Cheolam Mission Station

History & origins

The Catholic Directory of Korea records December 30, 1967 as the formal establishment date of 철암 공소. The Cheoram area was then within the territory of Jangseong Parish, which had itself been separated from Sangdong Parish in 1961 to provide a pastoral base for the Taebaek area. When the Diocese of Wonju was established in 1965, Jangseong Parish and its dependent communities became part of the new diocese.

The mission station later experienced a period of interruption. The historical account of Jangseong Parish states that 철암 공소 had been inactive for about seven years before being reestablished on March 24, 1999. This was more than the preservation of a name: it restored a pastoral setting in which local Catholics could again sustain common prayer and community faith life.

When a typhoon damaged the mission station in the summer of 2002, the Jangseong parish community organized support. From September that year, parishioners collected rice and side dishes for those affected through a campaign known as “setting one more spoon at the table.” The episode shows that the history of 철암 공소 has been shaped not only by the small local community itself but also by a continuing bond of solidarity with its mother parish.