Gupo Church

Overview

Gupo Church is a church of the Diocese of Busan located in Gupo-dong, Buk-gu, Busan Metropolitan City, established in May 1958 after separation from Beomil Parish. Its patron saint is St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and it has led the evangelization of the Gupo area, once the center of water transport on the Nakdong River.

History

[Mission Chapel Period] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia explains that at each persecution in the 19 century, some of the faithful who fled south from the central regions such as Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chungcheong fled to Miryang, Yangsan, Gimhae, Jinyeong and other places, and that many faithful settled in Gupo, a center of water transport and a commercial city, forming a Catholic mission chapel. The number of faithful of Gupo Catholic Mission Chapel, which belonged to Beomil Parish, was 44 in 1932, and Father Julien, pastor of Beomil Parish, visited twice a year in 1 to celebrate mission chapel rites. The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia states that, as the Gupo area was the center of water transport on the Nakdong River, it can be presumed that faithful had settled there even before the Byeongin Persecution, and writes that after the opening of the ports, faithful living in Eumjeonggol, Sukdeung and other places began mission chapel rites. After liberation in 1945, Korean faithful returning from Japan settled in Yeondong in Gupo and the mission chapel became active (Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia), and Yun Sin-sul, Yi Sang-man and others, who had celebrated mission chapel rites at the house of Anna Kim, a faithful in Yeondong, visited Bishop Paul Seo Jeong-gil of the Daegu Diocese to request funds for purchasing a building, and with the cooperation of Sim Sang-tae purchased more than 200 pyeong of land at 453-1 in present-day Gupo 1-dong (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia reports that faithful who fled during and after the 6-25 War joined and the number of faithful grew, and that around 1956 they bought a tiled-roof house with 660㎡ of land and 132㎡ of floor area at 453-1 in Gupo-dong and used it as a mission chapel.

[Parish Establishment] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia writes that a petition for promotion to parish was made around 1957 and the parish was established on May 29, 1958 separated from Beomil Parish, while the Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia writes that Gupo Church was established at the same time as Father James Yu Bong-un took office as first pastor on May 31, 1958, so the stated date of establishment differs. At the time of establishment, the mission chapel building was used as the parish building to celebrate Mass, and farmland at 417-2 in Gupo-dong was purchased as the parish site with support from the Busan Diocesan Curia (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia explains that this site was land of about 3,960㎡, and writes that Gupo Church, covering even the Yangsan, Mulgeum and Gimhae districts, became the forward base for evangelization in the western part of Busan.

[Period as a Catholic Mission Chapel under Gimhae Parish and Construction of the Church Building] When the first pastor Father Yu Bong-un was transferred in January 1960, Gupo became a Catholic mission chapel belonging to Gimhae Parish for about 3 years, and was restored as a parish when Father Thomas Yun Ye-won took office in January 1963 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia). Father Yun Ye-won judged that a foundation for building a church was needed, proposed it to Bishop John Choi Jae-seon, the diocesan bishop, and with support from various circles completed the church in 1965 together with all the faithful (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia writes that the present church building was completed on September 25, 1965 with the help of a nearby air force unit and support from the office of education, and the tourism guide of Buk-gu Office, Busan Metropolitan City also introduces that the present church building was completed in 1965 with the support of the faithful, a nearby air force unit and the office of education.

[Projects and Division] According to the Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia, in 1966 the Bangul Kindergarten and the Gupo Credit Union were established as a means of local cultural work and evangelization. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia writes that in May 1971 a branch house of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Pohang was opened and the Bangul Kindergarten was established as part of local cultural work, and that Catholic mission chapels were established in Sasang, Hwamyeong, Daedong, Mandeok and other places to promote evangelization. Because of its extensive jurisdiction and growing number of faithful, Yangsan Church was separated in 1967, Mulgeum Church in 1969, Sasang Church in 1975, Mandeok Church in 1981 and Jurye Church in 1986, and after newly building an education hall, a rectory and a convent in 1987, Hwamyeong Church was separated in 1992 and Geumgok Church in 1998 (Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia). The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia writes that construction of an education hall began in March 1987 and was completed in 9 months, that construction of a new church was begun in the Hwamyeong area in September 1990 and Hwamyeong Parish was separated in February 1992, and that in June 1992 the House of Sharing was set up in the education hall to provide free meals to nearby homeless people. Gupo Church produced more than 20 priests and dozens of religious sisters as a seedbed of vocations (Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia).

[Status] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia writes that the parish jurisdiction covered Gupo 1-3-dong, Deokcheon 1-3-dong, Mora 1-2-dong, Daejeo 1-2-dong and Daedong-myeon, Gimhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do (description up to 1993), and reports that the number of faithful was 1,161 in 1959, 758 in 1968, 1,376 in 1978, 3,743 in 1986 and 5,212 in 1993. The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia writes that on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the parish establishment in 2008, it is devoting itself to the maturation of faith and regional evangelization, and is joining with local residents through cultural events such as film screenings, theatrical performances and concerts. As of 2013, the number of believers was 4,655, the land area was 4,026㎡, the floor area was about 1 ten thousand 617㎡, and the main buildings were the church, the education hall, the rectory and the convent (Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia).

Architecture and Space

The tourism guide of Buk-gu Office, Busan Metropolitan City introduces that Gupo Church is also famous as a particularly beautiful building, a church built in the shape of a ship by Albin, a German priest and architect.

Related Places and Persons

• Successive pastors (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, based on the description in 1993): first Yu Bong-un (James, 1958.5-1960.1), 2th Yun Ye-won (Thomas, 1963.1-1965.12), 3th Yi Yeong-sik (Higino, 1965.12-1972.2), 4th Yi Sang-ho (Raymond, 1972.2-1975.5), 5th Yi Ok-gun (Thaddeus, 1975.5-1976.11), 6th Song Gi-in (Peter, 1976.11-1978.6), 7th Yang Deok-bae (John, 1978.6-1981.2), 8th Kim Yu-jae (Gregory, 1981.2-1984.7), 9th Park O-hyeon (Silverio, 1984.7-1985.9), 10th Kim Pyeong-gyeom (Thaddeus, 1985.9-1992.2), 11th Yi Gi-jeong (Andrew, 1992.2-1993.2), 12th An Hyo-seong (Simon, 1993.2-).
• Beomil Parish: the mother parish to which Gupo belonged as a mission chapel before separation in 1958 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Yangsan Church, Mulgeum Church, Sasang Church, Mandeok Church, Jurye Church, Hwamyeong Church, Geumgok Church: parishes separated from Gupo Church (Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia “Gupo Church”. Mission chapel period, parish establishment and completion of the church building, division process, status in 2013.
   https://www.grandculture.net/busan/toc/GC04210731
2. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Gupo Parish” (Vol. 2). Date of establishment, patron saint, mission chapel period, successive priests, parish statistics, jurisdiction.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/660
3. Buk-gu Office, Busan Metropolitan City, tourism guide “Gupo Church”. Establishment of the church (1958), completion of the church building in 1965, architecture by Father Albin.
   https://www.bsbukgu.go.kr/tour/index.bsbukgu?menuCd=DOM_000000404003000000