Beomeo Cathedral

Overview

Beomeo Church (Beomeo Cathedral) is the cathedral of the archbishop who heads the Daegu Archdiocese, located in Beomeo-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City. It was elevated from the Beomeo Catholic mission chapel to a church on March 10, 1951, and the cathedral of Beomeo commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Daegu Archdiocese was dedicated on May 22, 2016. Its patron saints are St. Francis of Assisi and Our Lady of Lourdes, and its first pastor was Father Kwon Yeong-jo (Marco).

History

[Beginning of evangelization and the Eungok mission chapel] The Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia states that Beomeo Church began when Yun Hong-jin, who had moved from Cheongdo in 1910, first evangelized in the Beomeo-dong area. In 1925, the Eungok Catholic mission chapel belonging to Gyesan Church was established, but it was closed because of persecution by the Japanese colonial authorities.

[Beomeo mission chapel] According to the Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia, the Beomeo Catholic mission chapel began in 1945 (the chronology entry gives November 1945) at the house of its first president, Kim Ho-beom. After Liberation, the present Beomeo Church site was registered by transfer to the Maintenance Foundation of the Daegu Diocesan Catholic Church in 1946 by agreement with the independent government, and a new mission chapel building was built.

[Elevation to church and transfer of pastoral care] The Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia records that the Beomeo Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a church on March 10, 1951 and that Saebyeol Kindergarten opened on April 1, 1954. In 1959, pastoral care of the church was transferred to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, while the chronology in the same entry gives this as July 1, 1959 and the main text as July 20. According to the list of successive pastors on the Beomeo Cathedral homepage, the first pastor, Father Kwon Yeong-jo (Marco), served from September 15, 1951 to June 9, 1959, and the 2th pastor, Father No Gyeong-sam (Daniel), served from July 1, 1959 to May 1, 1965.

[Branch churches and dedication of the church] The Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia records that it established the Jisan mission chapel on April 15, 1960 and separated Suseong Church on April 16, 1964. It completed the church on January 5, 1968 and held the dedication ceremony, and separated Hwanggeum Church on February 24, 1983 and Manchon Church on October 30, 1983.

[Return of pastoral care to the Daegu Archdiocese and Beomeo Cathedral as cathedral] According to the Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia, pastoral care was transferred from the Order of Friars Minor Conventual to the Daegu Archdiocese on January 10, 1996, and the "Beomeo Cathedral as cathedral commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Daegu Archdiocese" was dedicated on May 22, 2016. On October 17, 2010, it held a bazaar to raise funds for building the great cathedral for the 100th anniversary.

[Activities] The Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia records that it opened a school for the elderly on May 14, 1985, founded Hwaseon Night School on March 2, 1988, and founded Hwaseon Senior College on March 19, 1991 and Franciscan Bible College on September 5, 2003. It founded the graduate school for lifelong learning at Hwaseon Senior College on March 2, 2005, and in 2014 operated a Christmas food feast organized by the youth group. As major projects, it lists Bible study groups, tai chi classes, the Demange Hall opening concert, the Daegu ME 40th anniversary grand family celebration, public humanities lectures of the Justino Free Graduate School, cultural courses for teenagers and young adults, the Sunday School elementary division grace feast, and faith schools for the elementary and middle-high school divisions.

[Jurisdiction and present status] The Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia gives its jurisdiction as all of Beomeo 1-dong and parts of Beomeo 1-dong, Beomeo 3-dong, Suseong 3-dong and Suseong 4-dong in Suseong-gu. The address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea gives its jurisdiction as all of Beomeo 1-dong and parts of Beomeo 2,3-dong and Suseong-dong 3,4-ga, and its community of sisters as the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres. As of January 2022, the pastor is Father Choe Chang-deok (Javier), the 1th assistant is Father Gu Seung-mo (Paul), the 2th assistant is Father Jeon Hyeon-gyu (Paul), and registered faithful number 5,238.

