Namseong-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Namseong-dong Church is a church in Namseong-dong, Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Andong Diocese. Established in 1963 after separation from the Sangju (now Seomun-dong) Parish, its patron is Jesus the Savior. It belongs to the Sangju District of the Andong Diocese and has jurisdiction over the Yongpo, Nakdong, Sangchon and Sinsang Catholic mission chapels.

History

[Preparation for establishment] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the establishment of the Namseong-dong Parish began with the efforts of Father Eligio Kohler (E. Kohler, Gyeongdogyeom), the 9th pastor of the Sangju Parish. Father Kohler, appointed to the Sangju Parish in July 1956, worked to expand the Church, and when believers grew from just over 800 to 3,200, he felt the need to build a new church and divide it off. In April 1962 and in April and October of the following year, he purchased land totaling just over 2,040 pyeong and began the church, rectory and annex buildings, and in June 1963, just before completion, Father Kohler died. The Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia “Namseong-dong Church” records as its starting point that in 1962 Father Eligius Gyeongdobeom of Seomun-dong Church of the Benedictine Order purchased part of the present site and began the church, rectory and annex buildings.

[Establishment and blessing of the parish] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that it was separated and established from the Sangju (now Seomun-dong) Parish in October 1963 and shared the joy of the blessing on November 28. The Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia records that on November 28, 1963 the dedication ceremony was held under Abbot Odo Haas, head of the Waegwan Vicariate, and Father Aloysius Min Gong-do took office as first pastor, and that the mission chapels then under its jurisdiction were Nakdong, Cheongni, Oksan, Wangsil, Oenam, Unpyeong, Yongpo, Uha and Sinsang. The Korean Catholic Address Book lists the establishment date as November 28, 1963. The Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia “Seomun-dong Church” records that Seomun-dong Church divided off Hwayeong Church in 1962 and Namseong-dong Church in 1963, and the “Catholic Church” entry records that in 1962 Hwayeong Church and Namseong-dong Parish were established in turn.

[Early ministry and establishment of mission chapels] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Namseong-dong Parish, welcoming its first pastor Father Aloysius Seuferling (A. Seuferling, Min Gong-do), carried out evangelization by June 1966 by supplying food to the poor with food aid from the United States and help from German believers, and through care for leprosy patients and reagent work. As population and believers grew and new mission chapels were needed, it completed the Cheongni (1964) mission chapel, the Sinsang and Yongpo (1966) mission chapels, and the Uha and Sangchon (1967) mission chapels. On May 29, 1969, with the establishment of the Andong Diocese, its affiliation changed from the Waegwan Vicariate of the Daegu Archdiocese to the Andong Diocese.

[The 1970s] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in May 1973, influenced by the 3th pastor Father John Bideau (J. Bideau, Dogwangju), who was deeply impressed by Our Lady of Lourdes, construction of a statue of the Virgin Mary began. During the term of the 4th pastor Father Francis Lee Chun-woo, the parish produced its parish bulletin for faith education and parish news and began district meetings following district organization. The Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1976 the parish bulletin 『Yanguri』 was published, and that from 1965 the Missionary Benedictine Sisters entered the parish.

[The 1980s] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as the parish entered a stable period in the 1980s, the Namseong-dong, Seomun-dong and Hwayeong Parishes promoted unity of believers in Sangju through joint Masses and a joint parish bulletin, and from the pilgrimage to the Cheonjinam Shrine in June 1983 they also joined external events such as the 200th anniversary faith rally in May 1984. In March 1987 a rally condemning torture was held in the parish. After the Missionary Benedictine Sisters branch withdrew in January 1981, the Sisters of Christian Education began to cooperate in parish ministry (the Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia records that the Sisters of Christian Education entered the parish from 1981).

[Since the 1990s] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as population grew with urbanization of Sangju in the late 1980s, the Gyerim-dong Parish was separated from the Namseong-dong and Seomun-dong Parishes in November 1990. As large apartment complexes entered the parish territory and the Church grew, it tried to simplify office work by computer, and in 1993, the 30th anniversary of the parish establishment, it held 30th anniversary faith lectures and Masses and the groundbreaking for the 30th anniversary kindergarten. The Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1994 Hanmaeum Kindergarten was established in the church. On February 12, 1995 the Oksan mission chapel in its territory was raised to a parish and Oksan Church was established (Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia). The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that 4 places including Oksan were transferred to the Oksan Parish as of February 12, 1995.

