Ahyeondong Catholic Church

History & origins

The origins of Ahyeon-dong Parish lie in efforts early in 1957 to establish a new parish for the Bukahyeon and Ahyeon area as Yakhyeon Parish grew. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that on February 10 local Catholics formed a “Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of Ahyeon Catholic Church” and began raising funds, and that independent parish ministry began when the first pastor, Fr. Jang Byeong-ryong, arrived on March 7. The parish’s own chronology labels February 10 as its foundation date, while the current archdiocesan directory gives a different date in February. This account therefore emphasizes the securely attested separation process in early 1957 and the beginning of pastoral ministry in March rather than choosing between conflicting dates.

At first, neither a proper rectory nor a permanent church was available, so the community relied on a Catholic family’s home and a purchased building. According to the encyclopedia, in June 1957 the parish bought a Protestant church building on the present site and used it as a temporary Catholic church. Additional land was purchased in 1959, construction began in 1960, and a new church was completed in 1961. After further work, the church was dedicated on December 19, 1965, in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Paul Ro Ki-nam. It was a gradual move from provisional facilities to a permanent church in the difficult postwar years.

As the number of Catholics increased, Ahyeon-dong Parish also became connected with the formation of neighboring parishes. Yeonhui-dong and Yanghwajin parishes were separated in 1967, and Gongdeok-dong and Shinsu-dong later became independent through further territorial adjustments. The parish published a 20-year history in 1977, opened Ahyeon Senior College in 1979, and opened Jangmi Kindergarten in 1982, broadening its activities within the local community.

A further major building project began in the late 1980s. The parish started acquiring nearby land in 1986, broke ground for a new church in April 1989, and on May 5, 1991, dedicated the present church in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan. The sequence of separation in the 1950s, the creation of an early permanent church, the growth of neighboring parishes, and the later rebuilding of the church shows how Ahyeon-dong Parish developed its community base alongside the changing urban landscape of northwestern Seoul.