Weekly Mass Schedule
Korean
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About this place
Gwangtan Catholic Church is a parish of District 8 of the Diocese of Uijeongbu, located at 76-38 Simgung-ro, Gwangtan-myeon, Paju. The Catholic Church Directory in Korea records the parish as established on September 8, 2009, and names the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary as its patronal title.
The parish's own introduction emphasizes the modest church's harmony with its rural surroundings. Set against Bakdalsan and nearby fields, it is described as an intimate liturgical space for about one hundred people and as a place where the faithful can praise God with creation and pray in quiet.
Gwangtan is therefore both the parish community for local Catholics and a simple, peaceful place of worship whose identity is closely connected with prayer and liturgy in a natural setting.
History & origins
Gwangtan Parish was established on September 8, 2009. According to the parish chronology, its first Mass was celebrated that day in the volunteers' rest area of Simon's House. The first Sunday Mass followed on September 13 at Jeonjin Catholic Church. On November 15 the community celebrated its first Sunday Mass in the temporary House Chapel, and it moved into that space on December 24, creating a more stable base for worship.
Construction of the present church followed. Ground was broken on April 7, 2011, and the first Mass in the newly built church was celebrated on November 22 of that year. The church was formally dedicated on April 15, 2012.
This chronology shows how the new parish moved from temporary places of worship to a permanent church over roughly two and a half years.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Gwangtan 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.
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- Information Status
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- Diocese source
- Data freshness
- Fresh
- Last updated
- Source
- Francisco Diary
Diocese
Uijeongbu Diocese (Diocese of Uijeongbu)
Official website: http://www.ucatholic.or.kr
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