Choryang Church

Overview

Choryang Church is a church in Choryang-dong, Dong-gu, Busan, belonging to the Diocese of Busan, established as Choryang Parish on May 1, 1951. Its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Father Joseph Konols (Kanol) of the Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society served as the first parish priest, and the church building completed in July 1962 is described by the Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture as a representative example of functionalist church architecture in the Busan area.

History

〔Early history〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the first church in the Choryang area was established when the Busampo (now Beomil) Parish, the first parish in the Busan area located on Jeoryeongdo (now Yeongdo), built a new church in Choryang in 1893 and moved there. Later, the 7 parish priest of Busampo Parish, Father Julien (Kwon Yu-ryang), planned to move the parish from Choryang to Beomil-dong and received approval from Bishop Demange (An Se-hwa) of the Apostolic Vicariate of Daegu, and under the 8 parish priest, Father Peschel (Baek Hak-ro), the parish was transferred to Beomil-dong in January 1916, ending the 15-year Choryang period.

〔Establishment of the parish〕 As refugees from across the country gathered in Busan during the Korean War and the number of believers grew, the need to increase churches in the Busan area grew. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that Father Konols of the Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society, who had returned to his home country because of World War 2, returned to Korea and settled in Choryang, and, using his own funds and with the help of fellow priests, purchased land of 150 pyeong and 2 buildings at Choryang 2-dong, No. 945, and carried out interior work. When the work was finished, with the approval of Bishop Choi Deok-hong (John), head of the Apostolic Vicariate of Daegu, Choryang Parish was established on May 1, 1951, and Father Konols was appointed as the first parish priest. The Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture likewise records that the American Maryknoll missionary Father Joseph Kanol (Korean name Kwon Yak-seul) settled in Choryang and applied to the Diocese of Daegu for the establishment of a parish, and the Diocese of Daegu approved the establishment effective May 1, 1951, appointing him as the first parish priest. Father Kanol purchased two Japanese-owned houses and used them as the Choryang public church (Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture).

〔Early ministry〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Konols received relief supplies from the U.S. National Catholic Welfare Conference (N.C.W.C.) and devoted himself to evangelization, with the cooperation of Father Im Hwa-gil (Andrew) of the Apostolic Vicariate of Seoul, who was himself displaced. As displaced believers and catechumens increased sharply and the small church converted from a house could no longer accommodate them, the 2 parish priest, Father Kim Gyeong-u, purchased land around the parish and secured 456.95 pyeong of land. In November 1956, the ‘Immaculata Curia’ was established for the first time in Busan and was raised to a Comitium the following year. The Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture records that this Curia was the first higher council founded in the Diocese of Busan and led the mission to non-believers in the Dong-gu area. On May 30, 1957, the parish name was changed from ‘Choryang Public Church’ to ‘Choryang Church’ (both sources agree).

〔Construction of the church〕 In February 1959 a building committee for the new sanctuary was formed, construction began in April 1961, the church was completed in July 1962, and a dedication ceremony was held on August 30 officiated by Bishop Choi Jae-seon (John) (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture records that funds were raised through the committee and the church was completed through the efforts of all believers, with the dedication held on August 30, 1962. Father Park Jeong-il (Michael), while serving as the 2 assistant priest, founded the Young Christian Workers (J.O.C.) in February 1962, laying the foundation for the creation of Young Christian Workers groups in each parish in the Busan area (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture describes this as the beginning of the labor movement in the Busan area.

〔Newsletter and divisions〕 The parish newsletter 『Mustard Seed』 became the basis for the Diocese of Busan bulletin 『Catholic Busan』; the Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture gives its first publication as January 1964, while the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia gives November 1964, differing by source. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the parishes divided from it were Sujeong Parish in July 1962, Gubong Parish in October 1967, and Yeongju Parish in March 1969, while the Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture records that the Chinese Church and Yeongju Church were separated in 1969.

〔1960–1990s〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 3 parish priest, Father Kim Seong-do, remodeled the existing building, completing a convent in February 1966 and establishing a branch of the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters in March. The 4 parish priest, Father An Dal-won, organized the parish registers, which had been in disorder due to the moving in and out of displaced believers, establishing a parish administration system and promoting a campaign to hang nameplates on parishioners’ homes. The 5 parish priest, Father Park Yu-sik, organized the ‘Peace Service Group’ in 1972 and served at nursing homes and child welfare facilities in Busan, and the 7 parish priest, Father Choi Yeong-cheol, began construction in March 1975 and opened a children’s daycare in May. The 8 parish priest, Father Kim Jun-pil, published 『Mustard Seed: 25th Anniversary of the Parish Foundation』 in August 1976. The 10 parish priest, Father Kim Gi-hong, purchased a house next to the church in December 1980, moved the convent there, converted the old convent into a catechesis room and meeting rooms, which were blessed in November 1981, and opened a night school in the parish offering secondary-level equivalency exam classes. The 12 parish priest, Father Oh Su-yeong, created a Eucharistic Adoration room and began perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in December 1985 for the first time in the Diocese of Busan (the Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture also records it as the first among Busan parishes), and in October 1984 installed a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the bell tower. The 13 parish priest, Father Park Mun-seon, published a parish telephone directory, and the 14 parish priest, Father Kim Tae-ho, emphasized pilgrimages to holy sites within the diocese and in June 1991 restored the hall that had been used as a daycare to its original form.

〔Blind Mission Society〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, when the office of the Blind Mission Society, founded in 1984, which had originally been in Jungang Parish in Busan, moved in 1988 to Choryang 1-dong under the jurisdiction of Choryang Parish, the parish encouraged the founding of the Legion of Mary, and one Praesidium was founded in each of 1988 and 1994.

