Yangdeokwon Catholic Church

Overview

Yangdeokwon Church is a church belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Chuncheon in Yangdeokwon-ri, Nam-myeon, Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and it began when the Mulgubi Catholic mission chapel under Pungsuwon Parish was elevated to a parish in 1948. At first it was called Sugok-ri Parish (Mulgubi Parish), but in 1962 the parish was moved to Yangdeokwon-ri and renamed Yangdeokwon Parish, and its patrons are St. Simon and St. Thaddeus.

History

〔Faith village and mission chapel〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that the faith community of this area goes back to the persecution era. After the Byeongin Persecution in 1866, Choe Deok-hwa (James), Park I-hwa, Simon Ji and others from the Naepo region of Chungcheong-do fled lesser and greater persecutions and hid in Galgi-ri (present-day Yumokjeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Hongcheon-gun), supporting themselves by slash-and-burn farming and firing earthenware while spreading the faith, thus forming a Catholic faith village. When persecution ended and Pungsuwon Parish was established in 1888, the Galgi-ri Catholic mission chapel was founded here, with 13 faithful at the time, who held the mission chapel service at the house of Choe Deok-hwa, the mission chapel head. In 1890 the mission chapel was moved to Mulgubi (present-day Yumokjeong 1-ri) and renamed the Mulgubi Catholic mission chapel. In 1894 there were 61 faithful and in 1923 there were 114 faithful, and a new mission chapel hall was built between 1923 and 1925 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Chuncheon Diocese website also states that faithful who hid in Galgi-ri to escape the Byeongin Persecution supported themselves by slash-and-burn farming and firing earthenware while proclaiming the Gospel, forming a faith village, and that the Galgi-ri Catholic mission chapel was established when Pungsuwon Parish was founded in 1888.

〔Sugok-ri parish era〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that as the number of faithful kept growing, it was elevated to Sugok-ri Parish around September 1948, with about 300 faithful at the time of elevation and St. Therese of the Child Jesus as patron. The Chuncheon Diocese website states that on September 5, 1948 it was elevated and established as a parish from a Catholic mission chapel under Pungsuwon Parish and was called Sugok-ri Parish or Mulgubi Parish. The first pastor, Father Paul Ju Jae-yong, enlarged the Mulgubi hall into a church and ministered there, but the Korean War broke out, the church burned down completely and the faithful scattered; after the war they returned and built a new church in 1952. Afterwards, through Father Ju Jae-yong’s evangelization the church grew, and the faith was so fervent that all the faithful of Sugok-ri Parish and its mission chapels subscribed to the 《Gyeonghyang Magazine》. Father Ju Jae-yong judged that the Yangdeokwon area had greater potential for development than Sugok-ri, purchased land in Yangdeokwon-ri (the present parish site) and prepared to move the church.

〔Move to Yangdeokwon-ri〕 On November 1959 Father Ju Jae-yong left to become spiritual director of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and Father Paul Kenny (P. Kenny, Gi) of the Missionary Society of St. Columban took office as the 2 pastor. Father Kenny built a new church in Yangdeokwon-ri on October 1962, and in the same year on November moved the parish from Sugok-ri to Yangdeokwon-ri, changing the parish name to Yangdeokwon Parish and the patrons to Simon and Thaddeus (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Chuncheon Diocese website states that the wooden building was lost during the war and rebuilt, and that a new church was built on the present site purchased with the development of the parish in mind, moving the parish on November 1962 and changing the name from ‘Mulgubi’ to ‘Yangdeokwon’.

