Cheongsong Church

Overview

Cheongsong Church is a church in Wolmak-ri, Cheongsong-eup, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Andong Diocese. It began as the Cheongsong Catholic mission chapel in 1960 and was established as a parish on February 13, 1965, with Saint Michael the Archangel as patron and French Father Rogerio Le Berrier (Yeo Dong-chan) as first pastor. Since the 1980s it has devoted itself to prison ministry at Cheongsong Prison.

History

[Introduction of Catholicism to Cheongsong] The Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia states, following the history of Cheongsong Church, that Catholicism in Cheongsong was first spread in 1801 during the Sinyu Persecution by Kim Jong-han, great-grandfather of Father Kim Dae-geon, and believers who migrated from other regions to escape persecution. Believers who fled from Hongju, Cheongyang and Deoksan in Chungcheong-do, from Jeolla-do, and from Sangju in Gyeongsang-do formed a Catholic village on Norae Mountain in Andeok-myeon. After the great famine in 1814, Jeon Ji-su reported the believers to the government office, and around February 22, 1815, at Easter, constables raided the Norae Mountain Catholic village, beginning the Eulhae Persecution. The arrested believers were taken to the Gyeongju garrison, transferred to the Daegu provincial office, and 7 of them were executed. Go Seong-dae (Peter), Go Seong-un (Joseph), Kim Hwa-chun (James) and Gu Seong-yeol (Barbara) were seized at Norae Mountain in Cheongsong and martyred, while the other three are known as Yi Si-im (Anna) of Meoru Mountain in Jinbo, Kim Hui-seong (Francis) of Goteunjeong in Yeongyang, and Kim Jong-han (Andrew) of Uryeonjeon in Yeongyang. They were beatified by Pope Francis at Gwanghwamun in Seoul on August 16, 2014.

[Cheongsong Catholic mission chapel] According to the Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia, around 1959, believers gathered in Bugok-ri, Cheongsong-eup and in Jinan-ri, Jinbo-myeon and continued their religious life. Believers from Bugok-ri, Cheongsong-eup gathered at the homes of brothers Bae Ju-hwan (Matthew) and Choe Hak-seo (Mark), and Cheongsong Church was launched as they received the Easter confession from Father Rogerio Yeo Dong-chan, pastor of Andong Church. Starting with groups of 7 to 8 gathering at the house of Kim Gyeong-su (Leosio) in 1960, the “Cheongsong mission chapel” began and the number of believers grew.

[Parish establishment] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, when Father Le Berrier, who had served for 7 years as the 8th pastor of Andong (now Mokseong-dong) Parish, left for vacation in France in April 1964, he was instructed to prepare to go to Cheongsong, and from May 1964 until his return to Korea on February 12 of the following year he toured France giving lectures and sermons to raise funds for building the Cheongsong parish. When Cheongsong Parish was established on February 13, 1965, he took office as first pastor, rented a private house in Cheongsong-eup for use as office and church, purchased the present parish site, and began construction of the rectory, hall and church that spring. In autumn he moved into the rectory and continued construction while using the completed hall as a temporary church, completing it in June 1966 and holding the dedication ceremony. The Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia records the same person as Father Yeo Dong-chan, and states that with the funds raised he purchased 5,917 square meters of church land and began new construction of the church, rectory and hall, completing it on April 30, 1966. The metadata of that culture encyclopedia entry records the parish establishment as March 13, 1965 and the blessing of the new building as June 7, 1966, while the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and the Andong Diocese website give the establishment date as February 13, 1965. In the Andong Diocese website’s order of parish establishment, Cheongsong is the 18th.

[Pastors of the 1960s-70s] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 2th pastor, Father Rogerio Doc (Park Ro-je), devoted himself to children’s evangelization and built the Nulin Catholic mission chapel. The 3th was Father Ludovico Jeong Ho-gyeong, and in 1973 from 2 to April Father Giorgio Jiglemeier (Sin Geol-man) served temporarily, while the 4th pastor, Father Paul Jeong Yang-mo, newly built the Nulin mission chapel hall and held its blessing in May 1976. The 5st pastor, Father Paul Bahilo (Bang Il-hyeon), emphasized the return of lapsed believers, guidance of catechumens, and the Church’s cooperation for local community development. At his request for the dispatch of sisters of the Society of Jesus Christ (now the Sisters of Jesus Christ), a community of working sisters was formed in 1976, and living in the parish they ran a night school and the “School of Love” and educated disadvantaged youth, and the School of Love later received approval from the education office and grew into a regular kindergarten. Sisters and volunteers were also sent to Deokcheon-dong, Woloe-dong, Jungpyeong-dong and Geodae-dong to open Schools of Love, and when they were invited to the parish 1 a year, as many as 200 attended. Father Bahilo built a new rectory and worked with the local community through tuition assistance and other support, laying the foundation for parish growth over about 7 years.

