신사동 성당

History & origins

Sinsa-dong Catholic Church was established in September 1998 from parts of Susaek, Eungam-dong, and Yeokchon-dong parishes. A Seoul Archdiocese weekly bulletin notes that, before the new parish was formed, Catholics in Sinsa-dong maintained their registrations in those three neighboring parishes. The official history of Susaek Parish records the separation of Sinsa-dong Parish on September 25, 1998. The new parish was therefore a pastoral response to population growth and expanding residential neighborhoods in Eunpyeong, bringing Catholics of one living area into a community closer to home.

After diocesan approval, the community obtained a site and celebrated its first Mass in October 1998 in a temporary setting. A permanent church was not immediately available. From January 2001, while construction was under way, Mass was celebrated in a basement temporary church in Sinsa-dong. Parishioners sustained liturgy, catechesis, and community activities there while preparing the permanent building. This period makes clear that the parish existed first as a community of people and only later acquired its finished church.

After preparation and construction, the church was dedicated in August 2003, giving Sinsa-dong Parish a stable pastoral base. It became the center for the worship, education, fellowship, and service of a community dedicated to the Twelve Apostles. The parish's history is the story of Catholics previously divided among Susaek, Eungam-dong, and Yeokchon-dong being gathered into one parish and then moving from a first Mass and temporary worship space to a permanent church. That experience of building community and place together remains a foundational memory, and the parish continues its original purpose of neighborhood-centered pastoral care in a changing Eunpyeong residential area.