Yongjam Church

History & origins

The Catholic community in Yongjam began to take shape in the 1970s when two families from Myeongnye Mission Station moved into the area. A few more Catholic households followed, but the community was initially too small to establish its own mission station, so the faithful continued their religious life by attending Sunday Mass at Jungdong Parish.

As the number of Catholics grew, they began gathering in private homes for mission-station prayer services, and Fr. Abraham Heo Seong-hak, then pastor of Jungdong Parish, came to the area once a month to celebrate Mass. In May 1989 the first Legion of Mary praesidium for Catholics in the Dong-myeon area was established, followed by another praesidium that continued evangelization work. Anticipating future growth in the area, the diocese also acquired the site of the present church.

The building of a church took concrete form through the direct participation of the faithful. Thirteen Catholic households in the area contributed to a building fund, and in 1996 they themselves erected the first chapel in the locality. Its dedication was presided over by Vicar General John Kim Yong-baek, with Fr. Clement Lee Won-tae, pastor of Jungdong Parish, also present.

On this foundation, the Yongjam community was raised to the status of a quasi-parish on January 20, 1998, and Fr. Pascal Hwang Byeong-seok was assigned to it. The community developed the structures of parish life, including Sunday school and Legion of Mary organization. With rapid growth in both the local population and the Catholic community, Yongjam became a full parish on January 28, 1999, only a year after becoming a quasi-parish. Its history is thus marked by a progression from small household gatherings to a chapel, a quasi-parish, and finally an established parish.