Mulgeum Church

Overview

Mulgeum Church is a church in Mulgeum-eup, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, belonging to the Diocese of Busan. Originating from the Jeungsan Catholic mission chapel, it was established as a parish on November 19, 1969, with St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus as its patron, and its jurisdiction covers Mulgeum-eup, Wondong-myeon and other areas.

History

〔Mission Chapel Period〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, after the Eonyang Parish was separated and established from the Busanjin Parish on December 5, 1926, pastoral care for the Yangsan-gun area was undertaken by the Eonyang Parish. The following autumn, five households of faithful in the Jeungsan-ri area of Mulgeum-myeon held their first mission chapel service at the home of chairman Park Su-hwan (Matthias), thereby establishing the Jeungsan Catholic mission chapel, and they obtained part of the timber used in the old church building of the Eonyang Parish to build the mission chapel building. The Jeungsan Catholic mission chapel subsequently changed jurisdiction repeatedly among the Miryang, Jinyeong, Eonyang, Samnangjin, Gimhae, Gupo and Dongnae parishes. While under the Samnangjin Parish, the mission chapel building was briefly moved to the front of Mulgeum Station and then sold, and the proceeds were used for the cost of purchasing the site for the temporary Yangsan church, and while under the Gupo Parish, land of 162.1 pyeong at lot 215 in Jeungsan-ri was purchased and a new mission chapel building was built. The Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia states that in 1959 the Jeungsan-ri mission chapel belonging to Gupo Church was installed.

〔Purchase of the Church Site〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, on January 3, 1966, Father Yun Ye-won (Thomas), who had retired after serving as pastor of the Gupo Parish, resided at the Jeungsan Catholic mission chapel and served as a temporary parish. Father Yun judged that the Mulgeum-ri area was more suitable for establishing a new parish and, in consultation with the parish council, purchased 668.56 pyeong as the present church site, but as he was transferred to the Diocese of Daejeon, the place remained a mission chapel. On December 27, 1967, with the establishment of the Yangsan Parish, its affiliation changed to the Yangsan Parish.

〔Establishment of the Parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the faithful of the Jeungsan Catholic mission chapel pursued the establishment of a parish centered on Father Lee Ok-gun, who came to stay at the mission chapel for rest in February 1969, and purchased 1,501.26 pyeong of rice paddies in the Jeungsan Plain to provide for the priest’s living expenses. The Diocese of Busan also regarded the area as convenient in transportation and high in development potential, and decided to build a temporary church of 30.02 pyeong on the already purchased church site. As a result, on November 19, 1969, Mulgeum Parish was established and Father Lee Ok-gun took office as the first pastor. The Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia states that Father Lee Ok-gun had remodeled a nearby house of 49.5 square meters for use as a temporary rectory, and that at the time of establishment there were 53 households and 256 faithful, with jurisdiction over the Mulgeum-myeon area of Yangsan-gun and part of Dong-myeon. The Yangsan Church entry of the Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia states that at that time Mulgeum, Gasan, Seoksan and other areas under the jurisdiction of Yangsan Church were separated to Mulgeum Church.

〔Early Activities〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, immediately after taking office, on November 21, 1969, Father Lee Ok-gun entered into a sisterhood relationship with the Donghang Parish, newly built part of the temporary church (now the hall) and the rectory, and had former evangelization president Hyeon Gap-sun (Barbara) reside at the parish. After the 2 pastor, Father Lee Hong-gi, frequent changes of priests prevented stability until the 3 pastor, Father Kim Man-su, took office in November 1973. Meanwhile, in June 1973, the confirmation rally for suburban parishes of the Diocese of Busan, hosted by the Yangsan and Mulgeum parishes, was held. The Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia states that in the 1970s the pastor of Yangsan Church served concurrently, and from the 1980s until the early 1990s it sometimes served as a rest church for priests in poor health, so pastoral activity was rather weak.

