Ildong Church

Overview

Ildong Church is a church belonging to the Chuncheon Diocese in Gisan-ri, Ildong-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, established on November 7, 1971 when it was elevated from the Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel of Pocheon Parish to a parish. Its patron is Christ the King, and at the time of elevation it received the Idong Catholic mission chapel and the Naechon Catholic mission chapel from Pocheon Parish.

History

〔Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, there was from early on a Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel in the area where Ildong Parish is located. This Catholic mission chapel belonged to Deokjeong-ri Parish, the predecessor of the present Uijeongbu Parish, and on April 1955 it was transferred to Pocheon Parish when Pocheon Parish was separated and established from Deokjeong-ri Parish.

〔Establishment of the parish〕 Full-scale efforts to elevate the Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel to a parish began from February 1971. After securing sufficient land for a church, construction of the new church began, and in the same year, on November 7, when the church was completed, the Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel was elevated and established as Ildong Parish. At that time the Idong Catholic mission chapel and the Naechon Catholic mission chapel belonging to Pocheon Parish were also transferred to the newly established Ildong Parish, and Father Matthew Heo Dong-seon was appointed as the first pastor. In the same year, on November 17, Father Heo held the dedication ceremony of the church with Diocesan Bishop T. Stewart, Park, presiding (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Chuncheon Diocese homepage states that after the end of the Korean War, as Ildong became the center, in 1970 land was purchased at Gisan 6-ri 92-11 in Ildong-myeon and construction of the new church began and was completed in 1971, and when the Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel became a parish its name also became Ildong Parish, and the Idong and Naechon Catholic mission chapels were later elevated to parishes and divided off.

〔Convent and grounds〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, on February 1972 a branch house of the Inbo Sisters of the Holy Eucharist was established in the parish to assist pastoral work. The 2 pastor, Father O Sang-cheol, newly built the convent on July 1974 and held a blessing ceremony. The branch house withdrew on December 1978 during the tenure of the 3 pastor, Father Kim Jeong-sik. At the time described in the encyclopedia, Ildong Parish maintained on a total site of 2,098 pyeong buildings including a church (71.19 pyeong), an education hall (100 pyeong), the former convent (17 pyeong), and a rectory (18.6 pyeong), and Father Choe Hyeok-sun, who took office as the 10 pastor on February 2001, is said to have striven to form a united community through vitalizing small communities.

〔Church statistics and successive pastors〕 The Catholic mission chapels under jurisdiction noted in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the 2 chapels of Idong and Naechon. The number of believers was in 1974 438 persons, in 1979 291 persons, in 1984 409 persons, in 1990 408 persons, in 1995 704 persons, in 2000 994 persons. The successive pastors are the first Matthew Heo Dong-seon (1971.11~1974.1), the 2 Thomas Aquinas O Sang-cheol (1974.1~1978.5), the 3 Thomas Kim Jeong-sik (1978.5~1984.3), the 4 Gabriel O Se-cheol (1984.3~1986.2), the 5 Walter, Yu (1986.2~1988.3), the 6 Joachim Lee Yu-su (1988.3~1990.2), the 7 Damiano Lee Su-yeong (tenure ended 1993.9), the 8 Francis Yong Yeong-il (1993.9~1996.8), the 9 Angelo Kim Hak-bae (1996.8~2001.2), the 10 Joseph Choe Hyeok-sun (2001.2~present). Here “present” means the time of writing of this encyclopedia, and the year the 7 pastor began his tenure is not given because there is an error in the source text of the encyclopedia.

Related places and persons

• Pocheon Parish: the mother parish that administered the Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel from April 1955 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Deokjeong-ri Parish: the predecessor of the present Uijeongbu Parish, to which the Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel belonged before 1955 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Idong Catholic mission chapel and Naechon Catholic mission chapel: transferred from Pocheon Parish at the establishment of Ildong Parish and later elevated to parishes and divided off (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Chuncheon Diocese homepage).
• Birthplace site and tomb site of John the Baptist Yi Byeok: located in Hwahyeon-myeon, Pocheon-gun, within the parish jurisdiction. The Chuncheon Diocese homepage states that Yi Byeok, as an early lay leader of Korean Catholicism, is being promoted for beatification, and that the parish is striving to honor the martyrs (as of the time of the homepage account).

References and sources

1. Research Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Ildong Parish” (Vol. 9). Changes of the Hwadae-ri Catholic mission chapel, parish establishment and dedication ceremony in 1971, convent, land and building conditions, church statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5233
2. Chuncheon Diocese homepage, parish “Ildong Christ the King Parish”. Establishment date 1971.11.07., land purchase and new church construction in 1970, transfer of the Idong and Naechon Catholic mission chapels, birthplace and tomb site of Yi Byeok.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/parish/view/47