Saejeomteo Mission

About this place

Saejeomteo Mission Station is a mission community of Pungsuwon Parish in the Diocese of Wonju, located in Seowon-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon State. It carries on the tradition of a Catholic village formed by believers who settled in the mountain area while seeking refuge from persecution. The name “Saejeomteo” is said to have developed as a shortened form of “sagijeomteo,” a local name referring to a place where pottery kilns once operated. Preserving the memory of an old Catholic community, the mission station shows how the faith took root at the village level in the wider Pungsuwon area.

A Catholic Peace Broadcasting and Peace Newspaper feature on mission stations recounts that believers at Saejeomteo jointly cultivated slash-and-burn fields despite difficult circumstances and used the proceeds to support the community. It also describes how successive generations cared for the mission station together. The present building was likewise renewed through the work of local believers and assistance from another parish. Saejeomteo is therefore notable less for elaborate facilities than for the character of a small Catholic community sustained through sharing and voluntary care.

The mountain-village setting is also important for understanding the character of Saejeomteo. The memory of believers who settled here while escaping persecution and built a community in which daily life and faith were closely joined makes the site a reminder that a Catholic village was not merely a place of residence but a community organized to preserve and live the faith.