〔Construction of the Church and Annex Facilities〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, after the 4 pastor, Father Lee Si-chan, took office, a church construction committee was organized in July 1976, and during the tenure of the 5 pastor, Father Shin Sang-do, the groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 4, 1977, and about 4 months later, on November 20, a new church with a total floor area of 88.07 pyeong was completed and blessed. The Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia states that on November 20 the dedication and blessing ceremony was held with Bishop Lee Gap-su, head of the Diocese of Busan, presiding. In June 1983, a slab two-story western-style rectory of 31.02 pyeong (the Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia states that after the rectory was built, the existing rectory was remodeled into a convent), and in April 1985, a parish office of 15.81 pyeong doubling as the caretaker’s residence were completed. From September 1983, 2 Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary were dispatched to guide lay organizations and teach catechumens.

〔Activities in the 1980s〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Shin Sang-do, immediately after taking office, newly established a children’s Mass and local Mass schedules, and the following year operated a parish library and religious goods store. During the tenure of the 6 pastor, Father An Dal-won, in June 1981 the parish youth association held the Nakdong district athletic meet, and in October 1984 held the Yangsan district athletic meet commemorating the 15 anniversary of its founding. In December 1985, the Legion of Mary Curia ‘Mother Most Powerful’ was founded, and Father An Dal-won published the 《History of the Catholic Church in the Yangsan Region》 in August 1986. The 7 pastor, Father Lee Gyeong-u, in 1988 elected the parish chairman by direct vote of the delegates, the parishioners’ representatives.

〔Incorporation into the New Town and the New Church〕 According to the Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia, as the Yangsan New Town development project begun in 1994 incorporated the church site into the Mulgeum New Town plan, a site of 9,950 square meters was secured at the foot of Obongsan Mountain behind Singi Village in Gachon-ri, Mulgeum-myeon, and construction of a new church began. In October 1999, the dedication ceremony for the new church was held with Bishop Jeong Myeong-jo presiding, and in December 2007 Park Gyu-cheol donated a pipe organ. The same source states that from the mid-1990s, as the Yangsan New Town development was confirmed, the church location and road conditions changed and it has gradually developed.

〔Church Strength and Successive Pastors〕 The church statistics recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 286 in 1970, 441 in 1974, 401 in 1979, 663 in 1984, 666 in 1988, 690 in 1992, and 961 in 1995. The Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia records the number of faithful as of December 31, 2007 as 1,657 (the Mulgeum Church entry of the same source records 1,766). Successive pastors are the first, Thaddeus Lee Ok-gun (1969.11~1971.5), the 2 pastor, John Lee Hong-gi (1973.7~11), the 3 pastor, John Bosco Kim Man-su (1973.11~1975.2), the 4 pastor, Daniel Lee Si-chan (1975.7~1976.11), the 5 pastor, Augustine Shin Sang-do (1976.11~1979.2), the 6 pastor, Peter An Dal-won (1979.2~1987.2), the 7 pastor, Gabriel Lee Gyeong-u (1987.2~1991.2), the 8 pastor, Thomas Yu Chang-ho (1991.2~1993.2), the 9 pastor, Dominic Kim Ok-su (1993.2~1994.2), the 10 pastor, Matthias Seo Ju-gap (1994.2~1996.2), the 11 pastor, Emmanuel Kim Chang-dae (1996.2~1997.1), the 12 pastor, Bede Kim Hong-tae (1997.2~), with periods in between when Fathers Park Yu-sik, Wang Yeong-su, Yu Chang-ho, Lee Sang-ho and Lee Cheol-hui served temporarily (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

Related Places and People

• Yangsan Church: the church elevated to a parish on December 27, 1967, which had jurisdiction until the Mulgeum mission chapel was elevated to a parish in 1969 and separated (Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia).
• Jeungsan Catholic mission chapel: the mission chapel that became the predecessor of Mulgeum Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father Yun Ye-won: the retired priest formerly pastor of the Gupo Parish, who purchased the present Mulgeum church site (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Mulgeum Parish”. Mission chapel period, site purchase, parish establishment, church construction, church strength and successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2169
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia “Mulgeum Church”. Background of establishment, blessing in 1977, incorporation into the new town and dedication of the new church in 1999, current status.
   https://yangsan.grandculture.net/yangsan/toc/GC01400422
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Yangsan Culture Encyclopedia “Yangsan Church”. Separation of Mulgeum Church in 1969.
   https://www.grandculture.net/yangsan/toc/GC01400424