상도4동 성당

History & origins

Sangdo 4-dong Parish was established as a parish of the Archdiocese of Seoul on August 18, 2011. Construction of its church also proceeded rapidly that year. According to Catholic Times, work began in June 2011 and was completed in about three months, while an existing building was remodeled for use as facilities including the rectory and convent. The newly formed community thus secured the basic spaces needed for worship and parish life within a short period.

Beginning in December 2011, parishioners took part in an offering of one million decades of the Rosary in thanksgiving for the establishment of the parish. The devotion was linked to charity rather than remaining an inward-looking spiritual exercise: contributions associated with the rosary offering were collected for neighbors in need. It was a way of marking the birth of the parish through both prayer and love of neighbor.

On April 22, 2012, the new church was dedicated with Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk presiding. The complex included the principal worship space as well as a kitchen and a meeting room, supporting both liturgy and fellowship. The early history of Sangdo 4-dong can therefore be seen as a tightly connected process in which the creation of the parish, the preparation of a church, common prayer, and charitable sharing together laid the foundation of the community. One notable feature is that construction of the church began before the parish was formally established. Work started in June 2011, the parish was erected in August, and the basic facilities were completed within a short period, showing that the formation of the community and the preparation of its physical home proceeded as parts of one plan. The rosary campaign and charitable offerings that began in December then carried the process beyond construction, helping shape the spiritual direction of the new parish after its building had been completed. This process became the early foundation of the parish community that continues today.