Cheongsan Church

Overview

Cheongsan Church is a church belonging to the Diocese of Cheongju in Cheongsan-myeon, Okcheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. It was separated and established from Yeongdong Parish and Okcheon Parish on September 1, 1959, and its patron is Our Lady of Fatima. Its first pastor was Fr. Herbert of the Maryknoll Mission Society.

History

〔Establishment of the Parish and Early Facilities〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, land for the establishment of the parish was prepared in May 1959, and on September 1 Cheongsan Parish was separated and established from Yeongdong Parish and Okcheon Parish. Fr. Herbert of the Maryknoll Mission Society took office as the first pastor and completed the church and the rectory in May of the following year. The 2 pastor, Fr. Richardson, began construction of the present education hall and convent and held the blessing ceremony in 1963, and when the convent was built, the 3 pastor, Fr. Fleming, established a branch house of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Pohang (now the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) in November 1964.

〔Educational Work and the Withdrawal of Maryknoll〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 5 pastor, Fr. Crampert, established Seongeun Middle School Institute in April 1968 as part of educational work and used the education hall as a school, but suffered financial difficulties from shortly after its establishment and it was closed in December 1970 during the tenure of the 7 pastor, Fr. Coffey. In November 1980, when the Maryknoll Mission Society withdrew from the Diocese of Cheongju under the 9 pastor, Fr. Shin Sun-geun, financial difficulties for the parish continued and the branch house of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus withdrew. The 10 pastor, Fr. Kim Dong-il, started a campaign to offer 100 myriad rosaries for the construction of the Wonnam Catholic mission chapel hall in March 1985 and founded the youth Legion of Mary in May.

〔The 1980–2000s〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 11 pastor, Fr. Kang Hui-seong, held the blessing ceremony for the statue of Our Lady at the Yongsan Catholic mission chapel in January 1988 and began Eucharistic adoration in April, and held the blessing ceremony for the parish Marian garden. He began expansion and repair work on the church in May 1989, completed it in August, and held the 30th anniversary of the parish establishment in November. The 12 pastor, Fr. Kim Won-u, raised funds for the reconstruction and repair of the convent from November 1990, finished the work in June of the following year, and in August a branch house of the Mirinae Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary was established. The 14 pastor, Fr. Park Yong-geun, held the blessing ceremony for the parish bell and the blessing of the bell tower in May 1995 and organized groups such as the Marian Association, the Liturgy Group, and the Cheongcheong Group. The 15 pastor, Fr. Choe Gwang-hyeok, held a bazaar to help flood victims in September 1998, raised funds for the 40th anniversary of the parish establishment from March of the following year, repaired the Yegok Catholic mission chapel, and held the blessing of the Hwaseong Catholic mission chapel building in November. The 16 pastor, Fr. Kim Jae-jeong, held a Holy Family blessing Mass, a marriage renewal ceremony, and a family consecration rite in December 2001 and organized a committee to promote the 50th anniversary of the parish establishment in September 2003.

〔Church Statistics and Successive Pastors〕 The church statistics recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are, in 1967, 1,149 persons, in 1972, 890 persons, in 1977, 792 persons, in 1982, 514 persons, in 1987, 1,779 persons, in 1992, 1,808 persons, in 1997, 1,643 persons, and in 2004, 1,024 persons. The successive priests are the first, Herbert Joseph (1959.9–1961.9), the 2, Richardson Eduardo, the 3, Fleming James, the 4, Richardson, the 5, Crampert Frederick, the 6, Obarowski Raymond, the 7, Coffey John, the 8, Park Jong-heum Stephen, the 9, Shin Sun-geun Pius, the 10, Kim Dong-il John Bosco, the 11, Kang Hui-seong Felix, the 12, Kim Won-u Ludovico, the 13, Son Byeong-ik Luca, the 14, Park Yong-geun Peter, the 15, Choe Gwang-hyeok Peter, the 16, Kim Jae-jeong John, and the 17, An Cheol-min Abraham (2004.1–). The encyclopedia records the jurisdiction as all of Yongsan-myeon in Yeongdong-gun, Cheongsan-myeon and Cheongseong-myeon in Okcheon-gun, and parts of Samseung-myeon and Maro-myeon in Boeun-gun, and the mission chapels under its jurisdiction as 4 places—Hwaseong, Yongsan, Wonnam, and Yegok. The parish information of the Diocese of Cheongju lists the establishment date as September 1, 1959, and the patron saint as Our Lady of Fatima.

Related Places and People

• Okcheon Church and Yeongdong Church: They are the mother parishes from which Cheongsan Parish was separated (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Boeun Church: It is the parish to which the Sejung Catholic mission chapel, established in 1957, belonged until it was incorporated into Cheongsan Parish on September 1, 1959 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Boeun Parish”).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Cheongsan Parish” (Vol. 11). Establishment of the parish, construction of the church and convent, Seongeun Middle School Institute, withdrawal of Maryknoll, church statistics and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5960
2. Diocese of Cheongju, Parish Information “Cheongsan Church”. Establishment date September 1, 1959, patron saint Our Lady of Fatima.
   https://www.cdcj.or.kr/parish/parish/view/23046