[Church strength and successive pastors] The figures recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 2,000 in 1965, 2,233 in 1972, 2,728 in 1980, 3,380 in 1989, and 3,552 in 1993. Successive pastors are listed as the first Aloysius Seuferling (Min Gong-do) (1963.11–1967.12), the 2th Ruga Kim Nam-su (1968.1–1969.6), the 3th John Bideau (Dogwangju) (1969.7–1976.5), the 4th Francis Lee Chun-woo (1976.5–1979.5), the 5th Antonio Jeon Dal-su (1979.5–1983.2), the 6th Rogero Noel (R. Noël, Nogwangju) (1983.2–1990.6), the 7th John Chrysostom Kwon Hyeok-ju (1990.6–1992.2), and the 8th Bernardo Jo Jong-yul (1992.2–). According to the Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia, as of 2023 about just over 700 attend Sunday Mass and registered believers are 2,512, and it has jurisdiction over the Yongpo, Nakdong, Sangchon and Sinsang mission chapels.

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, ahead of the parish establishment in 1963, land totaling just over 2,040 pyeong was purchased and the church, rectory and annex buildings were begun, and on November 28, 1963 the church was blessed. Afterwards construction of a statue of the Virgin Mary began in May 1973, and in June 1980 a convent with 113 pyeong of land and 23 pyeong of floor area was blessed. Because of lack of catechesis rooms and aging buildings, repairs were carried out, a catechesis room and hall were built in 1985, and roof replacement was done in 1986.

The Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia records that the parish is a parish where the Sisters of Christian Education are active, enshrines Jesus the Savior as patron saint, and operates Hanmaeum Kindergarten in the church.

Related Places and People

• Seomun-dong Church (former Sangju Parish): the mother parish from which the Namseong-dong Parish was separated in 1963. The Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia records that Seomun-dong Church was raised to Sangju Parish on May 11, 1936 and divided off Hwayeong Church in 1962, Namseong-dong Church in 1963 and Gyerim-dong Church in 1990.
• Gyerim-dong Church: the parish separated and established from the Namseong-dong and Seomun-dong Parishes in 1990 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Oksan Church: established when the Oksan mission chapel under the Namseong-dong Parish was raised to a parish in 1995 (Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia).
• Sangju Confession of Faith Monument: the GoodNews guide to shrines and historic sites records that in the 1980s purchases of land around the monument began, centered on the Andong Diocese and Namseong-dong Church, to develop Church historic sites.
• Cheongni, Sinsang, Yongpo, Sangchon and Uha mission chapels: mission chapels completed by the Namseong-dong Parish in 1964–1967 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia: Cheongni 1964, Sinsang and Yongpo 1966, Uha and Sangchon 1967).

References and Sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Namseong-dong Parish” (vol. 2, parish entry of the Andong Diocese). Establishment and blessing in 1963, land purchase by Father Kohler, establishment of mission chapels, incorporation into the Andong Diocese, activities in the 1980s, separation of Gyerim-dong Parish in 1990, church figures and successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1041
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia “Namseong-dong Church”. Dedication on November 28, 1963, first pastor, mission chapels then under jurisdiction, entry of sisters, bulletin 『Yanguri』, Hanmaeum Kindergarten, elevation of Oksan Church, status as of 2023.
   https://www.grandculture.net/sangju/toc/GC09101161
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia “Seomun-dong Church”. History of Seomun-dong Church and division of Namseong-dong Church (1963), Hwayeong Church (1962) and Gyerim-dong Church (1990).
   https://www.grandculture.net/sangju/toc/GC09101167
4. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Sangju Culture Encyclopedia “Catholic Church”. Outline of Catholicism in Sangju, establishment of Hwayeong Church and Namseong-dong Parish in 1962, change to the Andong Diocese, 8 churches of the Sangju District.
   https://www.grandculture.net/sangju/toc/GC09101157
5. GoodNews, Korean Catholic Address Book list of parishes of the Andong Diocese. Establishment date of Namseong-dong Parish November 28, 1963.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/addr/sResultList.asp?gubun=4&gubun2=&gyogu=201000025&search=
6. GoodNews, Shrines and Historic Sites “Confession of Faith Monument (Oksan Church)”. Land purchases around the monument in the 1980s centered on the Andong Diocese and Namseong-dong Church.
   https://app.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?flag=1&seq=2348