Sosa Church

History & origins

The roots of the Catholic community in Sosa go back to the period when it was a mission station under Dapdong Parish. The Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea records that the Sosa mission station was separated in 1938, after which Catholics held mission-station services in private homes; in 1943 they prepared a hall and asked that a priest be sent to them. Around Christmas 1945, Father Joseph Im Se-bin was temporarily assigned to Sosa, and the movement toward becoming a parish gained momentum. The community then acquired the former Sorim Villa as its base. Church-history sources record the elevation of the mission station to a parish in April 1946, while local historical material explains that a visit by Bishop Paul Roh Ki-nam in April 1947 helped formalize the parish structure.

After the church suffered damage during the Korean War, the community continued rebuilding. A new church was completed in 1955, and in 1956 the Somyeong Home Technical School was opened to provide education for girls from poor families. The parish later secured land at its present site, began construction of another church in 1958, and completed it in 1960; during this period the Holy Family became established as the parish patron. These years show how the parish rebuilt after the war while creating not only a place for worship but also a base for education and community life.

Its diocesan jurisdiction also changed with the development of the Church in Korea. When the Diocese of Suwon was established in 1963, Sosa was incorporated into that diocese; when the Diocese of Incheon was established in 1969, it became part of Incheon. As the Catholic population grew, several parishes—including Samjeong-dong, Simgok, Wonmi-dong, Yeokgok, Simgokbon-dong, and Sosabon 3-dong—were successively separated from Sosa. The present parish thus inherits a history shaped by its mission-station origins, wartime destruction and reconstruction, changes of diocesan jurisdiction, and the growth of daughter parishes throughout Bucheon.