Soyangro Church

Overview

Soyang-ro Church is a church of the Diocese of Chuncheon in charge of the Soyang-ro area of Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, established by separation from Jukrim-dong Parish, and its patron saint is Saint Patrick. The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism gives its founding date as January 1949, while the Chuncheon Diocese website records it as January 5, 1950. The semicircular (fan-shaped) church building completed in 1956 is also a memorial church honoring Father Antonio Collier (the late Antonio), who was martyred during the Korean War.

History

[Establishment] The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism states that around the Liberation on 8·15, the number of the faithful in the Soyang-ro area, then under the jurisdiction of Jukrim-dong Parish, continued to grow so that establishing a parish was urgently requested for pastoral care, and accordingly, when Soyang-ro Parish was established on January 1949, Father Antonio Collier (A. Collier, the late), a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, took office as founding pastor. At the time of founding there were about 250 faithful, and the Balsan Catholic mission chapel and the Geumsan Catholic mission chapel came under the jurisdiction of Soyang-ro Parish. The Chuncheon Diocese website states that it was founded after separating from Jukrim-dong Parish on January 5, 1950, and explains that at the time of founding its jurisdiction covered Bongui-dong, Yoseon-dong, Nagwon-dong, Soyang-ro 1·2·3-ga and Geunhwa-dong 1~2-ga, with Geumsan and Balsan as affiliated mission chapels.

[Father Collier and the Korean War] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, when the Korean War broke out the year after its founding, Father Collier remained in the parish to the end despite the dissuasion of the diocesan head, Monsignor Quinlan (T. Quinlan, Gu In-ran), caring for the faithful and treating the wounded, and was then captured together with altar server Gabriel Kim and killed by the People’s Army on June 27. Father Collier thus became the first casualty of the Korean War among the missionaries of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, and for that reason no priest could be assigned to the parish during the Korean War. Only on August 1954, after the armistice, did Father Seon Jong-wan (Laurence), who had been a professor at Seoul Major Seminary (now the Catholic University), take office as No. 2 pastor.

[Construction of the church] The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism states that because of these difficult circumstances, Soyang-ro Parish obtained a church building only 7 years after its founding. The No. 3 pastor, Father James Buckley (J. Buckley, Bu), began work on a new church on April 1956 and completed on September 3 in the same year a church of 90 pyeong, holding a dedication ceremony. The Chuncheon Diocese website states that building the church had been planned since the founding of the parish but was interrupted by the war, with a groundbreaking ceremony held on March 1956 and a completion ceremony held on September 3, 1956.

[Later development] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, missionaries of the Missionary Society of St. Columban continued to take office, until on September 15, 1967 Father Lee Eung-hyeon (Timothy) of Pungsuwon Parish took office as No. 6 pastor, when the parish finally regained vitality and various devotional groups began to be formed from that time. The encyclopedia records the jurisdiction of Soyang-ro Parish as Geunhwa-dong, Hoban-dong, Sau-dong, Udu-dong, Sanong-dong, Sin-dong, Sonak-dong, Yoseon-dong and Bongui-dong, and the areas of Sinbuk-eup, Seomyeon and Sabuk-myeon, and gives the number of the faithful as in 1968 2,574 faithful, in 1973 2,098 faithful, in 1978 1,920 faithful, in 1983 1,782 faithful, in 1988 1,935 faithful, in 1993 2,229 faithful, and in 1998 2,298 faithful.

[Successive pastors] The successive pastors recorded in the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism are the founding Antonio Collier (1949.1~1950.6), No. 2 Seon Jong-wan Laurence (1954.8~1955.8), No. 3 James Buckley (1955.8~1961.9), No. 4 Michael McFadden (M. McFadden, Nam) (1961.9~1962), No. 5 Dionysius Kearney (D. Kearney, Kang) (1962~1967.9), No. 6 Lee Eung-hyeon Timothy (1967.9~1975.3), No. 7 Kim Jong-seok Thomas (1975.3~1979.4), No. 8 Park Cheong-geun Benedict (1979.4~1982.12), No. 9 Song Seong-sik Thomas (1982.12~1987.5), No. 10 Bae Jong-ho Thomas (1987.5~1993.9), No. 11 Lee Heung-seop Laurence (1993.9~1998.9) and No. 12 Song Mun-sik Peter (1998.9~present). Here, ‘present’ means the time of writing of the encyclopedia.

Architecture and Space

The Chuncheon Diocese website states that the church building of Soyang-ro Church was built in the distinctive form of a semicircle. It explains that this fan-shaped structure was designed so that the faithful can come close to the altar, the center of the liturgical space, and offer Mass while maintaining a close relationship with the priest.

The same source states that, besides this architectural-historical significance, Soyang-ro Church also carries the meaning of the ‘Memorial Church for the Martyrdom of the late Father Antonio.’

Related Places and People

• Jukrim-dong Cathedral Parish: the mother parish from which Soyang-ro Parish was separated. The Soyang-ro Parish entry in the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism directs readers at the end to also refer to ‘Chuncheon Diocese’ and ‘Jukrim-dong Parish.’
• Father Antonio Collier (the late): the founding pastor of Soyang-ro Parish, killed by the People’s Army on June 27, 1950 during the Korean War (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).
• Balsan Catholic mission chapel and Geumsan Catholic mission chapel: the mission chapels that came under the jurisdiction of Soyang-ro Parish at the time of its founding (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, Chuncheon Diocese website).

References and Sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, “Soyang-ro Parish” (Vol. 7). Founded on January 1949, the founding Father Collier and his martyrdom during the Korean War, completion of the church and dedication ceremony in 1956, jurisdiction, ecclesiastical statistics, and successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3612
2. Catholic Chuncheon Diocese website, parish “Soyang-ro St. Patrick Parish.” Founding year 1950.01.05., jurisdiction and mission chapels at the time of founding, start of construction and completion in 1956, meaning of the semicircular church building and the martyrdom memorial church.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/parish/view/2