Samgye Catholic Church

History & origins

From the early 1990s, Naeseo-eup grew rapidly as a new residential area of Masan. Large apartment complexes were built especially in Hogye and Samgye, and the population rose sharply within a short period. The pastoral burden on the existing Hogye Parish increased as new residents arrived, creating a need for a separate church in the Samgye area.

In August 2001, at a pastoral council meeting for the first region of the Masan district held at Hoewon-dong Catholic Church, Fr. Jeong Hyeon-tae, then pastor of Hogye Parish, presented a basic plan for building a church in Samgye. The plan called for joint participation by the regional pastoral council, with Hogye Parish handling practical work and six parishes—Yangdeok, Hoewon, Guam, Sanho, Seokjeon, and Hogye—sharing the construction costs. The project was therefore pursued not simply as the division of a single parish but as a common task of the parishes in the region.

According to diocesan records, parishioners of Hogye also contributed by producing and selling goods to raise construction funds. In January 2004, Samgye Parish was separated from Hogye Parish, with 337 households forming the new parish community. The official chronology of the Diocese of Masan likewise records 2004 as the year in which Samgye Parish was established.

The establishment of Samgye Catholic Church is an example of the Church adjusting its pastoral structure to the expansion of a new suburban residential district. Several parishes shared resources and responsibility in response to population movement, and that cooperation ultimately took shape as an independent local parish.