Wadong Church

History & origins

The roots of Wadong Parish go back to the Wari mission station in Suam-myeon, also known as Bangjukmal, which began in 1913 under the care of Hauhyeon Parish. Recorded at the time with 27 Catholics, the mission station came under Sosa Parish in 1946. When Sosa Parish was transferred to the Diocese of Incheon in 1970, Wari was placed under Anyang Parish.

In the late 1970s, as the Banwol New Industrial Complex was developed and a large increase in population was expected, the Diocese of Suwon prepared to establish a new parish in the area. A church site in Wari was secured in 1979, construction of a church began with a groundbreaking ceremony in May 1981, and on August 1 of that year the Wari mission station was raised to parish status. It was first called Wari Parish, renamed Suam-dong later that November, and subsequently known as Suam Parish.

The early community devoted particular attention to labor ministry and counseling in response to the industrial character of the area. Construction of the church was halted for a time because of financial difficulties, so Mass was celebrated in a temporary basement chapel. Work resumed in 1988, and the church was dedicated on October 2, 1989.

As the Catholic population grew, Wolpi-dong Parish was separated in 1995 and Gojan-dong Parish in 1999. The parish later continued under the present name Wadong, preserving within its history the transformation of a mission station into an independent parish alongside the growth of an industrial city, and then into a mother community from which additional parishes emerged.