Myeongaeok Shrine

Overview

Meonge-mok Shrine is a shrine of the Catholic Cheongju Diocese located in the Gubyeong-ri area of Songnisan-myeon, Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, where a village of the faithful stood during the Joseon persecutions and the home of Blessed Bak Gyeong-hwa (Paul) and Bak Sa-ui (Andrew), father and son, beatified in 2014, and others. It is where Father Choe Yang-eop gave the sacraments and celebrated Mass during his pastoral visits, and the Cheongju Diocese designated it as a shrine on August 12, 2016.

History

[Meonge-mok Catholic Village] According to Good News (based on a leaflet of the Cheongju Diocese Mission Pastoral Office), Meongemok [駕項里] is also called ‘Meongeomogi’ and is divided into Upper Meonge-mok (Gubyeong-ri, Songnisan-myeon) and Lower Meonge-mok (Samga-ri, Songnisan-myeon), and Upper Meonge-mok is where the village first formed in the 19 century. There is a tradition that it was a village founded by believers in the Jeonggamrok, but Good News regards this as mistaken and explains that it is a village the faithful built as a Catholic faithful village, a secret community of faith, during the Catholic persecutions. The Catholic Times writes that it is not known exactly when the faithful began to live together here, and that Meonge-mok first appears in Church history records from the Jeonghae Persecution of 1827.

[Jeonghae Persecution (1827) and the Blessed] In 1827, Sangju runners arrested Blessed An Gun-sim (Richard) and Kim Sa-geon (Andrew), who lived in the Catholic village of Aengmudang (now Aengmu-dong in Pyeongon-ri, Hwanam-myeon, Sangju-si), and Blessed Bak Gyeong-hwa (Paul) and Bak Sa-ui (Andrew), father and son, who lived in ‘Sangju Meonge-mok,’ that is, Boeun Meonge-mok. They were taken to the Sangju camp and then transferred to the Daegu provincial office. Bak Gyeong-hwa died a martyr in prison from the aftereffects of torture, An Gun-sim died in prison in 1835, and Kim Sa-geon and Bak Sa-ui, after long imprisonment, died martyrs by beheading in Daegu in 1839 (Good News).

[Byeongin Persecution (1866–1868)] Good News explains that the faithful gathered again to live in Meonge-mok after the threat of persecution had passed, but peace was broken by the Byeongin Persecution of 1866. Blessed Kim Jong-ryun (Luke), who had lived on Gongju land, fled here and lived before moving to Jungnyeong-ri in Ulsan (now Icheon-ri, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulsan-si), and Bak Gyeong-hwa and Bak Sa-ui, father and son, and Kim Jong-ryun were beatified on August 16, 2014 in a celebration presided over by Pope Francis. In October 1867, Cheongju runners raided Geumbong Village (now Wolyong-ri, Miwon-myeon, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si) and arrested the blind Jeon Ya-gobo (James), the brother-in-law of Meonge-mok president Choe Yong-un (Ambrose), and the following year Seoul runners suddenly attacked the Meonge-mok Catholic village and arrested Yeo Johan (John) and Choe Joi, a married couple, An Ruka (Luke), Yeo Gyu-sin, Choe Un-heung and others, and also arrested President Choe Yong-un, who had taken refuge in Jangjae-dong in Sangju (now Jangja-dong in Donggwan-ri, Hwanam-myeon, Sangju-si). When they tried to release the blind Jeon Ya-gobo because he was blind, he bore witness to his faith, saying, “Although I am blind and can see nothing with my eyes, in my heart I steadfastly honor and revere God.” President Choe Yong-un, amid interrogation and torture, urged the faithful to keep their faith firmly and died a martyr. Good News writes that Choe Yong-un and Jeon Ya-gobo are the only Servants of God recorded as having been baptized by Father Choe Yang-eop and then martyred. The Catholic Times explains that whenever persecutors raided, the faithful scattered and then gathered again, repeating this many times.

