Marian devotion
Okbong-dong is one of the historic Catholic communities in South Korea. Born as a missionary station in 1911 and erected in 1926, it is dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians. Her 1933 brick church, her educational work and her service to vulnerable people explain why she is remembered as the mother church of Jinju.
Official address: - Mary, Help of Christians.
Temple: INTERVIEW · Okbong-dong Catholic Church.
Address: 5 Hyngyo-ro 42beon-gil, Jinju-si, Gyesongnam-do 52752, Cora del Sur.
Origin of the community: 1911.
Official parish education: May 10, 1926.
Original name: parroquia de Jinju.
Current name from: 1967.
Historical temple: brick church raised in 1933.
Jurisdiction: The diocese of Masan, Jinju district, first region.
Fieles: 2.625 according to the episcopal directory.
Coordinates checked: 35.198402908329, 128.08693742857.
A confirmed patronage
The Episcopal Conference of Korea records The Holy Spirit of ChristMary, help of Christians, as patron of Okbong-dong. The diocese of Masan and Catholic directories corroborate the identity and continuity of the parish.
There is no local Marian apparition or a supernatural message of Jinju. The page documents a parish patronage and its historical expression.
What does "Christian Help" mean?
The invocation belongs to the laurean litany and expresses the Church's confidence in the prayer of the Mother of Jesus. Leo XIII called her the Mother of God, the help of Christians and the protector of the human race.
Mary's help does not eliminate personal responsibility or replace medical care, justice or professional help. Prayer drives us to act with charity and prudence.
A mother who holds the faith
Benedict XVI, in calling upon Mary Helper, asked that he support those who continue to believe, wait and love in the midst of their fatigue. This help is the strength to witness to Christ, not the promise of a life without suffering.
A community under this title is also called to be helped: to listen, educate, accompany and defend the dignity of those who need it.
The party of May 24
The memory of Mary Helper is traditionally celebrated the May 24. The date unites communities in many countries and is of particular importance in Asia.
The mature celebration avoids turning devotion into superstition and links it to the Word, the Eucharist and fraternal service.
A station born in 1911
When the Apostolic Vicariate of Daegu was erected on April 8, 1911, Bishop Florian Demange received responsibility for this region. With a donation from an American Catholic, he acquired about 120 pyeng at the foot of Okbong hill to establish a missionary station.
The diocesan history identifies Lee Nak-jong, Esteban, as the first secular responsible and highlights his dedication to the proclamation of faith.
A family serving the community
The son of that first responsible, Lee Sang@-@ seok, Gabriel, organized a Catholic youth association. Father and son helped to consolidate a community that did not yet have its own parish.
The local memory thus recalls that the Church does not build it only clerics: families, catechists, young people and beekeepers support the mission in different ways.
Education since 1920
In 1920, the Haeseong school was opened at Okbong station. Educational work encouraged both training and community growth.
Educating is a concrete form of help when fighting ignorance and exclusion. It requires the protection of children, the preparation of teachers and respect for each family.
The wooden building of 1923
The chronicle of the centenary points out that the collaboration of many people made it possible to build a wooden building in 1923. There the community matured that soon after would be a parish.
That previous temple should not be confused with the brick church that today constitutes the main historical good of the whole.
Parish Erection in 1926
The diocese of Masan and the episcopal directory set the parish erection the 10 May 1926when the station stopped relying on Munsan. The first parish priest was Father Joseph Jeong Su@-@ gil.
A news from 2026 places the general sending of new priests and the creation of several parishes on May 30. Both data are kept: the first is the official date of Okbong-dong; the second describes the ecclesial context of those assignments and is not used to replace it.
From Jinju to Okbong-dong
The community was initially called the Jinju parish and came to attend Jinju, Sacheon, Samcheonpo, Hapcheon, Uiryeong, Hadong and Namhae, a huge territory.
