Goesan Catholic Church

Overview

Goesan Church is a church in Goesan-eup, Goesan-gun, North Chungcheong Province, belonging to the Diocese of Cheongju. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that on June 8, 1957 the Goesan area was raised from a mission chapel to a parish, while the Cheongju Diocese parish information lists the establishment date as April 13, 1958 and the patron as the Holy Spirit.

History

〔Gomari Catholic Village and Gomari Parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gomari Catholic village began when descendants of martyrs hid from persecution from places such as Mungyeong, Gaeun, Sangju and others during the persecution era. After the persecution ended, through the evangelization of Chairman Peter Yeon, in 1892 the Gomari mission chapel began at Chairman Yeon’s home at Gomari lot 956, and in August 1919 at Gomari lot 876 in Sosu-myeon a wooden building of more than 50 pyeong was completed as the second church in North Chungcheong Province. In September of the following year it was separated from Janghowon Parish (present-day Gamgok Parish) and raised to Gomari Parish, in 1921 a rectory was newly built, and it formed a Catholic village in which all residents were believers. In 1923 Sungae Uisuk School was founded and in 1927 a convent was built, but for geographical reasons the parish moved to Jeungpyeong and in April 1936 it was reduced to a mission chapel.

〔Elevation to Goesan Parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, on June 8, 1957 the Goesan area ended 21 years of life as a mission chapel and was raised to Goesan Parish, and that autumn it purchased land for a church and in December of the following year built a church and a rectory. The opening of the encyclopedia states that it was separated and established from Jeungpyeong Parish in December 1958, so the dating differs even within a single entry. The Cheongju Diocese parish information lists the establishment date as April 13, 1958.

〔Mission Chapels and Facilities〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, chapels were newly built respectively for the Munbeop mission chapel in winter 1959, the Takpyeong mission chapel in May 1961, the Mokdo mission chapel in July 1962, the Chilseong mission chapel in August 1968, the Jeungjadong mission chapel in May 1970, the Maejeon mission chapel in August of the same year, and the Sepyeong mission chapel in July 1976. On April 5, 1959 the parish held its first confirmation ceremony, and on October 26 of the same year opened a branch convent of the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1963 Jangan-myeon and Yeonpung-myeon were transferred to the newly established Suanbo Parish. In May 1977 a Marian grotto was prepared, and in May 1980 a Marian grotto was consecrated to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Marian church of the Gomari mission chapel. It records that the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, who opened a branch convent on March 6, 1976, share in the pastoral ministry of the parish.

〔Church Statistics and Successive Pastors〕 The church statistics recorded in the encyclopedia are 2,777 people in 1968, 2,515 people in 1978, 1,786 people in 1989, and 1,595 people in 1993. Its affiliated mission chapels are the Gomari, Chilseong, Sepyeong and Mokdo mission chapels, and its jurisdiction is recorded as Goesan-eup, Sosu-myeon, Gammul-myeon, Mungwang-myeon, Chilseong-myeon and Buljeong-myeon in Goesan-gun and parts of Sari-myeon and Cheongcheon-myeon. The successive pastors are the first pastor Vincent Hoffman (Ha Vincent) (1958.12~1962.8), the 2 pastor Raymond Obarowski (O Raymond) (1962.8~1969.2), the 3 pastor Davis Clyde (Kang Davis) (1969.2~1970.6), the 4 pastor Peter Lee Jong-tae (1970.6~1973.7), the 5 pastor Peter Gyeong Deok-su (1973.7~1975.2), the 6 pastor Simon Kim Hong-ryeol (1975.2~1977.11), the 7 pastor Francis Seo Jeong-hyeok (1977.11~1979.12), the 8 pastor John Yun Gi-guk (1979.12~1983), the 9 pastor Gerard Hammond (Ham Gerald) (1983~1989.6), the 10 pastor Thomas Aquinas Kim Ung-ryeol (1989.6~1993.4), and the 11 pastor Cyril Lee Su-han (1993.4~).

Related Places and People

• Gomari mission chapel: a place that began in 1892, built a church in 1919, was raised to a parish in 1920 and then reverted to a mission chapel in 1936, and is an affiliated mission chapel of Goesan Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Jeungpyeong Church: the opening of the encyclopedia states that Goesan Parish was separated and established from Jeungpyeong Parish in December 1958.
• Suanbo Church: a parish newly established in 1963 receiving Jangan-myeon and Yeonpung-myeon from Goesan Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Goesan Parish” (vol. 1). History of Gomari Parish, elevation to parish in 1957, newly built mission chapels, church statistics and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/466
2. Catholic Diocese of Cheongju, parish information “Goesan Church”. Establishment date April 13, 1958, patron Holy Spirit.
   https://www.cdcj.or.kr/parish/parish/view/23029