〔Ministry of the Columban Fathers and Korean priests〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Fathers Murray, Keane, O’Conor, French, Fleming, Smith, Comerford, Dagge and others of the Missionary Society of St. Columban ministered in Yangdeokwon Parish. On July 1983 Father Derek Harris (D. Harris, Na), also of Columban, took office as the 11 pastor, carried out home visits and district Masses, and repaired the church and rectory; the following year, as part of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Church in Korea, he provided houses for destitute elderly in the district and delivered donations to needy neighbors. Under the 12 pastor, Father John O’Hara (J. O’Hara, Ha), the church was painted and repaired. As the 13 pastor, Korean priest Father John the Apostle Kang Seong-gu took office, made home visits, rebuilt the rectory and purchased an electronic organ. On September 1997 the 16 pastor, Father James Yang Wan-mo, purchased a van so that distant faithful could attend Mass at the parish every week, and as a result the Jegok Catholic mission chapel and the Yuchi Catholic mission chapel were closed. He also celebrated Mass every Sunday morning at 8 at a resort facility in the district for tourists, attended by 70 to 150 faithful. The encyclopedia states that Father Cyriacus Bae Gwang-ha, who took office as the 17 pastor on September 2000, was preparing activities for needy elderly in the district and strengthening the Sunday school, working for elderly welfare and youth education.

〔Church statistics and successive pastors〕 The numbers of faithful recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 851 in 1974, 945 in 1980, 809 in 1985, 657 in 1990, 532 in 1995, and 501 in 1999. Its jurisdiction is Yangdeokwon 2-ri, Yumokjeong 1- and 2-ri, Wolcheon-ri, Myeongdong-ri, Jegok-ri, Yongsu-ri, Hwajeon-ri, Gureop-ri, Daegok-ri, Sindae-ri, Yuchi-ri, the whole of Sidong, and part of Yangdeokwon 1-ri. The successive pastors are the first Paul Ju Jae-yong (1948.9–1959.11), the 2 Paul Kenny (1959.11–1963.2), the 3 Brendan Murray (B. Murray, Ham) (1963.2–12), the 4 Matthias Keane (M. Keane, Jang) (1963.12–1966.10), the 5 Patrick O’Conor (P. O’Conor, Gwon) (1966.10–1969.4), the 6 Gerard French (G. French, Beom) (1969.4–10), the 7 Gavino Fleming (C. Fleming, Gwol) (1969.10–1971), the 8 John Smith (J. Smith, Cheon) (1971–1974.12), the 9 Thomas Comerford (T. Comerford) (1975.1–1979.4), the 10 Bellado Dagge (B. Dagge, Tak) (1979.4–1983.4), the 11 Derek Harris (1983.7–1986.4), the 12 John O’Hara (1986.4–1989.12), the 13 John the Apostle Kang Seong-gu (1990.1–1993.8), the 14 Damian Lee Su-yeong (1993.8–12), the 15 Michael Jeong Gi-won (1994.1–1997.8), the 16 James Yang Wan-mo (1997.9–2000.9), and the 17 Cyriacus Bae Gwang-ha (2000.9–present). Here ‘present’ means the time of writing of this encyclopedia.

Related Places and People

• Pungsuwon Parish: the parish to which the Galgi-ri and Mulgubi Catholic mission chapels of the Yangdeokwon area belonged. When Pungsuwon Parish was established in 1888, the Galgi-ri Catholic mission chapel was created, and it administered the area until the Mulgubi Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish in 1948 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Chuncheon Diocese website).
• Galgi-ri and Mulgubi Catholic mission chapels: mission chapels originating from a Catholic faith village gathered by faithful fleeing the Byeongin Persecution, which became the Mulgubi Catholic mission chapel when moved to Mulgubi (present-day Yumokjeong 1-ri) in 1890 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Jegok and Yuchi Catholic mission chapels: closed after 1997 through van service bringing the faithful to Sunday Mass at the parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Yangdeokwon Parish” (Vol. 8). Formation of the faith village and mission chapels, elevation to Sugok-ri Parish in 1948, move to Yangdeokwon-ri and renaming in 1962, jurisdiction, church statistics, successive pastors and pastoral activities.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4283
2. Catholic Diocese of Chuncheon website, Parish “Yangdeokwon St. Simon and St. Thaddeus Parish”. Year of establishment 1948.09.05., formation of the faith village and Galgi-ri mission chapel in 1888, elevation to Sugok-ri (Mulgubi) Parish, relocation and renaming on November 1962.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/parish/view/16