Unkyodong Church

Overview

Ungyo-dong Church is a church belonging to the Diocese of Chuncheon, located in Ungyo-dong, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and was founded as a Blessed Martyr memorial church whose establishment in every diocese was decided ahead of the beatification of the martyrs of the Byeongin Persecution. Its patron is the Korean Martyrs (Korean Martyrs). The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia gives the date of foundation as September 6, 1965, while the Chuncheon Diocese website gives August 11, 1966.

History

[Foundation as a memorial church] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that, ahead of the beatification of the martyrs of the Byeongin Persecution, the Bishops’ Conference in 1964 decided to build a Blessed Martyr memorial church in each diocese in order to promote the honoring of the martyrs nationwide. In the same year the Diocese of Chuncheon began construction on December 15 on the site of the present parish (1,590 pyeong), and on September 6, 1965 completed the church (122 pyeong), the rectory (29 pyeong), the convent (22 pyeong), and an annex (33 pyeong) with a catechumens’ classroom and storage, and celebrated the blessing ceremony; with this, Ungyo Parish was founded and Fr. Hubert Hayward (H. Hayward, Oh Nam-seong) took office as the first pastor. The Chuncheon Diocese website states that on December 1964 it purchased more than 1,590 pyeong at the present site and began construction, and that in 1966, the 100th anniversary year of the Byeongin Persecution, the “Blessed Korean Martyr Memorial Church” with the patron “Korean Martyrs” was founded, giving the foundation year as 1966.08.11.

[Jurisdiction and first faithful] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that Ungyo Parish was separated and founded from Jukrim-dong Parish and Soyang-ro Parish, and that its jurisdiction was Ungyo-dong, Gyo-dong, Joyang-dong, Okcheon-dong, and part of Hyoja-dong. Fr. Hayward established a branch convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and organized the faithful transferred from Jukrim-dong Parish and Soyang-ro Parish, more than 300 households and 750 persons, into a total of 19 districts including Ungyo-dong, Gyo-dong, Joyang-dong, Okcheon-dong, Hupyeong-dong, Dohwa-ri, and Mancheolli. The Chuncheon Diocese website states that at the time of foundation the jurisdiction consisted of a total of 19 districts, namely 4 districts in Ungyo-dong, 4 districts in Gyo-dong, 1 districts in Joyang-dong, 3 districts in Hyoja-dong, 1 districts in Okcheon-dong, 4 districts in Hupyeong-dong, 1 districts in Mancheol-ri, and Dohwa-ri, and explains that Sanggeol-ri Catholic mission chapel was transferred from Jukrim-dong Church to the jurisdiction of Ungyo-dong Church but was difficult to administer because of inconvenient transportation and is now closed.

[The 1970s] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 2rd pastor, Fr. Arthur McMahon (A. McMahon, Ahn), founded the “Ungyo Credit Cooperative” on January 1973 to help the faithful in poor economic circumstances, and from March 9 began full-scale financial services to help small business owners and households. This cooperative grew rapidly in the 1990s but suffered difficulties amid the foreign-exchange crisis and the IMF economic regime, and closed after a bankruptcy declaration on November 17, 1999. On June 1971 the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, who had assisted parish ministry, withdrew for reasons of their motherhouse, and on September 1973 a branch convent of the Caritas Sisters was established.

After the “Maternal and Child Health Act” was passed at an emergency cabinet meeting on January 1973, the Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference expressed firm opposition, and within the Diocese of Chuncheon a natural family planning movement to protect the basic right to life spread. In response, the 3th pastor, Fr. John Nyhan (J. Nyhan, Na), promoted a family sanctification movement including the happy-family movement, Cana marriage courses for unmarried men and women, chastity education for youth, Family Sanctification Sunday to recall the importance of the family, and counseling for women of childbearing age (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). During the term of the 4th pastor, Fr. Nugent Walter (N. Walter, Yu), parish finances that had been run on outside subsidies gradually laid the basis for self-support, and on August 1976 “Queen of Martyrs” was founded, beginning the Legion devotional movement.

