Banwol Catholic Church

History & origins

Banwolseong Parish was established on July 8, 1958, in the area of Seolseong-myeon, Icheon, where it remains today. The Diocese of Suwon's record for the 60th anniversary states that the parish honored Sts. Peter and Paul the Apostles as its patrons from the beginning. The establishment of a parish in this rural area meant that Catholics scattered over a wide region gained a stable center for regular sacramental and pastoral care beyond a mission-station-based life.

Over the following decades, the parish became the setting for a steady history of baptisms and vocations. According to figures compiled by the diocese in 2018, 4,863 people received Baptism during the first sixty years, and the parish produced five priests and more than twenty religious. This shows that the history of a small rural parish was not only a history of buildings but also of people who embraced the faith and of vocations that responded to service in the Church.

The church and its surroundings were also developed as the community matured. The diocesan chronology records the dedication of Banwolseong Catholic Church on June 28, 2015. Biblical statues and places for reflection, including scenes associated with Jeremiah and Abraham, later became part of the church grounds, allowing visitors to encounter the parish's long religious memory through its physical setting.

In 2018, the parish celebrated its 60th anniversary with a thanksgiving Mass and a commemorative concert. The community remembered deceased clergy, religious, and parishioners and renewed its commitment to continue in the teaching of its two patron apostles. The anniversary became a milestone for recognizing the accumulated memory of generations and carrying it into the parish's next period of life.