Hamangdong Catholic Church

Overview

Hamang-dong Church is a church in Hamang-dong, Yeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Diocese of Andong. It began when it was separated and established from Yeongju Parish (now Hyucheon-dong) on August 28, 1988, and its patron is Saint Paul Jeong Hasang. Its first pastor was Father Paul Jeong Sang-eop.

History

〔Division background〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in the mid-1980s, Yeongju, together with Andong, had strong potential to develop as a center of the northern region of North Gyeongsang Province. Yeongju Parish had too wide a jurisdiction to accommodate all the faithful, and its location, skewed to one side of Yeongju-si, made pastoral care difficult; when the number of believers surged on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Catholic Church in 1984, the need to divide the parish was felt. The Digital Yeongju Culture Encyclopedia also records that the existing Yeongju Parish was geographically lopsided, causing great inconvenience to the faithful, and that construction of Hamang-dong Church was promoted on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Korean Catholic Church in 1984.

〔Church construction and parish establishment〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, with support from the diocesan curia, after purchasing a riverbed site at 305, Hamang-3-dong, Yeongju-si (the present location), a committee to promote construction of a new church was formed in the second half of 1986. Construction funds were raised through donations from each family of the faithful, centered on the committee members, and construction of the new church began on July 26, 1987. While construction was underway, on August 28, 1988, the Diocese of Andong established Hamang-dong Parish and appointed Father Jeong Sang-eop as its first pastor. Father Jeong promptly formed a pastoral council, launched a choir on October 16, and on November 8 held the dedication ceremony for the newly built church, presided over by Bishop Du Bong (R. Dupont).

〔After 1989〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in August 1989 a Curia of the Queen of Patriarchs was founded within the parish, and in February 1990 sisters of the Olivetan Sisters were dispatched to the parish to assist in pastoral ministry. Starting on April 27, 1992, a prefabricated building in the parish was used as a dining hall to begin free meals for needy neighbors and wayfarers. On March 29, 1996, a special lecture for a Holy Spirit Seminar was held, on May 26 a diocesan Holy Spirit Renewal convention on the theme “The Holy Spirit and Charisms” was held in the parish, and on April 2, 2000, a Great Jubilee 3-stage training for district volunteers on the theme “The 2000 Great Jubilee and Life” was conducted. Father Jeong Jin-hun, who took office as the 4 pastor in 2002, set evangelization of families, fundraising for church building repairs, encouragement of inactive Catholics, revitalization of small Christian communities, and practice of farmers’ ministry as the parish’s priority projects. The Digital Yeongju Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1992 a free meal center “House of Encounter” was opened, in 1993 the Daseok Children’s Center for children from broken families and others was opened, in 1998 the Hamang-dong Church Children’s Center for children deprived of educational opportunities was opened, and in 2006 the church was repaired and the rectory rebuilt.

〔Church membership and successive pastors〕 Church membership recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is 813 in 1990, 1,366 in 1995, 1,564 in 2000, and 1,633 in 2004. Its jurisdiction is recorded as Yeongju-1-dong, -2-dong and -3-dong, Hamang-dong, Hyucheon-1-dong, Sangmang-dong in Yeongju-si, and the entire Isan-myeon area (the Digital Yeongju Culture Encyclopedia states it covers Yeongju-dong, Hyucheon-dong, Sangmang-dong, Hamang-dong, Gohyeon-dong, Joam-dong and the Isan-myeon area). Successive pastors are the first Paul Jeong Sang-eop (1988.8–1992.6), the 2 Andrew Jeong Hui-uk (1992.6–1997.6), the 3 Ignatius Kim Jae-mun (1997.6–2002.6), and the 4 Thaddeus Jeong Jin-hun (2002.6–).

Related Places and People

• Hyucheon-dong Church (former Yeongju Parish): the mother parish from which Hamang-dong Parish was separated in 1988 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Yeongju Culture Encyclopedia).
• Bishop Du Bong (R. Dupont): presided over the dedication ceremony for the newly built church on November 8, 1988 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Hamang-dong Parish” (Vol. 12). Division background, church construction and parish establishment in 1988, subsequent ministry, church membership and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/6698
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Yeongju Culture Encyclopedia “Hamang-dong Church”. Established on August 28, 1988, facility openings and repairs in 1992–2006, jurisdictional area.
   https://www.grandculture.net/yeongju/toc/GC07401002