Weekly Mass Schedule
Korean
Select a Mass time to view sources or report a change.
About this place
Godeung-dong Catholic Church is one of the older parishes in central Suwon and today functions as a regular territorial parish serving local Catholics through Mass, the sacraments, catechesis, and community life. Its patron is St. Joseph the Worker, a fitting spiritual model for living the faith within daily work and family life.
Alongside its present pastoral role, the parish holds a distinctive place in the history of the Diocese of Suwon. During the formative years of the diocese it served as an important central church, and as Catholic communities in Suwon expanded it also became a mother parish from which several other parishes developed. Godeung-dong is therefore both a local parish and a place that reflects the growth of Catholic life in the city.
The church encountered by visitors today is not simply a historical monument to a former status, but a living parish community. Its significance lies in the coexistence of long institutional memory with present-day liturgy, formation, and fellowship, allowing visitors to see both continuity and change in the Catholic Church of central Suwon.
History & origins
The establishment of Godeung-dong Parish was driven by the growth of the Catholic population in Suwon after Korea’s liberation, when a single existing Suwon parish could no longer adequately serve the expanding city. Historical sources state that land in the present Godeung-dong area was secured in October 1959, and on November 25 of that year the new parish was established after separation from Buksudong Parish. More than two thousand Catholics already belonged to the new community at its founding, reflecting the rapid growth of Catholic life in Suwon.
When the Diocese of Suwon was erected on October 7, 1963, Godeung-dong Church became the diocese’s first cathedral. Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi, the first bishop of Suwon, and Bishop Angelo Kim Nam-su, the second diocesan bishop, were enthroned there. During the period in which the new diocese was developing its pastoral and administrative structures, Godeung-dong served as one of its symbolic centers.
As the city and Catholic population continued to expand, new parishes were created from Godeung-dong’s territory. Seodun-dong, Seryu-dong, and Hwaseo-dong developed as independent parishes after separation, making Godeung-dong a mother parish for several Catholic communities in western central Suwon. Even after the central diocesan functions moved elsewhere, the parish continued its own local pastoral mission.
In 2010 the parish published a fifty-year history covering 1959-2009. The volume documented its role as the first cathedral as well as the work of lay associations, clergy and religious, and the broader development of local evangelization. Godeung-dong’s history is therefore significant for the diocese because the postwar growth of Suwon, the creation of the diocese, and the formation of new parishes can all be traced through this one community.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Godeung-dong Catholic Church: history and architecture
Read about the place's history, architecture, people, and events in the Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia articles are currently available in Korean.
Would you like to record this place in your pilgrimage passport?
Sign in to keep this record with you.
Building information
- Passenger elevators: 1
- 3 above-ground floors · 1 below-ground floors
- Approved for use in 1993
- Total floor area: 5,196㎡
Building-register record · · Source
Accessibility information
Accessibility information is not available yet. Please check with the location before visiting.
Sources and updates
- Information Status
- Official
- Source
- Diocese source
- Data freshness
- Fresh
- Last updated
- Source
- Francisco Diary
Diocese
Suwon Diocese (Diocese of Suwon)
Official website: http://www.casuwon.or.kr
Help verify information
Did the Mass schedule or church information change?
Let us know if you confirmed the displayed information or noticed something different.
Information Status: Official source
Visited here? Share details about toilets, parking or ramps.
Sign in to leave a visitor check.
Sign in to confirm the schedule or report a change.
Reports are saved for review. Mass times are changed after evidence such as official sources is checked, not automatically based on visitor confirmations.