[Pastoral Visiting Place of Father Choe Yang-eop] According to Good News, in a letter dated October 15, 1851 from Father Choe Yang-eop (Thomas), the houses of the Meonge-mok Catholic village had burned down that year, but the faithful joined forces to rebuild the village, and upon hearing the news Father Choe visited the Meonge-mok faithful during his tour of the villages, gave them the sacraments and celebrated Mass with them, and baptized the yangban-born catechumen Jo Baoro (Paul). From that time the Meonge-mok faithful suffered threats and abuses from the younger brother of Jo Baoro, and had to tear down the Catholic mission chapel they had built with difficulty and temporarily abandon their farmland. The Catholic Times explains that Meonge-mok is the only place where Father Choe recorded in such detail the place and story of his baptisms and the name of the baptized, and introduces that in this letter Father Choe reported, “Catholics were living in a mountain valley called Meonge-mok.” The Catholic Times writes that Mr. Jo heard the story of the village burned to ashes, came to console them, asked about the reason for the villagers’ peace and came to know the faith, and after burning his house and ancestral tablets, was baptized in Meonge-mok and became ‘Baoro.’ The Byeongin martyrdom trial record, the Byeongin Chimyeong Sajeok, preserves records that Jo Baoro, Choe Yong-un, Jeon Ya-gobo and other faithful of the Meonge-mok Catholic village were baptized by Father Choe (Catholic Times 2026.8).

[Designation and Development as a Shrine] The Cheongju Diocese, reflecting the Church-historical significance of the Meonge-mok Catholic village, was designated as a shrine on August 12, 2016 by the 3 diocesan bishop Jang Bong-hun (Gabriel), who appointed a priest in charge (Good News, Catholic Times). On August 15, 2026 a Mass commemorating the 10 anniversary of the proclamation of the shrine was celebrated, presided over by the resident pastor Father Gwon Sang-u (Peter). Marking the 10 anniversary, the shrine made a statue of Venerable Father Choe Yang-eop and held a blessing ceremony on June 21, producing it in the same form as the statue at Baeti Martyrs’ Shrine. In addition, it enshrined a statue of ‘Our Lady of Banneux, Virgin of the Poor’ and a candle offering stand, and created the 14 Stations of the Cross outdoors (Catholic Times).

Architecture and Space

The Catholic Times explains that the shrine’s baptismal church has an octagonal pyramidal roof set on octagonal walls, and that in Church tradition ‘8’ symbolizes the ‘new creation’ begun with Christ’s Resurrection. On the ceiling converging to the apex of the octagonal pyramid there is a sacred painting depicting the Triune God, with the baptismal font directly below, and in the baptismal cave beneath the church one can perform a baptismal renewal rite with natural water flowing year-round from the mountain foothills. The shrine purchased a nearby pension to create a pilgrims’ house. The priest in charge, Father Gwon Sang-u, said it was built as modest buildings, not ornate and large structures, like Father Choe Yang-eop.

Related Places and Persons

• Blessed Bak Gyeong-hwa (Paul) and Bak Sa-ui (Andrew), father and son: they lived in the Meonge-mok Catholic village and were beatified on August 16, 2014 (Good News).
• Blessed Kim Jong-ryun (Luke): he lived in Meonge-mok during the Byeongin Persecution before moving to Ulsan (Good News).
• President Choe Yong-un (Ambrose) and Jeon Ya-gobo: they are Servants of God who were baptized by Father Choe Yang-eop and martyred (Good News).
• Venerable Father Choe Yang-eop (Thomas): he visited Meonge-mok pastorally and administered the sacraments and Mass (Good News, Catholic Times).
• Baeti Martyrs’ Shrine: another pastoral place of Father Choe Yang-eop, and a statue in the same form as the statue there was erected in Meonge-mok (Catholic Times).

References and Sources

1. Catholic Good News Shrines and Historic Sites, “Meonge-mok Shrine” (Cheongju Diocese, based on the Boeun Meonge-mok Shrine leaflet). Origin of the Catholic village, martyrs of the Jeonghae and Byeongin persecutions, visit of Father Choe Yang-eop, designation as a shrine in 2016.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=4378
2. Catholic Times, “[Pilgrimage: Walking and Praying] Meonge-mok Shrine in the Cheongju Diocese”. Changes in the Catholic village after 1827, letter of Father Choe Yang-eop and baptism of Jo Baoro, baptismal church.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/20261005500087
3. Catholic Times, “Memorial Mass Celebrated for the 10 Anniversary of the Proclamation of Meonge-mok Shrine in the Cheongju Diocese”. Designation as a shrine on August 12, 2016, commemorative projects for the 10 anniversary.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/20260817500013