ImSil Catholic Church

History & origins

The Catholic community in Imsil predates the establishment of the parish by many decades. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records mission stations throughout the county beginning with Geotteumi in 1882 and continuing through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These communities were for a time under Jeonju Parish and, after Namwon Parish was established in 1935, came under its jurisdiction. This extensive network of mission stations formed the foundation for the later creation of Imsil Parish.

In 1956, under the diocesan pastoral policy of establishing one parish in each county, a small house in Imsil-eup was used as a temporary church, and on September 6 Imsil Parish was separated from Namwon. Land for the present parish was acquired in 1958, and construction began with the participation of Catholics from the parish and surrounding mission stations. In 1959 the church, rectory, convent, and related facilities were completed, illustrating from the beginning the cooperative character of the wider Imsil Catholic community.

During the 1960s, Fr. Didier Serstevens responded to difficult rural conditions by encouraging dairy-goat raising and cooperative organization, which led to the construction of a cheese factory in 1968. This became an important example of Catholic activity extending beyond worship and catechesis into rural self-reliance and improvement of everyday life. In later decades, mission communities and devotional groups were reorganized, and in 1997 Osu Mission Station was separated as its own parish. The history of Imsil Parish thus joins an old mission-station tradition, the creation of a county parish, and sustained engagement with rural society.