[1980s-2000s] The 6th pastor, Father Cosmas Gong Han-yeong, opened the Cheongsong Housewives’ College and helped needy neighbors, and in 1987 he remodeled the old rectory to provide a branch house for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After his transfer, for about 4 months while the pastor’s post was vacant, the parish pastoral council and youth group led efforts to revitalize the parish. The 7st pastor, Father Bernardo Jo Jong-yul, computerized pastoral work with computers and added an infant room and choir loft. The 8nd pastor, Father Joseph Lee Hui-jeong, newly organized the pastoral council and formed the Milal Association and the Jinbo mission chapel sharing group to revitalize men’s groups, and promoted small Christian community meetings, return of lapsed believers, guidance of catechumens, and the pro-life movement. The 10rd pastor, Father Peter Gwon Jung-hui, focused on prison ministry for detainees at the Cheongsong Detention Center and invited the Arirang theatre troupe to give several performances. The 11th pastor, Father Francis Jeon Jang-ho, attended the Buddha’s Birthday celebration service at Daejeonsa Temple on Juwang Mountain on May 26, 2004, and Cheongsong Parish and Daejeonsa have visited each other for the 3th year at Christmas, Easter, Buddha’s Birthday and other events to share fellowship (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

[Catholic mission chapels] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia lists 3 mission chapels under the parish: Jinbo, Nulin and Woloe. According to the Dopyeong mission chapel entry of the Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia, the Nulin mission chapel began with the purchase of a house in Nulin 3-ri in 1966. Sister Choo Bong-ak (Maljina), who had lived a life of faith in Japan and returned home at liberation, settled in Cheongsong in 1967, and when Father Rogerio Park Ro-je, the 2th pastor of Cheongsong Church, sought to establish a mission chapel for believers in outlying areas, she helped him create what became the Nulin mission chapel, predecessor of the Dopyeong mission chapel. About 10 years later, when the purchased house collapsed, a new mission chapel of brick and slate was built in Nulin 2-ri led by the 5nd pastor of Cheongsong Church, Father Paul Jeong Yang-mo (the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records him as the 4rd). When the building aged, believers raised a fund for church construction, and with the 13th pastor, Father John the Baptist Cha Ho-cheol, also visiting churches in the Daegu and Busan dioceses to seek help, a sanctuary and education hall were built in Changyang-ri in 2008 and the name was changed to Dopyeong mission chapel. As of 2017, Cheongsong-gun has Cheongsong Church, Jinbo Church and Dopyeong mission chapel (Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia).

[Prison ministry and present status] The Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia states that Cheongsong Church has devoted itself to prison ministry centered on Cheongsong Prison since the 1980s, holds Mass at Cheongsong Prison every Thursday, and in 2010 brought the Cheongsong-gun Multicultural Family Support Center into the church. As of 2017, the pastor is Father Ephrem Jang Hyeon-jun, sisters are served by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and there are about 480 believers.

[Parish statistics and successive pastors] The jurisdiction recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is the entire Cheongsong-gun area. Parish statistics are 29 in 1965, 275 in 1971, 368 in 1977, 573 in 1982, 975 in 1987, 1,059 in 1992, 1,551 in 1997, and 1,275 in 2003. Successive pastors are the first, Rogerio Le Berrier (Yeo Dong-chan) (1965.2-1967.5), 2th Rogerio Doc (Park Ro-je) (1967.5-1972.8), 3rd Ludovico Jeong Ho-gyeong (1972.8-1973.2), interim Giorgio Jiglemeier (Sin Geol-man) (1973.2-4), 4th Paul Jeong Yang-mo (1975.2-1976.5), 5st Paul Bahilo (Bang Il-hyeon) (1976.5-1983.1), 6th Cosmas Gong Han-yeong (1983.1-1987.3), 7th Bernardo Jo Jong-yul (1987.7-1992.2), 8th Joseph Lee Hui-jeong (1992.2-1995.6), 9rd Augustino Kim Sang-jin (1995.6-2000.1), 10th Peter Gwon Jung-hui (2000.1-2003.7), and 11th Francis Jeon Jang-ho (2003.7-).

Related places and people

• Andong (Mokseong-dong) Parish: the parish where Father Le Berrier served for 7 years as 8nd pastor before coming as first pastor of Cheongsong Parish, and where Father Yeo Dong-chan gave Easter confession (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia).
• Nulin and Dopyeong mission chapels: mission chapels belonging to Cheongsong Church, renamed Dopyeong mission chapel after building a sanctuary in Changyang-ri in 2008 (Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia).
• Jinbo Church: believers gathered in Jinan-ri, Jinbo-myeon around 1959, the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia lists Jinbo as a mission chapel under Cheongsong Parish, and the Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia cites Cheongsong Church and Jinbo Church as the churches in Cheongsong-gun as of 2017.
• Norae Mountain Catholic village in Cheongsong: the place raided during the Eulhae Persecution in 1815, where four were seized and martyred (Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia).
• Daejeonsa on Juwang Mountain: Father Jeon Jang-ho attended its Buddha’s Birthday celebration service in 2004 and they have since visited each other and shared fellowship (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Cheongsong Parish” (vol. 11). Establishment on February 13, 1965, patron, jurisdiction and mission chapels, statistics, successive pastors, parish founding process and church dedication, activities of successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5962
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia “Cheongsong Church”. Mission chapel in 1960, establishment in 1965, completion and dedication in 1966, believers in the mission chapel period and fundraising process, prison ministry, present status.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheongsong/toc/GC06801082
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia “Catholicism”. Introduction of Catholicism to Cheongsong, Eulhae Persecution and martyrs, Cheongsong Church establishment in 1965, status in 2017.
   http://www.grandculture.net/cheongsong/toc/GC06801081
4. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia “Dopyeong mission chapel”. Beginning of Nulin mission chapel and renaming to Dopyeong mission chapel in 2008.
   http://www.grandculture.net/cheongsong/toc/GC06801083
5. Andong Diocese, jurisdiction and parish distribution map. Order of parish establishment (Cheongsong 18th, February 13, 1965).
   https://www.acatholic.or.kr/sub1/sub1_4.asp