화곡본동 성당

History & origins

The history of Hwagokbon-dong began in 1968 when Catholics in the Hwagok area organized to establish an independent church and formed a mission community. It became an independent parish in the spring of 1969. The current Catholic directory gives March 12, 1969, as the establishment date, and the parish marked its 50th anniversary in 2019.

After acquiring the present site in 1970, the parish began building a church. The first floor and rectory were completed in 1971, the second floor followed in 1972, and the church was dedicated that October. Continued population and Catholic growth led to the separation of Balsan Parish in 1978 and Hwagok 2-dong Parish in September 1980. At that point the older Hwagok-dong Parish adopted the name Hwagokbon-dong.

As the community continued to grow, plans for a larger church began in the 1990s. After delays, construction resumed in earnest in 1999 and culminated in the dedication of a new church in July 2001. Hwagokbon-dong thus developed as an early urban parish of Gangseo, giving rise to new parishes while repeatedly expanding its own facilities.