Miryang Catholic Church

Overview

Miryang Church is a church in Gyodong, Miryang-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, belonging to the Diocese of Busan. Its patron is St. Paul the Apostle, and, originating from the Myeongnye provisional parish, it was elevated to a parish in 1926 and reached the present after moving from Myeongnye to Samnangjin and then to Miryang-eup.

History

〔Spread of the Gospel〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, it is not certain when the Gospel was first preached in the Miryang area. One account says that after Kim Beom-u (Thomas) was exiled to Danjang (Beopgwi-ri, Danjang-myeon) in Miryang following the Eulsa Chujo detection incident in 1785, he preached the Gospel in the nearby area, but the Encyclopedia explains that it is unclear whether his place of exile was Danjang and whether he could have carried out missionary activity is also doubtful. On record, Father Choe Yang-eop (Thomas) toured the Gyeongsangnam-do area in the 1850s, and Catholic villages were later formed in Ulju, Yangsan, Gijang, Dongnae and other places, so it is presumed that the Gospel was preached in the Miryang area around the same time. The missionaries who subsequently toured this area were Bishop Daveluy and Father Ridel, and it is certain that Catholic villages had been formed in the Miryang area before the Byeongin Persecution in 1866. At the time of the Byeongin Persecution, Shin Marco of Myeongnye-ri, grandfather of Father Shin Sun-gyun (Paul), and O James of Baeksan-ri, among others, were martyred.

〔Establishment of Catholic mission chapels〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, after the persecutions ended, Father Robert, who was in charge of the Gyeongsang-do area, toured Catholic villages in the Miryang area for the first time in 1883 and designated Yangchon (Deoksan-ri, Chodong-myeon) and Jeongseunggol (Gucheon-ri, Danjang-myeon), and in the following year Bulgeun Dogi (Haenggok-ri, Samnangjin-eup), as Catholic mission chapels. At the time, each mission chapel had about 20 to 30 faithful. In 1888, the Myeongnye mission chapel was established, and in 1892, when Father Jojo of the Busan (Choryang) parish founded a mission chapel in Eupsil (now Ugok-ri, Samnangjin-eup), these two places became centers of faith in the Miryang area. The Miryang Church entry in the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states that the Myeongnye mission chapel was established in Myeongnye-ri, Hanam-eup in 1887.

〔Myeongnye provisional parish〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, from 1893, Father Udo, the 2 pastor of the Busan parish, visited mission chapels in the Miryang area, and around January 1898, when Father Kang Seong-sam (Laurence) arrived in Myeongnye, it became the Myeongnye provisional parish. At the time, the parish faithful numbered 547 people in 15 mission chapels including Miryang as well as Eonyang, Gyeongju, Gijang, Yangsan and Gimhae, and 78 people were in Myeongnye. Father Kang Seong-sam was ordained a priest on April 26, 1896, and in June of the following year was sent to Jeolyeongdo as assistant to Father Udo, but being in poor health he came to Myeongnye to recuperate. Three places were proposed as candidates for the provisional parish — Miryang-eup, Myeongnye and Eupsil — but Myeongnye was chosen because its faithful had already prepared a three-room house that could be used as a church. Sources differ on when the provisional parish was installed. The Miryang Church entry in the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states that a provisional parish was installed in 1899, while the Myeongnye Church entry in the same encyclopedia states that the Myeongnye mission chapel was founded in 1887 and was elevated to a parish in September 1897, with Father Kang Seong-sam as its first pastor. When Father Kang Seong-sam died on September 19, 1903, the Myeongnye provisional parish and the mission chapels in the Miryang area were downgraded to mission chapels under the jurisdiction of the Masan (now Wanwol-dong) parish (Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea).

〔Restoration of the parish〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, on May 30, 1926, 23 years after being downgraded to mission chapels, newly ordained Father Kwon Yeong-jo arrived in Myeongnye and it was restored as a parish. Father Kwon Yeong-jo built a Korean-style church on August 30, 1928, and founded a women's association the following year. The Miryang Church entry in the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states that the first Father Kwon Yeong-jo Marco founded Myeongnye Church in 1926 and that in 1927 it became the Miryang-eup mission chapel of Myeongnye Church.

