Mochung-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Mochung-dong Church is a church belonging to the Cheongju Diocese in Mochung-dong, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. It was separated and newly established from Sugok-dong Parish on July 25, 1992, and its patron is St. Barnabas the Apostle. The first pastor was Father John Yun Gi-guk.

History

[Parish Establishment] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Mochung-dong Parish was separated and newly established from Sugok-dong Parish on July 25, 1992, and Father John Yun Gi-guk served as the first pastor. The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia records that Bishop Jeong Jin-seok separated it from Sugok-dong Church in July 1992 to newly establish Mochung-dong Church at No. 127-3 in Mochung-dong and appointed Father Yun Gi-guk as the first pastor. The Cheongju Diocese website’s parish information lists the establishment date as July 25, 1992, and the patron saint as St. Barnabas the Apostle.

[Establishment and Development] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Mochung-dong Parish began without having secured a church building; it celebrated its first Mass on August 15, 1992 in the auditorium of the Sannam General Social Welfare Center in Sannam Jugong Apartment Complex No. 2, and thereafter Sunday Masses were celebrated there while weekday Masses were celebrated in the rectory prepared on the site of the present church. It built a prefabricated temporary church on April 4, 1993 and held the dedication ceremony on May 2, purchased about 36 pyeong of additional land at No. 127-9 in Mochung-dong on April 26, 1994, and launched the church construction promotion committee in March 1996. The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia records that in May 1993 a prefabricated building of more than 80 pyeong was built on the present church site and a blessing Mass for the temporary church was held.

[Pastoral Care and Activities] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the parish organized the Myeongdohoe on October 21, 1992 so that Myeongdohoe members themselves took charge of catechesis for catechumens, and in district and small-group meetings it used Gospel sharing, pledges for daily-life practice, and a newsletter containing parish news. The Sunday school, opened in June 1993, was staffed mainly by parents as catechism teachers, and the last Sunday of every month was designated as “Family Sunday,” when parents themselves became catechism teachers and attended Mass together with their children. From October 1993 to April 1994, a total of 178 households participated in the family consecration pilgrimage prayer, in which the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was enshrined in each home for 2 nights and 3 days, and since the parish’s establishment it won the overall championship four times at the annual Heungdeok district faith sports festival. On March 28, 1996, the Legion of Mary “Mother Most Pure” Praesidium passed its 1,000th weekly meeting; this praesidium, belonging to the Seoul Immaculata Senatus, is said to have held its first weekly meeting at Seoun-dong Parish in Cheongju on January 28, 1976 and to have separated from Sugok-dong Parish in 1992.

[Church Membership and Present Status] The church membership recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is 1,563 in 1992, 1,787 in 1993, and 2,028 in 1994, and the jurisdiction covers Mochung-dong and parts of Sugok-dong. The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia records that after the parish was established, out of 10, 1 of church income was earmarked as relief charity funds, that the Rural-Urban Cooperation Department took the lead in promoting sisterhood partnerships with rural parishes, and that a monthly small-community meeting guide is published. The lay council has 10 divisions, including liturgy, education, mission, districts, youth, events, women, social welfare, finance, and facility management, and the total number of the faithful as of December 31, 2010 was 3,401.

Related Places and People

• Sugok-dong Church: The mother parish from which Mochung-dong Parish was separated (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia).
• Seoun-dong Church: The parish where the praesidium of Mochung-dong Parish held its first weekly meeting in 1976 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Mochung-dong Parish” (Vol. 4). Parish establishment in 1992, temporary church, pastoral activities, church membership.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2048
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia “Mochung-dong Church”. Establishment of the parish by Bishop Jeong Jin-seok, temporary church, organization and present status.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheongju/toc/GC00200195
3. Cheongju Diocese, parish information “Mochung-dong Church”. Establishment date July 25, 1992, patron saint St. Barnabas the Apostle.
   https://www.cdcj.or.kr/parish/parish/view/23004