Mungyeong Catholic Church

Overview

Mungyeong Church is a church in Mungyeong-eup, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Diocese of Andong. It was established in late 1958 after separation from Gaeun Parish, and its patron is Saint Nicholas of Flüe. Its jurisdiction covers the Mungyeong-eup and Maseong-myeon area, and it is the parish that developed the grave of the faithful Matthias Park Sang-geun and established the Mawon Shrine in 1989.

History

[Transmission of the Gospel] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, faith communities in the northern part of Gyeongsang-do were formed around the time of the 1801 Shinyu Persecution, when faithful from Jeolla-do and Chungcheong-do hid and settled in rugged mountain areas to escape persecution, and it is clear that the Gospel had spread around that time to the Mungyeong area, which served as a gateway when faithful from Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do moved to Gyeongsang-do. Even when the whole Gyeongsang-do area was severely affected by the 1815 Eulhae Persecution and the 1827 Jeonghae Persecution, the Catholic villages in Mungyeong were not widely exposed. The fact that Father Thomas Choe Yang-eop died in June 1861 in a small Catholic village in Mungyeong while traveling to Seoul to report to Bishop Berneux during his circuit of villages in the three southern provinces shows that this place was one of his mission areas. After Father Choe’s death, Father A. Calais took charge of the western part of Gyeongsang-do adjacent to Jeolla-do and supervised the Catholic mission chapels in Mungyeong.

[Byeongin Persecution] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Catholic villages in Mungyeong were severely affected by the 1866 Byeongin Persecution. Francis Xavier Jeon, from Naepo in Chungcheong-do and living in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk, and John Yi, son of the Yeouwok chairman, were martyred on January 27, 1866 (December 10, 1865 by the lunar calendar), becoming the first victims of the Byeongin Persecution, and in this persecution about 30 faithful from Hansil, the first Catholic village in Mungyeong (now Sangnae-ri, Maseong-myeon), Yeouwok, and Geonagi (now Myeongjeon-ri, Dongno-myeon) were martyred in Hongju, Sangju, Daegu and elsewhere. John Yi Yun-il from Yeouwok, among the 103 Saints, was also martyred at that time. On January 26, 1867 (December 21, 1866 by the lunar calendar), Matthias Park Sang-geun, aged 30, whose faith was so deep that he had hidden Father Calais in his house, was martyred in Sangju. As the persecution continued, the earlier villages almost disappeared, and new Catholic villages were formed in more accessible places such as Meokbangi (now Wangneung 2-ri, Gaeun-eup), Dotani (now Wangneung 4-ri, Gaeun-eup), and Mawon (now Mawon-ri, Mungyeong-eup).

[Foundation of mission chapels and changes of affiliation] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, after the persecution ended, Father Robert, who stayed in Sinnamugol (now Yeonhwa-ri, Jicheon-myeon, Chilgok-gun) from late 1882 and served the Gyeongsang-do region, founded around 1883 in Meokbangi the first Catholic mission chapel in Mungyeong, with 87 faithful at the time. Father Robert also visited Ssangyong (now Naeseo-ri, Nongam-myeon) and Heuintimi (now Sinjeon-ri, Sanyang-myeon), where chapels were founded in 1892. After Father C. Pailhasse, who entered the country in early 1894, founded the Gasil (now Naksan) Parish around September 1894, the chapels in Mungyeong came under that parish. In 1898, a chapel was also founded in Pyoseokgol (Gongpyeong-ri, Jeomchon-eup), which had 18 faithful. Later, when Father Alexius Kim Seong-hak, the 2th pastor of Gasil Parish, founded the Gimcheon (now Hwanggeum-dong) Parish in 1901, they came under that parish, and when the Jeomchon (now Chunghyeon) Parish was founded in 1922, all chapels in Mungyeong belonged to Jeomchon Parish.

[Foundation of the parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gaeun chapel under Jeomchon Parish was raised to a parish in May 1957 and Father E. Siebertz was appointed as first pastor, and when the number of faithful greatly increased about 1 years after the foundation of Gaeun Parish, Father Siebertz planned to establish a new parish in Mungyeong. In 1958 he purchased a 2,280-pyeong site at the present parish location and newly built a 60-pyeong church (now Saejae Kindergarten) and rectory, and late that year Mungyeong Parish was established. Father Siebertz, serving concurrently as pastor of both parishes, led relief for war victims harmed by the Korean War, and church strength grew rapidly during his term. The Andong Diocese website’s order of parish foundation and the Korean Catholic Directory list December 7, 1958 as the foundation date of Mungyeong Parish.

