Wangrim Church

History & origins

A Catholic community existed in the Wangnim area long before the parish itself was established, reaching back into the period of persecution. A record by Bishop Laurent Imbert from 1839 mentions the “Gatdeungi mission station.” The name Gatdeungi is traditionally explained as coming from an expression meaning “a lamp wearing a gat,” a coded term used by Catholics during persecution to refer to a priest. Despite persecution, a Catholic village continued in the area and later became the foundation for the parish.

On July 14, 1888, the Gatdeungi mission station was raised to the status of Wangnim Parish. Current materials of the Diocese of Suwon describe Wangnim as the first parish established in Gyeonggi Province south of the Han River and the fourth parish of the Catholic Church in Korea. The first pastor, Father Jacques André, and the parishioners set about building a church, and in 1889 they completed a twelve-bay thatched church capable of accommodating about 200 people.

The parish soon became a center for mission in southern Gyeonggi. Parishes including Mirinae, Hauhyeon, and Buksu-dong were later separated from it, while schools established at mission stations contributed to literacy and education. The church building itself changed several times as the community grew. The present church, the fourth in the parish’s history, was completed in 1986, and a dedication ceremony was held in 1988 for the parish’s centenary. A traditional Korean rectory built in the early twentieth century also remains on the grounds.

On November 29, 2020, the Diocese of Suwon proclaimed Wangnim Catholic Church a pilgrimage historic site. The designation was intended to help Catholics remember and carry forward in pilgrimage and prayer the history of a community that began as a Catholic village during persecution, grew into a mother parish of the diocese, and contributed to education and evangelization.