Ansan Banwol Catholic Church

History & origins

Ansan Banwol Parish was established on September 14, 1995, after separating from Sangnoksu Parish. It began in a rented commercial space used as a temporary church. In 1997 the community purchased land in Geongeon-dong, and in 1999 it completed a temporary church building. Even after becoming an independent parish, establishing a permanent church required many years of preparation.

In 2006 the parish purchased the site of the present church and continued parish life in a prefabricated building. After a long period of preparation, the new-church project moved forward in 2019. Construction began in January 2020 and the new church was completed on June 2, 2021, providing a more stable and spacious setting for Mass and parish activities.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the formal entrance Mass could not be celebrated immediately after completion. It was finally held on February 13, 2022, with Bishop John Baptist Moon Hee-jong presiding. The sequence from a commercial-space chapel to temporary and prefabricated buildings and finally to the present church is central to the parish’s history and reflects the perseverance of a community that maintained its life of faith while building a permanent home. A recurring feature of this chronology is that parish life continued even as its physical setting repeatedly changed. Locations and building types shifted, but Mass and community activities did not cease, and the parish eventually secured a church intended for long-term use. This continuity allows its history to be read as both an architectural story and a history of community perseverance. Entering the new church was both the conclusion of a long building effort and the beginning of a new stage of parish life. The 2022 entrance Mass therefore marked more than completion of a building; it gathered years of worship in temporary spaces into a new, stable starting point.