Sachang-dong Church

Overview

Sachang-dong Church is a church in Sachang-dong, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, belonging to the Diocese of Cheongju. It was separated and established from Sajik-dong Parish in 1981 and its patron is Saint Philip the Apostle. The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism writes that this parish was the first among the commemorative parishes promoted to mark the 200 anniversary of the founding of the Korean Catholic Church and the 25 anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Cheongju.

History

[Background of establishment] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, the Gangseo-dong, Bokdae-dong and Sachang-dong area, the gateway to Cheongju-si, saw a sharp increase in resident population as urban planning was carried out from the mid-1970s. Accordingly, Sajik-dong Parish proposed a parish division to the diocese, and Father Lee Jung-gwon was designated as the first pastor and prepared for the establishment of the new parish from March 1981. The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia writes that in the early 1980s, Jugong Apartment Complexes 1, 2 and 3 in western Cheongju and the Samik, Hansol and Songhak Apartments in Gaesin-dong were built, so the need for a new parish emerged strongly.

[Parish establishment] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, on July 3, 1981 Sachang-dong Parish was formally separated and established from Sajik-dong Parish, and the first Mass was offered in a temporary hall prepared in advance. At that time, the Diocese of Cheongju was promoting the establishment of commemorative parishes in several places to mark the 200 anniversary of the founding of the Korean Catholic Church and the 25 anniversary of the establishment of the diocese, and Sachang-dong Parish was the first of them. The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia writes that the parish construction promotion committee was launched in May 1981 and the first Mass was held at Changsin Elementary School in July of that year. The parish information on the Diocese of Cheongju website lists the establishment date as on March 10, 1981, differing from the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism and the Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia, which give on July 3, 1981.

[Construction of a new church] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, construction of a new church began to be discussed in detail after the parish pastoral council was formed on November 7, 1982. The parish purchased 380 pyeong of the present church site and started construction on April 8 of the following year, completing on October 3, 1984 a church with 2 floors above ground and 1 floor below ground (total floor area 510 pyeong), and held the dedication ceremony presided over by Bishop Cheong Jin-suk (Nicholas). The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia writes that the groundbreaking for the church was held in April 1983 at lot 131 in Sajik-dong with Bishop Cheong Jin-suk and others in attendance, and that the size was a site of 420 pyeong and a total floor area of 521 pyeong, so the figures for site and total area differ from those in the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism.

[Division and later developments] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, on May 18, 1986, separating Bongmyeong-dong Parish, 350 households and 1,300 parish registers were transferred, and on November 20, 1987 land at lot 357-77 in Sachang-dong was purchased for building a parish hall, and 2 Sisters of the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres in Seoul were also invited. The 2 pastor, Father Peter Kim Gwang-hyeok, as the number of faithful continued to grow, again proposed a parish division to the diocese, secured land in Bokdae-dong and completed a prefabricated church in April, and as a result, on May 22, 1988, when Bokdae-dong Parish was established, 1,116 parish registers were transferred to the new parish. On June 30 of the same year, a convent building was secured and the temporary convent was moved there. The parish youth group was launched in August 1990, and after additionally purchasing 150 pyeong of land next to the church, construction of the long-awaited parish hall began in March 1996 and was completed on December 23 of that year. The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia writes that the Queen of Sinners Curia was established in March 1982, the Curia of the Faithful in December 1983, the Queen of Martyrs Curia in 1986, and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and others were launched in 1986.

[Church statistics and successive pastors] The church figures recorded in the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism are 1,291 persons in 1981, 2,015 persons in 1985, 2,860 persons in 1989, 3,241 persons in 1992, and 3,292 persons in 1996. The successive priests are the first Matthew Lee Jung-gwon (1981.7~1986.10), the 2 Peter Kim Gwang-hyeok (1986.10~1992.8), the 3 Antonio Jeong Chung-il (1992.8~1997.7), and the 4 Felix Kang Hui-seong (1997.7~). The jurisdiction is recorded as parts of Sachang-dong, Sajik-dong, Mochung-dong and Gaesin-dong. The Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia writes that as of March 2011 it has jurisdiction over Sachang-dong and the nearby Daewoo Prugio Apartments and Lotte Castle Apartments with a total of over 4,000 faithful, and that it has a pastoral council, mothers’ association, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Marian Association, Curia, choir, liturgy committee, altar servers, catechists’ association and others.

Related places and people

• Sajik-dong Church: the mother parish from which Sachang-dong Parish was separated (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia).
• Bongmyeong-dong Church: the parish separated from Sachang-dong Parish on May 18, 1986 (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).
• Bokdae-dong Church: the parish separated and established from Sachang-dong Parish on May 22, 1988 (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).

References and sources

1. Institute of Korean Church History, Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism “Sachang-dong Parish” (Vol. 6). Establishment of the parish in 1981, dedication of the church in 1984, separation of Bongmyeong-dong and Bokdae-dong parishes, church statistics and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2952
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheongju Culture Encyclopedia “Sachang-dong Church”. Background of establishment, groundbreaking of the church, establishment of Curiae and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, organization and present state.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheongju/toc/GC00200290
3. Diocese of Cheongju, parish information “Sachang-dong Church”. Establishment date on March 10, 1981, patron Saint Philip the Apostle.
   https://www.cdcj.or.kr/parish/parish/view/23009