[Early pastoral care] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father James Lee Tae-jun, then pastor of Dongnae Parish in Busan, was appointed temporary pastor of Mungyeong Parish effective March 18, 1961, served for about 1 years, and was appointed the 2th pastor in January of the following year. On June 7, 1964 Father Lee newly built a rectory (50 pyeong), repaired the old rectory as a catechism room, and organized the parish’s first devotional association, the ‘Thursday Association.’ On September 5, 1964 Father Lee died of myocardial infarction, the parish was without a priest for more than a month, and in October Father Aloysius Jeong Hwan-guk took office as the 3th pastor.

[New church and annex facilities] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, when the church of about 60 pyeong became too small to hold the faithful, the 4th pastor, Father Joachim Park Tae-san, completed a new 91-pyeong church on September 25, 1968, and the following year launched the parish bulletin as patron. Licensed as ‘Saejae Kindergarten’ on April 7, 1973, it received pupils from May of that year, and from April of the following year regularly held consolation feasts for miners in the Mungyeong district. On August 20, 1978 a convent was completed and a branch of the Sisters of the Korean Martyrs was immediately opened to assist parish ministry. As population moved to large cities, the kindergarten faced closure in the 1980s but, with diocesan financial support, had produced more than 1,000 graduates by 1996.

[Creation of Mawon Shrine and the 1990s] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Mungyeong Parish, which had decided in 1983 to develop the grave of the martyr Matthias Park Sang-geun to foster martyr devotion, created the Mawon Shrine on September 15, 1989, 6 years later, and held a martyr-honoring rally. As home visits conducted from 1994 proved effective, each apostolic group in the parish became active, and in 1995 faith courses were held 8 times during Lent. On October 3, 1996, with the help of the Mungyeong district shrine development committee and the faithful, statues of Father Calais and Park Sang-geun were erected at Mawon Shrine, and it notes a plan to restore the Catholic village and create a pilgrimage trail (Hansil village–Baekhwasan–Yeonpung Shrine).

[Church strength and successive pastors] The church strength recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is 1,050 in 1964, 1,400 in 1973, 1,680 in 1982, 1,983 in 1987, 1,885 in 1991, and 1,772 in 1995, with 4 affiliated chapels at Sinhyeon, Jeongni, Oeeo and Dangpo. Successive pastors are the first Ernst E. Siebertz (1958–1961.3), temporary James Lee Tae-jun (1961.3–1962.1), 2th Lee Tae-jun (1962.1–1964.9), 3th Aloysius Jeong Hwan-guk (1964.10–1968.8), 4th Joachim Park Tae-san (1968.8–1969.7), 5th Peter P. Dirribarne (1969.7–1970.11), 6th Peter P. Domon (1970.11–1974.12), 7th Roger R. Noël (1974.12–1983.1), 8th Andrea Jeong Hui-uk (1983.1–1987.3), 9th Francis Lee Seong-gil (1987.3–1991.7), 10th Paul Lee Seong-gil (1991.7–1993.5), 11th Ludovico Jeong Ho-gyeong (1993.5–1994.2), and 12th Paul Jeong Sang-eop (1994.2–).

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, on a 2,280-pyeong site purchased in 1958 a church of about 60 pyeong (now Saejae Kindergarten) and a rectory were newly built, on June 7, 1964 a rectory (50 pyeong) was newly built, on September 25, 1968 a new church (91 pyeong) was completed, and on August 20, 1978 a convent was completed.

Related Places and Persons

• Mawon Shrine: the shrine created on September 15, 1989 by Mungyeong Parish by developing the grave of the martyr Matthias Park Sang-geun (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Gaeun Church: the mother parish from which Mungyeong Parish was separated in late 1958 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Jeomchon-dong Church (former Jeomchon Parish): the parish founded in 1922 that supervised all chapels in Mungyeong (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Matthias Park Sang-geun: a man of such deep faith that he hid Father Calais in his house, martyred in Sangju on January 26, 1867 at age 30 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sinhyeon, Jeongni, Oeeo and Dangpo chapels: Catholic mission chapels under Mungyeong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Mungyeong Parish” (vol. 5). Transmission of the Gospel and persecutions, changes of chapel affiliation, parish foundation in 1958, church construction, creation of Mawon Shrine, church strength and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2139
2. Diocese of Andong, diocesan status “Order of Parish Foundation.” Foundation date of Mungyeong Parish December 7, 1958.
   https://www.acatholic.or.kr/sub1/sub1_4.asp
3. GoodNews, Korean Catholic Directory list of Andong Diocese parishes. Foundation date of Mungyeong Parish December 7, 1958.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/addr/sResultList.asp?gubun=4&gubun2=&gyogu=201000025&search=