광적 성당

History & origins

The roots of Gwangjeok Catholic Church extend back to the history of Ugol Mission Station in the Gwangjeok area. The parish's official chronology records Ugol under Gaeseong Parish in 1923, its transfer to Deokjeong-ri Parish in 1930 and Uijeongbu-dong Parish in 1946, and its closure after a final Mass in 1967. The chronology later records the mission chapel collapsing under heavy snow in 2001, Mass being celebrated in a temporary chapel in 2002, and the first Mass after restoration in 2003.

After the community was placed under Yangju-Baekseok Parish in 2004, land was donated for a church in 2005, followed by a groundbreaking in June and a completion-and-dedication Mass in October. The parish's official history records "approval of Gwangjeok Parish" on November 11, 2005, while the Catholic Church Directory in Korea gives November 24 as the establishment date. The 2005 approval entry also names the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the patron at that time, whereas the current directory lists St. John Nam Jong-sam; the official chronology does not identify when the patronage changed.

The migrant community celebrated its first Mass on February 20, 2011, and the KFCC migrant community was formally organized on April 16. Gwangjeok's present multicultural ministry is thus connected with a migrant Catholic community that has developed within the parish since that period.