Kimhwa Catholic Church

Overview

Gimhwa Church is a church of the Chuncheon Diocese located in Wasu-ri, Seo-myeon, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. A Catholic mission chapel begun in 1955 by 3 households of believers in the Wasu-ri area was separated from Cheorwon Parish on September 1, 1959 and elevated and established as a parish, and its patron is Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon.

History

[Beginning as a mission chapel] According to the Dictionary of Korean Catholicism, in 1955 believers of 3 households, including Kim Gyo-cheol (Paul), Bae Gi-yeong (Peter) and Gang Jeong-bong (Matthias), gathered in the Wasu-ri area, then under the jurisdiction of Jukrim-dong Parish, and began Catholic mission chapel services, forming a faith community, and in 1957 it came under the jurisdiction of Cheorwon Parish. The Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia states that in April 1955 3 households of believers gathered to start a mission chapel, in 1956 it was incorporated as the Gimhwa Catholic mission chapel of Jukrim-dong Parish, and in June 1957 Cheorwon Church separated from Jukrim-dong Parish to be elevated as a parish, so the Gimhwa mission chapel became a mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Cheorwon Church.

[Elevation to a parish] According to the Dictionary of Korean Catholicism, on September 1, 1959, welcoming Father Ricardo Pal (Richard Parle, Cha) as its first pastor, it was separated from Cheorwon Parish and established, being elevated to a parish. The Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia states that the church building and rectory were completed in March 1959 and on September 1 of the same year it separated from Cheorwon Church and was elevated to a parish. Its patron saint at the time was ‘Saint Rita’, but in 1984 it was changed to ‘Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon’ to mark the 200th anniversary of Catholicism in Korea, the canonization of 103 saints, and the 25th anniversary of the parish’s founding (Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia).

[Growth] According to the Dictionary of Korean Catholicism, Gimhwa Parish built a church and rectory, appointed a full-time catechist to assist the parish priest’s pastoral ministry, and also carried out relief work for the extremely poor in its district. In the 1970s it formed apostolic groups such as the pastoral council and encouraged lay participation in parish administration, and in the 1980s lay apostolic activities became even more active. Among them, the farmers’ association, considering that the parish is in a rural area, acted as an advocate for improving the social and economic status of farmers and at one time received broad support from believers. The Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia also states that in the 1980s lay apostolic activities were actively carried out and the Catholic Farmers’ Association was organized, contributing to local community development.

[New church and branch convent] According to the Dictionary of Korean Catholicism, as the number of believers grew, construction of a new church began in October 1983, was completed in September 1984, and a blessing ceremony was held. From March 1989 a branch convent of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Assisi has been established to assist parish ministry, and in 1994 the old church was demolished and on its site the education center ‘Daegeon Hall’ was built. The Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia states that in March 1989, in solidarity with the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi, cultural development and youth education were carried out, and in 2004, marking the 45th anniversary of the parish’s founding, the Kkotdaji Community Children’s Center was established under the direction of this sisters’ congregation.

[Church statistics and mission chapels] According to the Dictionary of Korean Catholicism, the parish seat is about 4 km from the Armistice Line, and its jurisdiction covers Seo-myeon of Cheorwon-gun and parts of Gimhwa-eup and Geunnam-myeon. Its affiliated mission chapels were 3 in number at Sinsul-ri, Yeondong and Mahyeon, and its statistics are 890 persons in 1967, 820 persons in 1974, 994 persons in 1986, and 972 persons in 1993. The Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia states that its current affiliated mission chapel is the Mahyeon mission chapel. Its successive pastors are the first, Ricardo Pal (Cha) (1959.9~1963.9), the 2th, Patricio Healy (Hyeon) (1963.9~1965.8), the 3nd, Jakobo Murphy (Jeon) (1965.8~1968.3), the 4th, Derek Harris (Na) (1968.3~1968.10), the 5th, Dionisio Kearney (Gang) (1968.11~1970.3), the 6st, Ethan Murray (Ham) (1970.4~1972.1), the 7th, Aloysio Im Hong-ji (1972.1~1974.9), the 8th, Benedikdo Park Cheong-geun (1974.9~1979.4), the 9th, Peter Ha Hwa-sik (1979.4~1984.3), the 10rd, Paul Maeng Seok-cheol (1984.3~1989.4), the 11th, John Lee Jeong-haeng (1989.4~1993.9), and the 12th, Anselmo Im Heon-gyu (1993.9~) (Dictionary of Korean Catholicism).

Related Places and Persons

• Mahyeon mission chapel of Gimhwa Church: a mission chapel belonging to Gimhwa Church in Mahyeon-ri, Geunnam-myeon, Cheorwon-gun. According to the Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia, located inside the Civilian Control Line, in February 1961 a mission chapel was established as Im Yun-seok (Simon, then aged 30), the only Catholic believer among 66 households that had moved from Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do to Cheorwon-gun after suffering severe damage from Typhoon Sarah in 1959, and his wife Jeong Ho-nam (Joanna) began evangelization. On April 20, 2007 the mission chapel building was renovated with believers’ voluntary donations.
• Cheorwon Church: the mother parish from which Gimhwa Church was separated in 1959 (Dictionary of Korean Catholicism, Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia).
• Jukrim-dong Church (Chuncheon): the parish that had jurisdiction over the Wasu-ri area and the Gimhwa mission chapel before they came under the jurisdiction of Cheorwon Parish (Dictionary of Korean Catholicism, Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Dictionary of Korean Catholicism “Gimhwa Parish” (Vol. 2). Separation and establishment from Cheorwon Parish on September 1, 1959, patron, jurisdiction and mission chapels, church statistics, successive priests, founding and growth, blessing of the new church in 1984, Daegeon Hall in 1994.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/980
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia “Gimhwa Church”. Start of the mission chapel in 1955, completion of the church and rectory and elevation to a parish in 1959, change of patron saint in 1984, Catholic Farmers’ Association, Kkotdaji Community Children’s Center in 2004.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheorwon/toc/GC07800917
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Cheorwon Culture Encyclopedia “Mahyeon Mission Chapel of Gimhwa Church”. Background of the founding and current status of the Mahyeon mission chapel.
   https://www.grandculture.net/cheorwon/toc/GC07800922