[Successive pastors] The list of successive pastors on the Beomeo Cathedral homepage continues with the first Kwon Yeong-jo (Marco), 2th No Gyeong-sam (Daniel), 3th Hwang Man-yong (Mario Falbrizi, Mario, September 1965–March 10, 1968), 4th Heo Cheol (Andrea), 5th Ji Se-am (Rocco Cipollone, Rocco), 6th An Hyeon-cheol (Antonio Di Francesco, Antonio), 7th Jang Ja-ho (Giancarlo Faldani, Carlo), 8th Kim Ok-su (Domenico), 9th Won Yu-dong (Paul), 10th Kim Im-gi (Antonio, November 17, 1990–January 10, 1996), 11th Kang Taek-gyu (Geronimo), 12th Won Yu-sul (James), 13th Sin Yeong-gyu (Peter), 14th Choe Gyeong-hwan (Javier), 15th Jang Byeong-bae (Peter, September 2, 2011–January 25, 2018), 16th Choe Chang-deok (Javier, January 26, 2018–January 5, 2023), 17th Choe Hwan-uk (Beda, January 6, 2023–January 16, 2026), 18th Yi Ho-bong (Peter, January 16, 2026–present).

[Significance] The Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia evaluates Beomeo Church as a Catholic church needed for studying the process of Catholic propagation in the Suseong area of Daegu Metropolitan City and the standing and role of Catholicism in the local community.

Architecture and Space

According to the “Basic Policy for Liturgical Art Creation” on the Beomeo Cathedral homepage, the memorial church for the 100th anniversary of the Daegu Diocese was built as a church that would become a milestone for evangelization in the new era on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the diocese, and it explains that 50 ten thousand parishioners’ confession of faith is its symbol. As basic policies, it lists a convenient, simple, gracious and peaceful space (unadorned space, light and color, eco-friendly materials), a beautiful and sacred space (aesthetics, scale and proportion), and a meaningful and monumental space (symbolism, formative beauty with Korean identity).

The floor guide on the same homepage shows sectional drawings from basement 2 to basement 1 and from ground 1 to ground 4.

Related Places and Figures

• Gyesan Church: the Beomeo Church entry states that the Eungok mission chapel belonging to it was established in 1925 but was closed because of persecution by the Japanese colonial authorities (Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia).
• Suseong Church, Hwanggeum Church and Manchon Church: parishes separated from Beomeo Church in 1964 and 1983 respectively (Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia).
• Order of Friars Minor Conventual: the religious order that held pastoral care of Beomeo Church from 1959 to 1996 (Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia).
• Father Kwon Yeong-jo (Marco): the first pastor (Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia, Beomeo Cathedral homepage).

References and Sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Daegu History and Culture Encyclopedia “Beomeo Church”. Beginning of evangelization, Beomeo mission chapel and elevation in 1951, transfer of pastoral care, branch churches, dedication in 1968, dedication of Beomeo Cathedral as cathedral in 2016, activities and status in 2022.
   https://www.grandculture.net/daegu/toc/GC40004633
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Beomeo Cathedral” (Daegu Archdiocese). Date of establishment 1951.03.10, community of sisters, patron St. Francis of Assisi, jurisdiction.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000021&code=201000814&gubn2=all&char=all
3. Daegu Archdiocese, parish information “Beomeo Church”. Date of establishment March 10, 1951, patron saints St. Francis of Assisi and Our Lady of Lourdes.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=45&premenu&srl=church_search
4. Beomeo Cathedral homepage, Beomeo parish history “Successive priests and sisters”. List of successive pastors and terms of service.
   http://www.besd.kr/sub/cat_his_mbr.php
5. Beomeo Cathedral homepage, 100th anniversary cathedral Beomeo great church “Basic Policy for Liturgical Art Creation”. Purpose of the 100th anniversary memorial church and basic policy for space.
   http://www.besd.kr/sub/cat_100th_str_3.php
6. Beomeo Cathedral homepage, “Floor Guide”. Sectional drawings from basement 2 to ground 4.
   http://www.besd.kr/sub/cat_info2.php