〔Move to Samnangjin〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, Myeongnye was very inconvenient in transportation, so Father Kwon Yeong-jo decided to move the parish to Samnangjin, where there were many faithful, and on May 22, 1929, purchased about 1,000 pyeong of land in Ugok-ri and began construction of a church, rectory, youth hall and other facilities. Father Kwon Yeong-jo settled in Ugok-ri on January 1, 1930, and in December of that year was transferred to the Handeul parish in Yeonjang-ri, Jeonbuk. Afterwards, Father Min Jeong-ho served as the 2 pastor and in April of the following year was transferred as assistant of the Jeonju (now Jeondong) parish, and the 3 pastor, Father Parthenay Theophile, built a hall at the Jinyeong mission chapel in the spring of 1932. Father Parthenay purchased land in Songji-ri in front of Samnangjin Station (now the site of the Samnangjin parish) in 1935 and began construction of a new church, and as soon as the church was completed on November 3 of the same year, he handed the parish over to Father Peynet due to illness. The Myeongnye mission chapel was incorporated under the jurisdiction of the newly established Jinyeong parish in 1935, and the present Hanam-eup area is now under the jurisdiction of the Susan parish of the Masan Diocese. The Miryang Church entry in the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states that it moved from Myeongnye-ri, Hanam-eup to Ugok-ri, Samnangjin-eup in 1928 and from Ugok-ri to Songji-ri in 1930, with different years.

〔Move to Miryang-eup〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, Father Yu Heung-mo, who arrived as the 5 pastor in June 1938, received an order from the diocese in the late 1930s to move the parish to Miryang-eup. At the time, there were a considerable number of faithful in Miryang-eup, and there were 134 catechumens. Around 1939, Father Yu Heung-mo purchased about 700 pyeong of land at lot 721 in Naei-dong, Miryang-eup, built a new church and rectory, completed the church the following year, and moved the parish there on June 29. The Samnangjin parish in Songji-ri was immediately downgraded to a mission chapel, and was elevated to the Samnangjin parish again when Father Yu Seon-i arrived in March 1957. The Samnangjin Church entry in the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states that Samnangjin Church, with Miryang Church as its mother parish, opened in 1930 by building a temporary church-cum-rectory at the foot of Maebongsan in Songji-ri, was closed after its land and buildings were sold when the parish moved to Miryang-eup in 1939, reopened in 1957, and was elevated to a parish in July 1962.

〔The 1950s to 1960s〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, the strength of the Miryang parish increased rapidly when Father Kim Yeong-je arrived as the 10 pastor in 1951, as a result of the active missionary work of the Seongmo Seongsimwon. The Seongmo Seongsimwon was a virgins' institute founded by Father Kim Yeong-je in 1937 while serving at the Munsan parish in Jinju, moved its headquarters to the Miryang parish in 1951, opened the Seongmo Seongsim Hospital on October 4, 1954, and was merged into the Sisters of the Korean Martyred Blessed in September 1957. The Seongmo Seongsim Kindergarten opened in 1953. Since the church was on the outskirts of Miryang-eup, transportation was inconvenient and pastoral work faced many difficulties, so the 14 pastor, Father Baek Eung-bok, purchased 546 pyeong at lot 174-2 in Naeil-dong, Miryang-eup as the site for a new church, sold the old church site, and in 1964 began construction of new church, rectory, convent and Seongmo Seongsim Kindergarten buildings, celebrating the dedication of the new church on February 21, 1965.

〔The 1980s to 1990s〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, the 21 pastor, Father Lee Dong-han, in 1987 fully repaired the church, rectory and convent and admitted 272 catechumens to the faith, and through missions by the Legion of Mary the number of faithful steadily grew. As the church again became too small and was crowded inside Miryang market, relocation became unavoidable, so in 1990 a 6,106-pyeong site at the present parish location was purchased, and construction of a new church began on April 15, 1994. Despite difficulties in raising construction funds, a four-day ‘Miryang Catholic Festival’ consisting of exhibitions, architecture lectures, invited lectures by Miryang historians, and performances by local cultural and artistic groups was held from October 24, 1996. 3 and a half years after construction began, in October 1997, a 500-pyeong church was completed together with auxiliary facilities including an education hall (180 pyeong) and a rectory-convent (158 pyeong). The Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states that it newly moved from Naei-dong to Naeil-dong 174-2 in 1964 and then newly moved to the present location, Gyodong 911-7, in 1996.

〔Vocations and attached facilities〕 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, priests from the parish include Kang Yo-an (John) in 1965, Kim Chang-dae (Emmanuel) in 1973, Hwang Tae-ung (Joseph) in 1976, Hwang Cheol-su (Paul) in 1983, and Park Jae-gu (Simon) and Im Yeong-min (Andrew) in 1989. The Miryang Church entry in the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states that the Seongsim Senior College opened in 2003 (operating general courses, recreation and others 1 times a week), the Cheonsang Nagwon was built in 2006, and the 『Miryang Church 85th Anniversary History』 was published in 2012. Attached facilities include the Seongmo Seongsim Kindergarten, the Seongsim Senior College, and the Cheonsang Nagwon, the cemetery for the faithful.

