san. At the time, the church stood on a site of about 900 pyeong, with a total floor area of about 370 pyeong, and consisted of one basement level and one above-ground level. The basement contained a church seating about 400 people, while the first floor included an adoration chapel and office space. A separate education building also supported the liturgical, catechetical, and communal life of the newly established parish.

One of the most notable features of the building plan was the intention not to close the church behind a wall, but to provide a fountain and resting areas so that the grounds would also be open to local residents. This reflected an early vision of the parish, in a newly developing residential district, as a place not only for Mass and the sacraments but also for encounter with its neighbors. Although civil boundaries and diocesan district structures have changed since then, parish life has continued around the community formed in 2004 and the church dedicated in 2007.