Heungdeok Catholic Church

Overview

Heungdeok Church is a church belonging to the Cheongju Diocese of the Catholic Church, located on Heungdeok-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. It was established on June 3, 1990 as a split from Sajik2-dong Parish, with Father Gwak Dong-cheol (John) as its first pastor, and held its church dedication ceremony in 1996. Its patron saint is St. Luke.

History

〔Establishment〕 According to the Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia, as Sajik2-dong Parish grew and the number of faithful increased, Heungdeok Parish was established on June 3, 1990 by splitting. It had jurisdiction over parts of Sajik1-dong, Uncheon-dong, Sinbong-dong and other areas, and Father Gwak Dong-cheol (John) served as the first pastor. The establishment date in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea directory and on the Cheongju Diocese website is also June 3, 1990.

〔Church construction〕 The church was not built immediately after the parish was established, but held its groundbreaking ceremony on August 1993, 3 years later, and has continued to the present since holding its dedication ceremony in 1996 (Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia).

〔Activities〕 The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia records that Hwang Jong-hyeon (James), a native of the parish, was ordained a priest on June 1994, and that Son Mi-hui (Bunda) joined the Daegu Missionary Benedictine Convent on March 1994. The parish Society of St. Vincent de Paul regularly carries out an annual campaign to visit elderly people living alone in the area, and members of the Legion and the Luca Society have regularly volunteered at rehabilitation centers and St. Mary's Hospital. The Joseph Society, composed of faithful aged 60 and older, cleans every week the area around the church and the alleys of Sajik-dong, Heungdeok-gu, where the church is located, and members of the Coffining Volunteer Group have helped people using the church funeral hall since 2000. The encyclopedia notes that Heungdeok Church was the first among churches in the Cheongju area to install and operate a funeral hall.

〔Organizations〕 The parish has groups such as the Marian Association, Mothers' Association, choir, altar servers' association, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Eucharistic Association, youth group, Association for the Deceased, Lay Apostolate Council and others, and the first president of the Lay Apostolate Council was Jeon Seong-gyu (Michael) (Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia).

〔Jurisdiction〕 The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia states that as of March 2011 it had jurisdiction over parts of Sajik1-dong, Uncheon-dong and Sinbong-dong. The parish information on the Cheongju Diocese website lists its jurisdiction as Naedeok2-dong, parts of Naedeok1-dong, parts of Yullyang-dong and parts of Jujung-ri, Bugil-myeon, Cheongwon-gun, so the two sources differ. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea directory lists the religious congregation as the Daegu Convent of the Tutzing Missionary Benedictine Sisters, and the patron as St. Luke.

Related Places and People

• Sajik2-dong Parish (Cheongju): the parish from which Heungdeok Parish was split (Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia).
• Hwang Jong-hyeon (James): a native of the parish who was ordained a priest on June 1994 (Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. The Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia “Heungdeok Church”. June 3, 1990 Establishment as a split from Sajik2-dong Parish, first pastor, groundbreaking in 1993 and dedication in 1996, parish activities and organizations, jurisdiction.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheongju/toc/GC00201859
2. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Heungdeok”. Establishment date June 3, 1990, patron St. Luke, religious congregation.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000023&code=201001035&gubn2=all&char=all
3. Cheongju Diocese of the Catholic Church, Parishes “Heungdeok Church”. Establishment date June 3, 1990, patron saint St. Luke, jurisdiction.
   https://www.cdcj.or.kr/parish/parish/view/23007