Judok Church

Overview

Judeok Church is a church located in Sinyang-ri, Judeok-eup, Chungju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, belonging to the Diocese of Cheongju. It began when the Judeok Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of the Chungju (present-day Gyohyeon-dong) parish was elevated to a parish on June 1, 1959, and its patron is Saint Thomas the Apostle. Its first pastor was Father Gilligan.

History

[Establishment of the Mission Chapel and Elevation to Parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in the mid-1950s, Father Borer (J. Borer), the 6 pastor of the Chungju parish, worked to establish branch parishes in order to expand the Church in the Chungju area. Following his elevation of the Eumseong Catholic mission chapel to a parish in June 1955, Father Borer purchased land in 1957 as preliminary work for establishing a parish in the Judeok area, newly built a church (82 pyeong) and a rectory (45 pyeong), and established the Judeok Catholic mission chapel. 2 years after its establishment, on June 1, 1959, the Judeok Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish, Father Gilligan took office as its first pastor, and in September of the same year a branch house of the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was installed. The Digital Chungju Culture Encyclopedia records the same course of events and gives the date of establishment as June 1, 1959. The date of establishment differs from source to source. In the parish information of the Diocese of Cheongju, the date of establishment is listed as September 15, 1957.

[Early Development of Mission Chapels and Educational Activities] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the first pastor, Father Gilligan, and Father Segall, the 2 pastor, worked to develop nearby Catholic mission chapels and established the Monam, Gageum, Yeonhwa, Gaheung, and Yongwon Catholic mission chapels from 1961 to 1965. Father Dowd, the 3 pastor, established a kindergarten in July 1965 and installed and operated a credit union in 1966. During the tenure of Father Lee Jung-gwon, the 7 pastor, on May 17, 1974, the branch house of the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had assisted in ministry since the early days of the establishment, withdrew. After Father Jeong Chung-il, the 8 pastor, was transferred as director of the Cheongju Catholic Center in September 1978, the pastor of the Yahyeon (present-day Gyohyeon-dong) parish concurrently served the parish until December 1979.

[Fire and the New Church] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, during the tenure of Father Kim Seong-gyu, the 11 pastor, the rectory burned down in October 1984 and the church burned down in June of the following year. In July 1987, a new church and education hall were completed and a blessing ceremony was held. The Digital Chungju Culture Encyclopedia also records the same fire and the blessing of the new church and education hall in July 1987.

[After 1989] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Im Jeong-jin, the 12 pastor, held a blessing ceremony for a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a Marian garden to mark the 30 anniversary of the parish establishment in July 1989, and founded a Curia in June 1990. Father Shin Seong-geun, the 13 pastor, newly built a convent and held a blessing ceremony in March 1992, and transferred the Gageum Catholic mission chapel under his jurisdiction to the Gyohyeon-dong parish in April 1992. During the tenure of Father Shin In-yong, the 14 pastor, on July 13, 1992, sisters of the Society of the Holy Word were dispatched and began systematic evangelization activities. Father Jang Hong-hun, the 15 pastor, founded the Joseph Society, the Living Bible Society, the Mothers’ Association, the Association for the Deceased, and others. Father Gu Yun-hoe, the 16 pastor, carried out a prayer offering campaign commemorating the 40 anniversary of the diocesan establishment in January 1998, installed an infant room on the 2 floor of the church in July 2000, and in October and November of the same year carried out retaining wall construction for the church, installation of container garages and warehouses, and late-night boiler work for the rectory and convent. Under Father Park Ho-seong, the 17 pastor, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded on May 13, 2003.

[Church Strength and Successive Pastors] The church strength recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is 1,852 members in 1964, 2,215 members in 1968, 1,738 members in 1972, 1,143 members in 1976, 1,123 members in 1980, 1,434 members in 1984, 1,665 members in 1988, 1,701 members in 1992, 1,513 members in 1996, and 1,371 members in 2000. The jurisdiction is recorded as Judeok-myeon, Noeun-myeon, Sinni-myeon, and Iryu-myeon in Chungju-si. The successive pastors are the first pastor, James Gilligan (J. Gilligan) (1959.6~1962.5), the 2 pastor, Paul Segall (P. Segall) (1962.5~1965.3), the 3 pastor, John Dowd (J. Dowd) (1965.3~1966.5), the 4 pastor, Segall (1966.5~1968.5), the 5 pastor, Peter Kim Gwang-hyeok (1968.5~1971.9), the 6 pastor, Philip Kim Yu-cheol (1971.9~1973.10), the 7 pastor, Matthew Lee Jung-gwon (1973.10~1975.4), the 8 pastor, Anthony Jeong Chung-il (1975.4~1978.9), the 9 pastor, Joseph Lee Beom-su (1979.12~1983.5), the 10 pastor, Abraham Jeon Myeong-su (1983.5~1984.8), the 11 pastor, John Kim Seong-gyu (1984.8~1988.5), the 12 pastor, Michael Im Jeong-jin (1988.5~1991.1), the 13 pastor, James Shin Seong-geun (1991.1~1992.4), the 14 pastor, Anselm Shin In-yong (1992.4~1995.6), the 15 pastor, Sergio Jang Hong-hun (1995.6~1997.4), the 16 pastor, Anthony Gu Yun-hoe (1997.4~2002.6), and the 17 pastor, Joseph Park Ho-seong (2002.6~).

[Activities] According to the Digital Chungju Culture Encyclopedia, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul visits families in need to help them materially and spiritually, the Association for the Deceased oversees funeral procedures for deceased parishioners, the Marian Association organizes parish feasts, the Mothers’ Association supports the Sunday school, and the Anna Association is a group for women aged 65 and older. As of 2008, the jurisdiction covers Judeok-eup, Sinni-myeon, Noeun-myeon, and Daesowon-myeon, and as of 2006, the number of the faithful is 1,249 persons in 730 households.

Architecture and Space

According to the Digital Chungju Culture Encyclopedia, Judeok Church is a rectangular reinforced-concrete multi-story structure with 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors, with a side tower on the front, and its exterior is finished with facing brick masonry. The same source lists four Catholic mission chapels under its jurisdiction: the Susang Catholic mission chapel in Noeun-myeon, established in December 1956, the Monam Catholic mission chapel in Sinni-myeon, established in March 1961, the Yongwon Catholic mission chapel in Sinni-myeon, established in July 1965, and the Beopdong Catholic mission chapel in Noeun-myeon, established in June 1987.

Related Places and Figures

• Gyohyeon-dong Church (former Chungju and Yahyeon parish): the mother parish from which the Judeok parish was separated (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Eumseong Church: the place elevated from the Eumseong Catholic mission chapel under the Chungju parish to a parish in June 1955 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: the religious congregation that established a branch house in the parish in September 1959 and withdrew on May 17, 1974 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Judeok Parish” (Vol. 10). Establishment of the mission chapel and elevation to parish, development of mission chapels, fire and new church, church strength and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5729
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Chungju Culture Encyclopedia “Judeok Church”. Establishment of the mission chapel, elevation to parish, fire and blessing of the new church, group activities.
   https://chungju.grandculture.net/chungju/toc/GC01902143
3. Diocese of Cheongju, parish information “Judeok Church”. Date of establishment September 15, 1957, patron saint Saint Thomas the Apostle.
   https://www.cdcj.or.kr/parish/parish/view/23025