Samrye Catholic Church

History & origins

The organized Catholic community in Samnye began to take shape in early 1936, when Fr. Kim Yang-hong Stephen, pastor of Jeonju Parish, purchased a thatched house in Hudong, Samnye-ri, converted it into a mission chapel, and formally established Samnye Mission Station on March 3 of that year. In 1939 the mission was transferred to Iri Parish and continued to grow. By early 1951 plans to establish a parish had advanced, and local Catholics prepared for the transition by securing land and buildings.

The exact date of the parish’s elevation differs between sources. The current Diocese of Jeonju directory gives May 22, 1951, while the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea records May 6. This account therefore uses only the point common to both sources: Samnye became a parish in May 1951. The former mission building was initially adapted as the church and rectory, but as space became inadequate, construction of a new church began in May 1955. A 97-pyeong church was completed and dedicated that August.

As the Catholic population expanded, the parish boundaries continued to change. When Geumma Parish was established in 1981, part of Samnye’s territory was transferred to it, and another adjustment followed with the establishment of Dongsan Parish in 1984. On February 16, 1992, Sangsamnye Parish was separated from Samnye, taking with it Iksan Mission Station and the records of 1,028 Catholics. The history of Samnye Parish thus shows not only the growth of a mission station into a parish but also the wider development of northern Jeonju Diocese as expanding communities gave rise to new parishes and reorganized pastoral territories.