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About this place
Mukho Pilgrimage Church is an entry that presents the same physical site as Mukho Star of the Sea Church on Balhan-ro, Donghae, specifically from the perspective of pilgrimage. The Catholic Church directory in Korea and the Diocese of Chuncheon identify it as “Mukho Pilgrimage Church” or “Mukho Church (Fr. Patrick Reilly, Martyr),” clearly distinguishing its role as a place of pilgrimage that remembers Fr. Patrick Reilly, who was martyred during the Korean War.
Its pilgrimage significance lies not simply in the age of the church building. The central memory is the life of Fr. Reilly, who served as parish priest at Mukho, refused to abandon his parishioners when war came, and ultimately suffered martyrdom. A portion of the relics of St. Andrew Kim Taegon is enshrined in the church, and the parish community has continued to commemorate and honor Fr. Reilly. This entry therefore focuses less on Mukho as a parish facility and more on its identity as a pilgrimage site where visitors follow the memory of martyrdom.
History & origins
The historical significance of Mukho Pilgrimage Church becomes especially clear with the arrival of Fr. Patrick Reilly as parish priest of Mukho in August 1949. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, parishioners urged him to evacuate, but he chose to remain rather than leave the community entrusted to him. After hiding for a time and continuing to celebrate Mass, he was arrested and transferred with other prisoners toward Gangneung. In August 1950, he was shot and killed at Bamjae-gol. His remains were later moved to the clergy cemetery at Jukrim-dong.
After the war, the Diocese of Chuncheon incorporated the memory of priests who had died during the conflict into the building of new churches. At Mukho, the present church was completed in June 1957, and a portion of the relics of St. Andrew Kim Taegon was enshrined inside. In 1974 the Mukho community erected a memorial to Fr. Reilly on the church grounds and continued to observe an annual day of remembrance around the anniversary of his death.
A memorial and pilgrimage tradition also developed at Bamjae-gol, the actual place of Fr. Reilly’s martyrdom, but safety concerns arose because the earlier site lay close to the railway. In response, the Diocese of Chuncheon established a new pilgrimage site in Okgye-myeon, Gangneung, in 2021. The fact that pilgrims can now visit both Mukho Pilgrimage Church and the separate martyrdom site reflects a long process of diocesan commemoration that links Fr. Reilly’s pastoral ministry with the place where he gave his life.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Mukho Pilgrimage Catholic Church: history and architecture
Read about the place's history, architecture, people, and events in the Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia articles are currently available in Korean.
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- 한국천주교주교회의 온라인 주소록
Diocese
Chuncheon Diocese (Diocese of Chuncheon)
Official website: http://www.cccatholic.or.kr
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