〔After the 1990s〕 The 15 parish priest, Father Kang Jong-seok, organized a gathering for spouses of parishioners whose partners are non-believers, and the 16 parish priest, Father Yun Hui-dong, promoted Bible study and Bible transcription. Beginning in 1996, Father Yun replaced doors and window frames and repaired the altar, sanctuary and hall, replaced the framed 14 Stations with bronze 14 Stations statues, and replaced the statues of the Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, holding a blessing ceremony in November 1999 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). Under the 17 parish priest, Father Cha Gong-myeong, when road-widening work on the 10m-wide road to the right of the parish began in June 2001 and the convent, Eucharistic Adoration room and others faced demolition, it was decided to build a new education hall. In June 2001 a Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of the parish foundation was celebrated and 『History of Choryang Church for 50 Years』 was published, and in January 2003 a new education hall (1 basement floor, 3 above-ground floors, 149 pyeong) was completed. The 18 parish priest, Father Yun Myeong-gi, has served since September 2003 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as described in 2003).

〔Present status〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the jurisdiction covers all of Choryang 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-dong, and gives the parish statistics as 1,485 people in 1953, 3,390 in 1958, 4,220 in 1963, 1,986 in 1968, 2,120 in 1973, 2,695 in 1978, 3,034 in 1983, 3,500 in 1988, 3,706 in 1993, 3,320 in 1998, and 3,439 in 2003. According to the Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture, since the 1990s evangelization has been difficult due to neighborhood decline, population decrease and aging of believers, but recently pastoral plans have been made for migrant workers from Southeast Asia. As of 2013, there were 3,151 parishioners, with groups such as the Apostolic Association, Banseok Association, Society of Saint Vincent, and Yeondo Association centered on the Lay Apostolate Council; the site is 1,060㎡ and the total floor area of the church, rectory, convent and others is about 2,034㎡. The Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture reports that due to population decline in the parish area, baptisms are held 1 times a year with over 10 people baptized. The same source evaluates that since its foundation until the 1980s this church was the center of evangelization in the Dong-gu area and was the first in the diocese to launch a Curia, the Young Christian Workers, and a perpetual Eucharistic Adoration group.

Architecture and Space

The architecture entry of the Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture describes the Choryang Church building as a functionalist reinforced-concrete building completed in July 1962. It has a total floor area of 1,391.87㎡ with 5 above-ground floors, and is a modern interpretation of Gothic architecture, seen in the vertically raised bell tower and facade and in the stained glass. The interior has 2 levels with a distinctive circular staircase. As it stands on a hill, although it is an 3-story building, the slope allows direct entry from the 2 floor, and with many windows light reaches deep into the chapel. The sanctuary, the assembly space, is on the highest floor, with annex rooms on the lower floors.

The owner of the building is the Catholic Diocese of Busan Foundation, and the manager is Choryang Catholic Church. In 1996 the altar, sanctuary and hall in the parish were repaired, and in January 2003 an education hall with 1 basement floors and 3 above-ground floors was completed next to the church. The same source records that this building is evaluated as a representative functionalist church considering economy and functionality among Catholic church buildings in the Busan area, citing Gimhae Church, Yangjeong Church and Goejeong Church as representative churches of the same type in the Busan and South Gyeongsang area.

Related Places and People

• Busampo (Beomil) Parish: the first parish in the Busan area, which built a new church in Choryang in 1893 and moved there, then moved to Beomil-dong in January 1916 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sujeong Parish (July 1962), Gubong Parish (October 1967), Yeongju Parish (March 1969): parishes divided from Choryang Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture also lists the Chinese Church and Yeongju Church (1969).
• Father Joseph Konols (Kanol) (Korean name Kwon Yak-seul): a member of the Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society, founder and first parish priest of Choryang Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture).
• Successive parish priests (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as described in 2003): first Joseph Konols (1951.5~1955.1), 2 Kim Gyeong-u Alexis (1955.1~1966.1), 3 Kim Seong-do Moses (1966.1~1968.1), 4 An Dal-won Peter (1968.1~1971.10), 5 Park Yu-sik Andrew (1971.10~1972.11), interim Choi Yeong-gwan Macarius (1972.12~1973.3), 6 Kang Yo-an John (1973.3~1974.3), 7 Choi Yeong-cheol Aloysius (1974.3~1975.12), 8 Kim Jun-pil Augustine (1975.12~1976.11), 9 Heo Seong James (1976.11~1978.1), 10 Kim Gi-hong Bernard (1978.1~1982.2), 11 Lee Sang-ho Raymond (1982.2~1983.2), 12 Oh Su-yeong Hyginus (1983.2~1986.2), 13 Park Mun-seon James (1986.2~1988.2), 14 Kim Tae-ho Aloysius (1988.2~1992.2), 15 Kang Jong-seok Peter (1992.2~1995.2), 16 Yun Hui-dong Paulinus (1995.2~2000.1), 17 Cha Gong-myeong Francis de Sales (2000.1~2003.9), 18 Yun Myeong-gi John Cantius (2003.9~).

References and Sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture “Choryang Church” (organization entry). Parish establishment (1951.5.1.), renaming of Choryang Public Church (1957.5.30.), church dedication (1962.8.30.), divisions, first diocesan projects such as youth workers and Eucharistic Adoration groups, status in 2013.
   https://www.grandculture.net/busan/toc/GC04215975
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Encyclopedia of Busan History and Culture “Choryang Church” (architecture entry). Completed in July 1962, functionalist style, floor area and spatial composition, repair in 1996 and completion of education hall in 2003.
   https://www.grandculture.net/busan/toc/GC04202632
3. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Choryang Parish” (Volume 11). Early history, parish establishment, pastoral work of successive parish priests, parish statistics, divided parishes, list of successive parish priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5984