Yanggu Catholic Church

Overview

Yanggu Church is a church in Yanggu-eup, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, belonging to the Chuncheon Diocese, established through the elevation of the Yanggu Catholic mission chapel under the Inje Parish to a parish. Its patron is St. Paul, and the Chuncheon Diocese website lists the year of establishment as December 29, 1966, while the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records the elevation as January 1, 1967.

History

[Spread of the faith before the Byeongin Persecution] The Chuncheon Diocese website states that, judging from material on people who lived in Yanggu and were arrested and martyred as contained in the Byeongin Chimyeong Sajeok, the record of those martyred during the Byeongin Persecution, the faith appears to have spread before the Byeongin Persecution. In 1883, Fr. Pournet’s report on the state of the Church records 40 Catholics in Yanggu, and Catholic villages at Jaegunggol, Origol, Bangsan, Gaojak-ri, Sangmuryong-ri, Jung-ri and others in Yanggu are confirmed. Yanggu, formerly under the jurisdiction of the Wonsan and Pungsuwon Parishes, came under the jurisdiction of the Gomsil Parish when the Gomsil Parish was established in 1920.

[Mission chapel period] According to the Chuncheon Diocese website, when the Inje Parish was established in 1954, Yanggu became a Catholic mission chapel under the Inje Parish, and in 1956, with the help of soldiers, a new Catholic mission chapel building of 150 pyeong was built in Hari, Yanggu-eup. Afterwards, with support from the military unit, the faithful made bricks, laid the foundations and began building the church, and after completing the church they welcomed the first parish priest and were elevated to a parish. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that Fr. J. Lynch (Im), the first parish priest of the Inje Parish, drew up a plan to divide parishes in the Yanggu area and established the Yanggu mission chapel in 1956.

[Elevation to parish and early ministry] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that construction of the church was completed on December 29, 1966 and the following year, on January 1, the Yanggu mission chapel was elevated to a parish, with Fr. Walter W. Nugent (Yu) of the Missionary Society of St. Columban taking office as the first parish priest. Fr. Nugent put the interior and exterior of the church in order and built a new hall at the Nammyeon mission chapel, while the 2 parish priest, Fr. Comerford, built a hall at the Dongmyeon mission chapel. Under the 5 parish priest, Fr. Yang Wan-mo, forest land in Hakjori for a parish cemetery was purchased.

[After 1985] The 6 parish priest, Fr. Jeong Gwi-cheol, organized the parish’s first presidium, the “Queen of Martyrs” presidium, expanded the hall at the Dongmyeon mission chapel and founded a credit union. On February 1989, a branch house of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres was established and two sisters were dispatched. Under the 7 parish priest, Fr. Im Hong-ji, on December 20, 1992 the parish completed the 25 anniversary memorial hall “House of Sharing” and held its blessing ceremony, built the Haean mission chapel and, on January 1994, transferred the Haean mission chapel to the Wontong Parish. Under the 8 parish priest, Fr. Jeong Yeong-u, on February 20, 1997 a fire broke out in the church and partially damaged it, and later that same year, on June 30, the church was restored and a dedication ceremony was held. Fr. Eom Gi-yeong, the 9 parish priest who took office on September 1999, resumed the interrupted district-leader meetings and activities and reformed the pastoral council (all from the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

[Church growth and successive priests] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the jurisdiction covers the entire Yanggu-eup area, with 3 mission chapels under its charge at Nammyeon, Dongmyeon and Bangsan. The number of faithful was in 1967 622, in 1971 861, in 1980 981, in 1985 913, in 1990 779, in 1995 697, and in 1999 1,125. The successive priests were the first, Fr. Walter Nugent (1967.1–1970.3), the 2, Fr. Thomas Comerford (1970.3–1974.3), the 3, Fr. John Roche (1974.3–1977.10), the 4, Fr. Pak Yeong-geun, John the Apostle (1977.10–1981.8), the 5, Fr. Yang Wan-mo, James (1981.8–1985.9), the 6, Fr. Jeong Gwi-cheol, Benedict (1985.9–1992.2), the 7, Fr. Im Hong-ji, Aloysius (1992.2–1995.9), the 8, Fr. Jeong Yeong-u, John the Baptist (1995.9–1999.9), and the 9, Fr. Eom Gi-yeong, Andrew (1999.9–present). Here, “present” means the time of writing of this encyclopedia. The Chuncheon Diocese website states that, drawing on the local character of an area with many military units, it seeks to build a faith community of soldiers and civilians together in close cooperation with the Military Ordinariate parish.

Related Places and People

• Inje Parish: after 1954, it administered the Yanggu mission chapel and is the mother parish of the Yanggu Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Chuncheon Diocese website).
• Gomsil Parish: when it was established in 1920, it came to administer Yanggu (Chuncheon Diocese website).
• Haean mission chapel and Wontong Parish: the Yanggu Parish built the Haean mission chapel and transferred it to the Wontong Parish on January 1994 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Yanggu mission chapels (Nammyeon, Dongmyeon, Bangsan): the mission chapels under its charge as listed by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia.

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Yanggu Parish” (8 volume). Establishment of the mission chapel in 1956, completion of the church in 1966 and elevation to parish in 1967, projects under successive pastors, fire and restoration in 1997, statistics on church growth, successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4280
2. Chuncheon Diocese website, parish “Yanggu St. Paul Parish”. Founding year 1966.12.29., spread of the faith before the Byeongin Persecution, Catholic villages, mission chapel building in 1956 and church construction with military-unit support.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/parish/view/7