Sejong-ro Catholic Church

History & origins

Sejongno parish was established on May 20, 1946, after separation from Myeongdong parish, initially under the name “Sajik-dong parish.” The official parish history records it as the first parish newly established in the Archdiocese of Seoul after liberation. Creating an independent pastoral community for Catholics in the western part of central Seoul was significant in the unsettled years immediately following liberation.

The community moved several times after its foundation. In December 1949 it relocated to Doryeom-dong and changed its name to “Sejongno parish.” In September 1954 it moved again to the present site in Pirun-dong. The first floor of the new church was completed and dedicated in August 1955, and as the community grew a second floor was added and consecrated in May 1969. The present church thus emerged through successive moves and stages of expansion.

Growth also led to the creation of another local parish. In September 1968, Segeomjeong parish became independent from Sejongno, giving Sejongno a mother-parish role in the expansion of the Church in northwestern Jongno. The parish continued to adapt its community and facilities to changing population and pastoral circumstances in central Seoul.

In 2009, a decision of the Apostolic Penitentiary gave the church a Marian pilgrimage-related privilege, adding another spiritual dimension to the parish. The history from Sajik-dong through Doryeom-dong to Pirun-dong therefore brings together post-liberation Church reorganization, urban change, parish growth, and Marian devotion. Although the parish name and location changed, the community itself did not break; each move was part of its search for a more stable pastoral home, and the current Pirun-dong church carries these stages within one continuous history.