Banyeo Church

Overview

Banyeo Church is a church in Jaesong-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan Metropolitan City, belonging to the Diocese of Busan. February 9, 1977, it was established as a parish, elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under Dongnae Parish, and its patron is St. Paul the Apostle.

History

[Establishment of the mission chapel] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Banyeo-dong began to form around 1972 as flood victims from Gudeok in Seodaesin-dong, Seo-gu and displaced people from the highlands of Busan moved in while urban redevelopment in Busan was in full swing. As migrants continued to increase and the Church grew, Dongnae Parish, May 10, 1973, established the Banyeo Catholic mission chapel in the Handok Kindergarten building in Banyeo 2-dong, and priests of Dongnae Parish and Sasang Parish visited in turn to celebrate Mass.

[Elevation to parish and first church] The encyclopedia records that mission chapel faithful hoping for parish establishment organized a preparatory committee May 3, 1976 and campaigned for elevation, and the diocese purchased 250 pyeong of land at lot 164-69 in Jaesong-dong, Dongnae-gu (now Haeundae-gu), considering the development potential of the area. In the same year construction of the church began September 10, and the following year it was elevated to a parish February 9, but since the church was not completed Mass was celebrated for a time in the mission chapel hall, and the community moved in when the church was completed June 29. Because of land readjustment in the Jaesong-dong area, soil flowed down from the mountains every rainy season and the church often suffered greater and lesser damage, and as apartment complexes were built nearby the question of relocating the church became prominent.

[Relocation and new construction] According to the encyclopedia, in the time of the 6th parish priest Father Sin Yo-an John, May 1, 1989, 600 pyeong of land owned by a construction company at lot 1121-2 in Jaesong-dong was purchased as the site for a new church, but relocation became difficult because of opposition from the nearby temple Okcheonsa and residents. Later, with the help of administrative authorities, 597 pyeong of the present church site was exchanged by mutual sale, permission for use was obtained October 15, 1990, and in the following year new construction began March and a building with 3 floors above ground and 1 floor below ground (total floor area 882 pyeong) was completed June 28, 1992 and blessed.

[Activities in the 1990s] The encyclopedia records that in the time of the 7th parish priest Father Kim Seong-han Andrea, April 30, 1993, a statue of Our Lady of Banneux was erected, and December 2, 1995, a singing contest among districts and small groups was held to promote friendship and unity among members. In the time of the 8th parish priest Father Yang Yo-seop Joseph, April 20, 1996, a feast for inviting persons with disabilities was held, bringing together 150 visually impaired, hearing-impaired and physically disabled persons with parish volunteers, and on that occasion the situation of disabled persons in the district was surveyed in order to care for them continuously. It is said that all the faithful became volunteers and prepared a long-term plan covering social welfare, including help for extremely poor households, child heads of household and needy elderly, and operation of a free meal center.

[Church strength and jurisdiction] The encyclopedia gives the parish address at the time as 1035-6 Jaesong 2-dong, Haeundae-gu, the jurisdiction as all of Jaesong-dong and Banyeo 2-dong and 3-dong, and the strength as 712 in 1977, 1,943 in 1983, 3,640 in 1990, and 5,134 in 1995. The Korean Catholic directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the parish as belonging to the U-dong District, its establishment date as February 9, 1977, its serving religious community as the Sisters of the Holy Word, the number of faithful as 5,544, and the number of Catholic mission chapels as 0.

[Successive parish priests] The successive priests recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the 1st, Carollo O’Rourke (C. O’Rourke, O) (1977.2–1980.10), 2th, John Quinn (J. Quinn, Go) (1980.10–1984.5), 3th, Guglielmo Schmitt (W. Schmitt) (1984.5–11), 4th, Mauricio O’Connor (M. O’Connor, Gomaun) (1984.11–1987.7), 5th, John Yang Deok-bae (1987.7–1988.2), 6th, John the Baptist Sin Yo-an (1988.2–1993.2), 7th, Andrea Kim Seong-han (1993.2–1996.2), and 8th, Joseph Yang Yo-seop (1996.2–the time of compilation). The directory lists Father John Bosco Lee Su-rak as parish priest.

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, construction of the first church in Jaesong-dong began September 10, 1976 and was completed June 29, 1977, and after a new site was purchased in 1989, construction began March 1991 and a building with 3 floors above ground and 1 floor below ground (total floor area 882 pyeong) was completed June 28, 1992 and blessed. April 30, 1993, a statue of Our Lady of Banneux was erected.

Related Places and People

• Dongnae Parish: the parish that established the Banyeo Catholic mission chapel May 10, 1973. The Banyeo Catholic mission chapel was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under this parish to a parish February 9, 1977 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sasang Parish: the parish that, alternately with Dongnae Parish, visited the Banyeo Catholic mission chapel to celebrate Mass (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Okcheonsa: the nearby temple recorded in the encyclopedia as having opposed the relocation when the new church site was purchased in 1989.

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Banyeo Parish” (Vol. 5). Establishment of the mission chapel, elevation to parish in 1977, construction and relocation of the church, blessing in 1992, strength, jurisdiction, successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2352
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory, “Banyeo” (Diocese of Busan). Establishment date, patron, district, religious community, number of faithful, number of Catholic mission chapels. Establishment date in the directory 1977.2.9, patron St. Paul the Apostle, U-dong District.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201001401&gubun=4