Jungdong Church

History & origins

Jungdong Parish began as a small Catholic community in the Changwon area. The Digital Changwon Culture Encyclopedia records that a small group of Catholics began mission-station services in 1953 and that the Changwon mission station was formally established in 1958. As the faithful continued catechetical and evangelizing activities, the community grew and moved to an expanded mission site at the present location, preparing for the establishment of a parish.

In January 1971 the Changwon mission station was elevated to quasi-parish status, and on November 9 of the same year Changwon Parish was formally established with Father Lee Jong-chang Bartholomew as its first pastor. In the following year a church-construction committee was organized and building work began in November. Diocesan records note that the priest, parishioners, and even family members joined directly in making bricks and in the construction work, showing the community’s strong participation.

In July 1973, an administrative boundary change placed the area within Jungdong of Masan, and the parish name changed from Changwon Parish to Jungdong Catholic Church. Since then the parish has continued at the same site through changes in the Changwon–Masan urban area. Its development from mission station to quasi-parish and parish, followed by a change of name to match the locality, reflects the way urban growth and Catholic pastoral organization developed together.

The traditions of the earlier mission community did not disappear after parish establishment. The local cultural encyclopedia records that in 1976 the Goyanghoe, a lay association that had been central to community life since the mission-station years, was reorganized, and that a convent was established in 1980. This shows that after building a new church and settling the parish name, the community continued to expand its pastoral foundation through lay organization and the collaboration of religious sisters.