Janggok Catholic Church

History & origins

Janggok Parish began in October 2004 when it was separated from Gunja Parish with about 1,200 faithful. The new parish did not initially have an independent church building and used a converted livestock shed as its place of worship. Despite its poor conditions, this temporary church sustained the community’s Masses, prayer, and evangelizing activity, while securing a permanent church became a long-term task from the parish’s earliest years.

As the development of the Janghyeon district changed both the local environment and the size of the Catholic population, plans for a permanent church became concrete. In May 2021 the parish signed a contract to purchase a site designated for religious use, and in 2022 it selected a design through an architectural competition. After receiving a building permit in May 2023, the community celebrated the groundbreaking Mass on June 10, formally beginning construction of the new church.

The Diocese of Suwon Construction Office records the Janggok church project as beginning in May 2023 and being completed on May 31, 2025. The movement from a converted livestock shed to a purpose-built church traces the way Janggok Parish took root alongside the urban growth of the Janghyeon district. Completion of the new church marked both the end of a long building project and a transition into a new stage for the parish community in a transformed neighborhood. Plans made public at the groundbreaking called for a basement and three above-ground floors containing the main church, catechetical rooms, fellowship rooms, parish offices, and a rectory. This represented a shift from the minimal liturgical space of the converted shed to a comprehensive pastoral setting able to accommodate education and meetings as well. The long efforts of parishioners to secure a church, together with the transformation brought by the Janghyeon development, finally brought nearly two decades of temporary worship to an end.