Yangji Church

History & origins

The roots of Yangji Parish are connected with the longstanding Catholic community around Euni. Euni is remembered as the place where Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon grew in faith as a boy and passed through the process of baptism and selection for seminary formation. After his ordination, he also maintained ties with the area. This environment helped foster Catholic villages and mission communities across the Yangji region.

On September 14, 1927, Namgok-ri Parish was separated from Mirinae Parish, beginning the independent community that developed into today’s Yangji Parish. The early parish used a wooden church, and in 1929 parishioners made a pilgrimage linking Euni and Mirinae. As the community grew, the church was enlarged in 1939 and became known by the nickname “stone-pile church” because of its masonry appearance.

The parish moved its church in 1948 and established a new base. As the number of Catholics increased after the war, communities in Icheon, Yongin, and other surrounding areas separated from it, giving Yangji the role of a mother parish. After Yongin Parish was established in 1959, the name “Yangji” became established for the parish. Jurisdictions and local parish structures continued to change as the regional Church grew, but the historical continuity of the community remained.

In 1997 a new church dedicated to the memory of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon was consecrated. The building became a symbolic place linking the memory of Euni and Saint Andrew Kim with the history of the parish that had developed from Namgok-ri. The history of Yangji therefore brings together the faith of Catholic villages, parish establishment and division, moves and enlargements of the church, and the creation of a memorial church over many decades.