Samsung Catholic Church

Overview

Samsung Church is a church in Samsung-myeon, Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Cheongju. It was established as a quasi-parish from a Catholic mission chapel of Geumwang Parish on December 8, 1988, and was elevated to a full parish on June 29, 1991, with St. Matthias the Apostle as its patron. Gwanghyewon Parish and Daeso Parish were separated from this parish.

History

[Catholic Mission Chapel Period] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gospel was first brought to the Samsung-myeon area around 1904 when the family of Teresa Yi, baptized at the Gomari Catholic mission chapel in Goesan, settled there. In February 1936, the family of Francis Yi Bok-gi, who had lived in Deoksan, Jincheon, moved in, and shortly afterward Father Joseph O Gi-seon, assistant priest of the Janghowon (now Gamgok) Parish, celebrated the sacraments at Yi Bok-gi’s house, establishing the ‘Samsung Catholic mission chapel.’ Through the evangelization work of Yi Yo-ok, son of chairman Yi Bok-gi, the chapel faithful grew from 1940, when there were 30 faithful, to more than 100 faithful by 1950, and a 20-pyeong hall was built on leased myeon-owned forest land. On November 8, 1956, the Janghowon Parish formally announced the establishment of the Samsung Catholic mission chapel, and on September 6, 1957, when Geumwang Parish was established, this chapel came under the new parish.

[Quasi-Parish and Elevation to Parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the chapel faithful reached 300 by the mid-1970s and began to request elevation to a parish. Father O Ung-jin, 8th pastor of Geumwang Parish, promoted the construction of a new hall, but the purchase of land stalled because the Kkotdongne development project in Eumseong was in full swing; when Anna Kim Bok-sun donated 1,219 pyeong of land at the site of the present church, discussions moved forward again. In January 1987, Father Yi Beom-su took office as the 9th pastor of Geumwang Parish, held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new hall on September 10 of that year, and the following year, on December 8, completed a 147-pyeong hall, holding its blessing ceremony and at the same time establishing it as a quasi-parish. On June 29, 1991, it was elevated to Samsung Parish, with Father Simon Kim Hong-yeol taking office as its first pastor.

[After the Elevation] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, at the time of the elevation it received the transfer of a total of 952 parish registers, including 3 Catholic mission chapels in Gwanghyewon, Jincheon-gun (Gwanghyewon-ri, Manseung-myeon), Daeso, Eumseong-gun (Osan-ri, Daeso-myeon), and Neungsan-ri, Samsung-myeon, from Geumwang Parish. On July 31, 1991, the old chapel hall was demolished, and from 1992, as an industrial complex was developed in this area, the parish began to grow rapidly; on July 10, 1996, Gwanghyewon Parish was separated, and on July 22 of the following year, Daeso Parish was separated. On May 14, 1995, the convent and the education hall were completed and a Marian garden was created.

[Parish Size and Successive Pastors] The parish size recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia was 952 faithful at the time of the elevation, 1,110 in 1992, 1,331 in 1994, and 745 in 1996. The successive priests were the first, Simon Kim Hong-yeol (1991.6–1993.4), the 2th, Raphael Ban Yeong-eok (1993.4–1994.7), the 3th, Andrea Park Chi-yeong (1994.7–1997.7), and the 4st, Vincenzio Jeon Seong-ho (1997.7–). The encyclopedia lists the jurisdiction as the entire Samsung-myeon except for part of Cheongnyong-ri and part of Seokgyo-chon, Geumwang-eup, and lists the chapels under its jurisdiction as 1 in Neungsan. The parish information of the Catholic Diocese of Cheongju lists the establishment date as June 29, 1991, and the patron saint as St. Matthias the Apostle.

Related Places and People

• Geumwang Church: the mother parish that had jurisdiction over the Samsung Catholic mission chapel and separated it as the Samsung quasi-parish in 1988 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Gwanghyewon Church and Daeso Church: parishes separated from Samsung Parish in July 1996 and July 1997 respectively (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Gamgok Church (Janghowon): the parish where Father Joseph O Gi-seon, who celebrated the sacraments at the time of the establishment of the Samsung Catholic mission chapel, served as assistant priest (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Samsung Parish” (Volume 6). Mission chapel period, establishment as quasi-parish and elevation to parish, separated parishes, parish size and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3039
2. Catholic Diocese of Cheongju, parish information “Samsung Church”. Establishment date June 29, 1991, patron saint St. Matthias the Apostle.
   https://www.cdcj.or.kr/parish/parish/view/23037