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About this place
Sajik-dong Catholic Church is a parish in the Yeongdong district of the Diocese of Wonju, located in Samcheok. The Guide to the Catholic Church in Korea lists Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton as its patron and identifies it as a pastoral community serving Sajik-dong and neighboring parts of the city. As an independent parish, it connects Catholics in the southern urban area of Samcheok with the liturgical and pastoral life of the diocese through Mass, the sacraments, catechesis, and community activity.
The present name “Sajik-dong” reflects a later administrative naming change; at the time of its establishment the parish was known as Sajik-ri Parish. Historical references to Sajik-ri therefore do not indicate a different community. Today's Sajik-dong Catholic Church developed from an older parish structure in the Samcheok area and now continues local Catholic life under its present name and patronage. The directory’s record that the parish currently has two mission stations shows that a pastoral structure linking the parish church in Samcheok with surrounding local communities remains in place. This connection between parish and mission stations shows the present pastoral structure by which the city and surrounding residential areas of Samcheok are served within one network.
History & origins
The roots of Sajik-dong Parish lie in the older Catholic community of Samcheok. The predecessor of today's Seongnae-dong Parish was established as Samcheok Parish in 1949 and became part of the newly created Diocese of Wonju in March 1965. As the Catholic population and residential areas of Samcheok expanded, one parish could no longer adequately serve the entire area, creating the need for a further division of pastoral territory.
On October 5, 1966, Sajik-ri Parish was formally established by separation from Seongnae-ri Parish. Both the Guide to the Catholic Church in Korea and the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea give the same date. The creation of the independent parish allowed Catholics in the Sajik-ri area to receive regular pastoral care and sacramental ministry closer to home, while also making the parish structure of Samcheok more locally focused.
When the administrative place-name changed, the parish name was also changed from “Sajik-ri Parish” to “Sajik-dong Parish” on October 18, 1988. This did not create a new community; it was a renaming of the same parish in response to the new administrative designation. Today's Sajik-dong Catholic Church therefore continues from the 1966 parish foundation through the 1988 name change as an independent Catholic community in Samcheok.
The present Guide to the Catholic Church in Korea continues to give October 5, 1966, as the parish foundation date. This confirms that the 1988 change of name did not create a new historical starting point. Although the administrative designation changed from Sajik-ri to Sajik-dong, the institutional continuity of the parish remained intact, and the present community inherits the same foundation history. The central history of Sajik-dong can thus be understood through two developments: the subdivision of parish territory soon after the new Diocese of Wonju was created, and the later adjustment of the parish name following changes in urban administrative terminology. No separate parish was created in 1988; the same community adapted its name and pastoral setting as the local area changed.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Sajik-dong Catholic Church: history and architecture
Read about the place's history, architecture, people, and events in the Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia.
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Diocese
Wontong Diocese (Diocese of Wonju)
Official website: http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr
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