[After 1979] In 1979, Fr. Cheon Sin-gi (John the Baptist), the 5th pastor and a Korean diocesan priest of the diocese, took office, established a pastoral council on December, reorganized the parish devotional groups, and promoted a kindergarten, completing a building of more than 60 pyeong on August 1979 and opening “Daegon Kindergarten.” Daegon Kindergarten produced its first graduates on February 1982 and, by February 2000, had produced a total of 1,460 graduates in 40 graduations. On July 1, 1980 Hupyeong Parish was separated, transferring 857 faithful (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

In the 1980s, the 6th pastor, Fr. Im Hong-ji (Aloysius), centered on the activities of the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice, held prayer meetings for the nation at the church and exhibited pictorials depicting the Gwangju Uprising. During his term Fr. Im introduced Marriage Encounter (M.E.) to the Diocese of Chuncheon for the first time and held the 1th Chuncheon Diocesan M.E. weekend couples’ meeting from August 24, 1984 to the 27th at the House of Meditation in Seoul, and on June 24, 1984 formed the “Mother of God” curia centered on 12 Legion of Mary praesidia, and in 1986 held an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Legion. On August 1984 he expanded the convent, which had been an old Western-style house, and celebrated its blessing (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

[Improvement of facilities] The 7th pastor, Fr. Lee Eung-hyeon (Theodore), began work on May 1988 to expand the kindergarten, then a single story, to 2 stories, finishing on September and naming it “Daegon Education Center.” The 8th pastor, Fr. Jo Gyu-ho (Thomas), drew up a master plan and then in 1994 began construction of Hasang Hall (135 pyeong) for use as classrooms and meeting rooms, completing it on October, and on July 1996 began construction of a building (305 pyeong) for use as rectory, convent, and parish office, completing it on February the following year. The 9th pastor, Fr. Lee Tae-hyeok (Joachim), carried out a Bible apostolate movement through Bible copying, Bible study, and Bible reading, and, for the Year of God the Father in 1999, planned to renovate the deteriorated church, beginning work on July 2000 and completing it early on September. On August 2001 the parish’s central councils were reorganized into the pastoral council, district council, lay-organization council, and finance council (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

[Church statistics and successive pastors] The numbers of faithful recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 1,627 persons in 1967, 1,800 persons in 1971, 2,340 persons in 1977, 1,505 persons in 1983, 2,076 persons in 1989, 2,501 persons in 1996, and 2,469 persons in 2000. The successive pastors are listed as the first, Hubert Hayward (1965.9–1969.10), 2nd, Arthur McMahon (1969.10–1973.7), 3rd, John Nyhan (1973.7–1975.6), 4th, Nugent Walter (1975.6–1979.4), 5st, Cheon Sin-gi John the Baptist (1979.5–1984.4), 6th, Im Hong-ji Aloysius (1984.4–1987.4), 7th, Lee Eung-hyeon Theodore (1987.4–1993.9), 8th, Jo Gyu-ho Thomas (1993.9–1998.2), and 9th, Lee Tae-hyeok Joachim (1998.2–present). Here “present” means the time of writing of this encyclopedia.

Related places and persons

• Jukrim-dong cathedral parish and Soyang-ro Parish: the mother parishes from which more than 300 households and 750 faithful were transferred to Ungyo Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Hupyeong-dong Parish: the parish separated from Ungyo Parish on July 1, 1980, to which 857 faithful were transferred (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Chuncheon Diocese website’s introduction to Hupyeong-dong Parish also states that it branched off from Ungyo-dong Parish.
• Sanggeol-ri Catholic mission chapel: transferred at the parish’s foundation from Jukrim-dong Church to the jurisdiction of Ungyo-dong Church, but now closed (Chuncheon Diocese website).

References and sources

1. Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Ungyo Parish” (volume 9). Foundation on September 6, 1965, background of the Blessed Martyr memorial church, jurisdiction, Ungyo Credit Cooperative, Daegon Kindergarten, new facility construction, church statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4779
2. Chuncheon Diocese website, parish “Ungyo-dong Korean Martyrs Parish.” Foundation year 1966.08.11., memorial church for the 100th anniversary of the Byeongin Persecution, jurisdiction at foundation and Sanggeol-ri Catholic mission chapel.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/parish/view/3
3. Chuncheon Diocese website, parish “Hupyeong-dong Good Shepherd Parish.” Statement that Hupyeong-dong Parish branched off from Ungyo-dong Parish.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/parish/view/5