In 1967 it adopted the current name Okbong-dong. Over time, new parishes emerged closer to the populations that were previously dependent on it.
The brick temple of 1933
In 1933 the church of brick, of Romanesque language, was erected and remains a witness to the Catholic architecture of that period. The public storage documentation confirms the year and its current address.
The building was registered as a registered cultural heritage. 15 April 2005. Its conservation requires materials, techniques and monitoring that are compatible with its historical value.
Living heritage, decorated
Protecting a historical church is not just about keeping its façade. It also matters to document uses, names, photographs, stories of women and men, and the liturgical life that gave meaning to the building.
The repairs must be transparent and respectful: urgency never justifies interventions that erase irreplaceable elements.
Iglesia madre de Jinju
The chronicle of the centenary describes Okbong-dong as the mother of the 12 present parishes of Jinju. Other diocesan stories show how it helped to form communities in different parts of the region.
Being a mother church does not grant privilege over others; it expresses gratitude, responsibility for memory and availability to cooperate.
Education and social service
The parish promoted educational institutions such as Haeseong and a children's school. His recent history also recalls the creation of Seongsimwon in Sancheong for people affected by Hansen's disease and the service to the elderly through care centres.
These works must be read from dignity, not from pity. Those living with disease, disability or old age are subjects of rights and members of the community.
The memory of the forgotten
Hansen's disease was surrounded for decades of stigma and exclusion. To receive requires to fight prejudice, respect privacy and listen to the voice of the people concerned themselves.
Maria Auxiliadora inspires help that does not humiliate or create dependence, but recognizes capacities and accompanies life processes.
Seventy years written rigorously
The parish published its seventy-year history after delaying the project to better check the facts. The volume studied the arrival of Catholicism in Gyeongsang, the human geography of Jinju and the stages under different dioceses.
This care teaches an important rule: when sources disagree, it is better to explain the uncertainty than to offer an attractive but false date.
One hundred years of parish life
In 2026 the community celebrated its centenary of parishes through prayer, formation, music, photographic exhibition and grateful memory. The efeméride also invites the examination of consciousness and to renew the service to the neighborhood.
A long story contains lights, limits and wounds. To truly celebrate it allows for better learning and care for future generations.
The current community
The episcopal directory records 2,625 faithful, no dependent station and presence of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres. The parish phone is 055-741-2442.
The hours can be changed and must be confirmed before a visit. The number of faithful is a data subject to the date and the criterion of updating.
verified location for the map
The temple is in 5 Hygyo-ro 42beon-gil, historic plot 443 of Okbong-dong. The contrast between episcopal directory, diocese, patrimonial documentation and geoencoded direction places the church in 35.198402908329, 128.08693742857.
The marker corresponds to the parish group and the historical temple, not to the generic centre of Jinju or to any of the parishes that were later born.
To visit and pray
Before you go, you should consult the parish. As a protected heritage, the visit must respect celebrations, restricted spaces and any work of conservation.
It can be prayed for educators, the elderly, the sick and those who live in discrimination, and also for the communities born in this mother church.
Prayer to Mary, Help of Christians, Okbong-dong
Mary, Help of Christians, keeps the community of Okbong-dong. It preserves the memory of those who sowed the faith, educated the little ones, built this temple and served the forgotten. Hold the sick, the elderly, families, catechists and carers; teach us to help without humiliation and to truly protect this received heritage. Make this mother church an open house that will always lead to Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sources consulted
- Episcopal Conference of Corea: official Okbong-dong record.
- Good News Catholic: corroboración parroquial.
- Diocese of Masan: official history of the parish.
- Love Catholic: directorio complementario.
- Catholic Times: publication of parish history.
- Catholic Times: Centenary, Heritage and Social Service.
- Public documentation for the conservation of the cultural good.
- Benedict XVI: Mary, Help of Christians.
- Lion XIII: invocation of Mary as help.
- Mapping tested by name and address.
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