〔Church strength and successive pastors〕 The church strength recorded in the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea is 1,720 people in 1957, 2,821 people in 1962, 3,200 people in 1967, 2,973 people in 1974, 3,013 people in 1980, 3,544 people in 1987, 4,017 people in 1991, and 4,287 people in 1995. At the time, its jurisdiction covered Miryang-si and Danjang-myeon, Muan-myeon, Bubuk-myeon, Sannam-myeon, Sannae-myeon, Sanoe-myeon of Miryang-gun and parts of Samnangjin-eup, with mission chapels in 2 places, Songbaek and Muan. Successive priests are the first Kwon Yeong-jo Marco (1926.5–1930.12), the 2 Min Jeong-ho Marco (1930.12–1931.5), the 3 Parthenay Theophile (1931.5–1935.6), the 4 Peynet Carollo (1935.6–1938.6), the 5 Yu Heung-mo Andrew (1938.6–1943.2), the 6 Kim Jun-pil Augustine (1943.2–1945.9), the 7 Kim Yeong-ho Melchior (1945.9–1947), the 8 Jeon Seok-jae Ignatius (1947–1948.6), the 9 Yu Seon-i Joseph (1948.6–1951.4), the 10 Kim Yeong-je John (1951.4–1955.5), the 11 Jeong Su-gil Joseph (1955.5–1957.7), the 12 Kim Tae-ho Aloysius (1957.7–1959.10), the 13 Ham Yeong-sang Pius (1959.10–1962.8), the 14 Baek Eung-bok Stephen (1962.8–1968.2), the 15 Son Deok-man Thomas (1968.2–1973.11), the 16 Kim Chang-mun Joseph (1973.11–1975.5), the 17 Bae Sang-seop John (1975.5–1980.2), the 18 Jeong In-sik Alberto (1980.2–1983.2), the 19 Jang Byeong-jin James (1983.2–1985.2), the 20 Kim Tae-ho (1985.2–1987.2), the 21 Lee Dong-han Thomas Aquinas (1987.2–1990.1), the 22 Lee Seok-hui Laurence (1990.2–1991.1), and the 23 Kim Yong-hwan John (1991.2–).

Architecture and Space

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, the present church completed in October 1997 is 500 pyeong in size and was built together with auxiliary facilities including an education hall (180 pyeong) and a rectory-convent (158 pyeong).

According to the Miryang Church entry in the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia, the Cheonsang Nagwon built in 2006 is a 2-story building with a total floor area of 825㎡, with a chapel, lounge, offices and others on the 1 floor and an ossuary on the 2 floor, and the remains of Father Kim Dae-geon are enshrined beneath the altar in the chapel. Faithful of other parishes may also use it.

Related Places and Figures

• Miryang Myeongnye Church (Masan Diocese): built next to the birthplace of martyr Shin Seok-bok Marco (1828–1866) in 1897, it is the earliest established church in Gyeongsangnam-do and the first parish of the Masan Diocese. Father Kwon Yeong-jo moved it to its present location in 1928, and on February 24, 2011, it was designated as Gyeongsangnam-do Cultural Heritage Material No. 526 (Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia). This church later became a mission chapel of the Masan, Samnangjin and Jinyeong parishes (same source).
• Samnangjin Church (Diocese of Busan): a church with Miryang Church as its mother parish; the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea states it was elevated to a parish in March 1957, while the Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia states its elevation as July 1962.
• Kim Beom-u gravesite (Yongjeon-ri, Samnangjin-eup, Miryang-si) and Martyr Kim Beom-u Memorial Marian Grotto Church: Catholic historic sites in Miryang (Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia).
• Father Kang Seong-sam (Laurence): the priest who arrived at the Myeongnye provisional parish and died on September 19, 1903 (Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea).
• Seongmo Seongsimwon: a virgins' institute founded by Father Kim Yeong-je in 1937 while serving at the Munsan parish in Jinju (Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea).

References and Sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea “Miryang Parish”. Established on May 30, 1926, moves through Myeongnye, Samnangjin and Miryang, jurisdiction and church strength, successive priests, new church construction in the 1960s–1990s, priests from the parish.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2250
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia “Miryang Church”. Myeongnye mission chapel and provisional parish, parish relocation route, Seongmo Seongsim Kindergarten, Seongsim Senior College, Cheonsang Nagwon, publication of the 85th anniversary history.
   https://www.grandculture.net/miryang/toc/GC08701121
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia “Miryang Myeongnye Church”. Myeongnye mission chapel in 1887, elevation to parish in 1897, relocation in 1928, designation as cultural heritage material in 2011.
   https://www.grandculture.net/miryang/toc/GC08701126
4. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Miryang Culture Encyclopedia “Samnangjin Church”. Opening, closure, reopening and elevation to parish of Samnangjin Church with Miryang Church as its mother parish.
   https://www.grandculture.net/miryang/toc/GC08701122