Jinbo Church

Overview

Jinbo Church is a church in Jinan-ri, Jinbo-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Andong Diocese. Originating in a gathering of believers around 1959, it was active as a Catholic mission chapel and was elevated to a parish on July 15, 2005, with Saint Paul the Apostle as its patron.

History

〔Mission Chapel Period〕 According to the Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia, Jinbo Church began when about 10 believers gathered for worship in Onggugol in Bugok-dong and Onggidomak in Jinan-dong around 1959, and at that time they made their Easter confession at Mokseong-dong Church in Andong. Around 1960, 3 households, 7 to 8 people, gathered at the house of Kim Jeong-suk (Rogerio), who was then a correspondent for the Kyunghyang Shinmun, to celebrate mission chapel services. Around 1965, Father Yeo Dong-chan, with aid from abroad, purchased through Shin Gwang-sil (Paul) from Kwon Tae-hwa the house at 1-gil, Jinan-dong, Jinbo-myeon, and began full-scale mission chapel activities. At that time, catechist Bae Je-seop (Joseph) of Cheongsong Church visited 2 to 3 times a week to teach doctrine to the believers.

〔Elevation to Parish〕 According to the Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia, Father Jeon Jang-ho (Francis) proposed elevation to parish status to the diocesan curia on the grounds of ministry to inmates and the area’s potential for development, and it was elevated to a parish on July 15, 2005. The same source records the original site of Jinbo Church as the Jinbo mission chapel at lot 46-5, Jinan-ri, Jinbo-myeon, and the present location as Jinan-ri 477-1.

〔Prison Ministry and Present State〕 According to the Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia, ministry to inmates began when Cheongsong Prison was established in Gwangdeok-ri in 1982 and continues to this day, and on Thursdays during the week Mass is sometimes held at Cheongsong Prison rather than at the parish. Its jurisdiction covers all of Jinbo-myeon, and as of 2017, the pastor is Father Ryu Han-bin (Andrea) and the sisters are supervised by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The “Catholic Church” entry in the same source states that as of 2017, the Catholic Church in Cheongsong-gun operates under the jurisdiction of the Andong Diocese with 2 churches, Cheongsong Church and Jinbo Church, and 1 mission chapel, Dopyeong Mission Chapel.

Related Places and People

• Cheongsong Church: The parish whose catechist Bae Je-seop visited the Jinbo mission chapel to teach doctrine, and the Catholic Church in Cheongsong-gun is operated through Cheongsong Church and Jinbo Church (Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia).
• Cheongsong Prison: Ministry to inmates began after it was established in Gwangdeok-ri in 1982 (Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia).
• Mokseong-dong (Andong) Parish: The parish where believers in the Jinbo area made their Easter confession around 1959 (Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia, “Jinbo Church”. Gatherings and mission chapel activities around 1959, elevation to parish on July 15, 2005, ministry to inmates, and present state.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheongsong/toc/GC06801084
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongsong Culture Encyclopedia, “Catholic Church”. The Catholic Church in the Cheongsong area after 1801, the gathering of believers in Jinan-ri in 1959, and the status of churches and mission chapels in Cheongsong-gun in 2017.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheongsong/toc/GC06801081