Manduk Catholic Church

Overview

Mandeok Church is a church in Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu, Busan Metropolitan City, belonging to the Diocese of Busan, and was separated and newly established from Gupo Parish on May 31, 1981. Its patron is the Holy Spirit (Pentecost), and it began with displaced residents from Choryang-dong moving to Mandeok-dong around 1975, passing through a Catholic mission chapel period before being elevated to a parish.

History

[Beginning of the mission chapel] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, the City of Busan settled displaced residents from Choryang-dong in Mandeok-dong, which was under the jurisdiction of Gupo Parish, starting around 1975, and when the number of faithful reached about 40, Father Lee Ok-gun (Thaddeus) of Gupo Parish visited Catholic homes and celebrated Mass. The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia states that believers came to live there as displaced residents from Choryang-dong moved in at the end of 1975.

As the settlement area widened and the number of faithful grew, on November 17, 1976, the faithful of the area, led by Father Song Gi-in (Peter) of Gupo Parish, requested permission from the diocesan chancery to build a new church in preparation for resettled people in Sindeok-dong and for growth in church strength due to urban expansion (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism). The diocese purchased 400 pyeong of land in Mandeok-dong as a church site in February 1977 and completed a mission-chapel building in June of that year. After the first Mass was offered on August 15 of the same year, the Mandeok Catholic mission chapel officially began with Jeon Yong-ju (Peter) as president. The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia dates the same period to 1977, reporting that the diocese purchased 1,320 square meters as a church site and built a 125 square-meter concrete building to manage the land and used it as a mission chapel.

As it became difficult for a resident priest to visit the mission chapel every Sunday, Bishop Lee Gap-su (Gabriel), Bishop of Busan, entrusted the mission chapel to Father Baek Nam-yong (Paul), then an Air Force chaplain in Gimhae, from May 1, 1978 until his discharge on August 23 of the following year, and then to chaplain Father Kang Yeong-don (Lawrence) until his discharge in July 1980. Afterwards, Father Pieper (Pa Myeong-geon), who was the diocesan chancery's guidance priest for maritime ministry, celebrated Mass every week until the elevation to a parish (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism). According to the same source, after the Ivory Tower Praesidium of the Legion of Mary was founded in September 1977, the Youth Group, the Mother of Charity Praesidium in November of the following year, the Mother of Mercy Praesidium in August 1980, and others were organized in turn.

[Establishment as a parish] As a residential area formed around Mandeok-dong and nearby apartment complexes were built, the number of faithful surged, and it was elevated to a parish on May 31, 1981 (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism). The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia records that on that day Father Brendan Hoban of the Missionary Society of St. Columban took office as the first parish priest. The parish jurisdiction covered all of Mandeok-dong and part of Deokcheon-dong (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).

[First church] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, the first parish priest, Father Hoban, began construction of a new church and rectory in April 1982 and completed a church with a land area of 400 pyeong and a building area of 87 pyeong in December of that year, and held the blessing ceremony on Easter Sunday, March 6 of the following year. Father Hoban encouraged democratic operation of the parish pastoral council, lent the basement catechism classroom to college students who served working students, and sometimes allowed a Buddhist monk's chanting at funeral Masses. The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia states that a new church building became necessary as the number of faithful increased, construction began, and the dedication ceremony for the new church was held on March 6, 1983.

[Pastoral care of successive parish priests] Father William, the 2, devoted himself to revitalizing devotional groups and re-educating the faithful. Father Gerardo Williamson (Jin Man-bok), the 3, newly built an office and a convent respectively in August 1985 with donations from all parishioners, respected Korean traditional holiday rites, and also devoted himself to veneration of the Korean martyr saints. Also, from September 1986 he continued to hold a community festival to build ties with local residents, delivered remaining clothing from a barter bazaar to the Hansen's settlement in Sancheong, frequently visited hospitals, orphanages and a Vietnamese refugee village, and also carried out evangelization activities through theatrical performances. Father Park Je-won Alberto, the 4 and the first Korean priest to take office, sought to revitalize small group meetings by district (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).

[Construction of the new church] As the large Sin-Mandeok apartment complex was built and the number of faithful grew, the church became too small again. The Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia records that in November 1993 it purchased about 2,340 square meters as the site for the present church and broke ground in March of the following year, but construction was temporarily suspended when the construction company went bankrupt under the impact of the IMF crisis, and thanks to the unity of the faithful the dedication ceremony for the new sanctuary was held on February 16, 1997. The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism (written in the mid-1990) states that Father Kim Hyeon-yeong Matthew, the 8, prepared about 650 pyeong of land near the present church site in July 1993 and held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new church on March 15, 1995, officiated by Bishop Lee Gap-su, that construction was suspended in early 1996 and resumed in August through the efforts of the faithful, and that the faithful themselves took part in the construction work to reduce costs. The two sources differ on the time of starting and groundbreaking. The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism wrote that the new church scheduled for completion was planned to have 1 basement floor and 4 above-ground floors, with a rectory, convent, catechism classrooms, parking lot and mortuary. In the institutional entry of the Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia, the date of relocation to this newly built church is listed as February 13, 1997.

[Church strength and present condition] The church statistics in the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism are 710 persons in 1981, 1,464 persons in 1985, 2,103 persons in 1988, 3,286 persons in 1991, and 4,363 persons in 1994. The same source states that most of the faithful in the jurisdiction are resettled displaced residents and that there are also many factory workers from the Sasang industrial area nearby. According to the Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia, in the aftermath of building the new church, emphasis was long placed on strengthening the parish internally rather than on local evangelization projects. As of 2013, the number of parishioners is 4,950, with groups including the Association for the Deceased, the Anna Association, the Monica Association, the Altar Linen Association, the Rock Association and the Daegeon Association, and on a site of about 2,350 square meters the building area of the church, hall, rectory, convent and others is about 1 5,810 square meters (Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia). The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism lists, as devotional groups in the mid-1990, the Daegeon Association, the Teachers' Association, the Youth Group, the Anna Association, the Monica Association, the Altar Linen Association, the choir, the Liturgical Ministers' Association, the altar servers, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Association for the Deceased, the Marian Association, Cursillo, M.E., the Pontifical Mission Societies, and 50 praesidia in 2 curiae of the Legion of Mary.

Related places and people

• Gupo Parish: the parish from which Mandeok Parish was separated (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).
• Father Brendan Hoban (Hoban): a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban and the first parish priest of Mandeok Parish (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia).
• Successive parish priests (based on the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, as described in the mid-1990): first Brendan Hoban (1981.5-1984.5), 2 Joseph William (1984.5-1985.4), 3 Gerardo Williamson (1985.4-1988.1), 4 Alberto Park Je-won (1988.1-1990.2), 5 Aloysius Jeong Hwan-guk (1990.2-1991.2), 6 John Chrysostom Kim Seung-ju (1991.2-1992.2), 7 Andrea Lee Gi-jeong (1992.2-1993.2), 8 Matthew Kim Hyeon-yeong (1993.2-).

References and sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Busan History and Culture Encyclopedia "Mandeok Church". Mission-chapel period and parish establishment (1981.5.31.), dedication ceremony for the newly built church (1983.3.6., 1997.2.16.), status in 2013.
   https://www.grandculture.net/busan/toc/GC04210772
2. Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, "Mandeok Parish" (volume 4). Development of the mission-chapel period, parish establishment, construction of the first church, pastoral care of successive parish priests, church statistics and list of successive parish priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1888