Cheongdo Catholic Church

Overview

Cheongdo Church is a church belonging to the Archdiocese of Daegu, located in Cheongdo-eup, Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The Cheongdo Catholic mission chapel was separated from Gyeongsan Parish and elevated to a parish on April 18, 1961, its patron saint is Saint Francis Xavier, and its first pastor was Father Jo Sang-ik (Peter).

History

〔Mission Chapel Period〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that pastoral care through mission chapels first began in the Cheongdo area when Hayang Parish established a mission chapel (present-day Topyeong Catholic mission chapel) in Eunhaengjeong, Hwayang-myeon, Cheongdo-gun around 1930. Around 1940, a mission chapel was built at lot 406 in Gosu-dong, Cheongdo-eup (now Gosu 5-ri), which was administered by Miryang Parish and then, from around 1945, by Gyeongsan Parish.

〔Elevation to Parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as the Church grew in this area, Father Park Chun-taek (Peter), the 4 pastor of Gyeongsan Parish, felt the need to divide the parish and in 1961 purchased the land and building of the Cheongdo County Office at lot 571 in Gosu-dong, Cheongdo-eup, the present church site, and on April 18 of the same year the Cheongdo Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish. The parish information of the Archdiocese of Daegu also lists the establishment date as April 18, 1961. The first pastor recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is Father Jo Sang-ik (Peter) (1961.4~12).

〔Later Developments〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that in 1963 a new Topyeong Catholic mission chapel building (with a floor area of 30 pyeong) was built and blessed, that as membership grew and the church became too small a new church was built in 1973, and that a convent was newly built on June 15, 1986. From late July 2002 to August 20, 2002, interior work on the kindergarten was carried out, and from October 10 of the same year, rest-area landscaping work and an interior expansion of the church were carried out, followed by ceiling and roof repair work. By 2004, Cheongdo Parish had set its pastoral guideline as ‘Creating Happy Families’ and was carrying out missionary activities focused on family ministry.

〔Jurisdiction and Membership〕 The jurisdiction recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is the entire Cheongdo-gun area, and its mission chapels are 5 in number: Jiseul, Punggak, Topyeong, Donggok, Daecheon and others. Membership was in 1964 830 persons, in 1974 1,086 persons, in 1984 684 persons, in 1994 1,302 persons, and in 2003 1,145 persons. Successive pastors are the first, Peter Jo Sang-ik (1961.4~12), the 2 pastor, Peter Kim Dong-eon (1961.12~1963.9), the 3 pastor, James Park Chun-sik (1964.7~1965.5), the 4 pastor, Francis Xavier Choi Bong-do (1965.5~1967.12), the 5 pastor, Gabriel Park Yeong-sang (1967.12~1970.11), the 6 pastor, Simeon Lee Dae-gil (1970.11~1974.5), the 7 pastor, Fabiano Choi Hyeon-cheol (1974.5~1976.3), the 8 pastor, Joseph Lee Pan-seok (1976.3~1979.2), the 9 pastor, Paul Jeon Ju-won (1979.2~1980.5), the 10 pastor, Paul Jeong Seong-u (1980.5~1981.9), the 11 pastor, Bartholomew Jeong In-yong (1981.9~1984.3), the 12 pastor, Augustine Jeong Chun-seok (1984.3~1987.6), the 13 pastor, Andrew Lee Seong-do (1987.6~1989.6), the 14 pastor, Bernard Lee Seong-han (1989.6~1991.6), the 15 pastor, Thomas Aquinas Kim Yun-ho (1991.6~1994.8), the 16 pastor, John the Baptist Kim Du-sin (1994.8~1995.2), the 17 pastor, Gabriel Kim Yeong-ok (1995.2~1996.7), the 18 pastor, Peter Gwak Jae-jin (1996.7~2000.6), the 19 pastor, Pius Choi Yeong-bae (2000.6~2002.1), the 20 pastor, Gregory No Gwang-su (2002.1~2004.8), and the 21 pastor, Damian Kim Sang-mok (2004.8~). The patron saint is recorded as ‘Saint Francis Xavier’ in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and as ‘Saint Francis Javier’ in the parish information of the Archdiocese of Daegu.

Related Places and People

• Gyeongsan Parish: the mother parish that administered the Cheongdo Catholic mission chapel from around 1945 and separated Cheongdo Parish in 1961 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Hayang Parish: the parish that began mission-chapel ministry in the Cheongdo area by establishing a mission chapel (present-day Topyeong Catholic mission chapel) in Eunhaengjeong, Hwayang-myeon, Cheongdo-gun around 1930 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Miryang Parish: the parish that administered the mission chapel built in Gosu-dong, Cheongdo-eup around 1940 until around 1945 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Jiseul, Punggak, Topyeong, Donggok and Daecheon Catholic mission chapels: mission chapels under the jurisdiction of Cheongdo Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Cheongdo Parish” (11 volume). Separation and establishment from Gyeongsan Parish on April 18, 1961, mission-chapel period, new church construction, jurisdiction and mission chapels, membership, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5957
2. Archdiocese of Daegu, parish information “Cheongdo Church”. Establishment date April 18, 1961, patron saint Saint Francis Javier.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=114&premenu=c1&srl=church_search&y_id=114