Daeheon Catholic Church

Overview

Daehyeon Church is a church in Daehyeon-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City, belonging to the Archdiocese of Daegu. It was separated and established from the Sinam-dong parish on July 5, 1977, with St. Peter the Apostle as its patron. Its first pastor was Fr. Kwak Gil-u (Peter); the church built to a design by Fr. Albin was consecrated in 1978, and a new church was consecrated in 2012.

History

[Establishment] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, with the establishment of the parish in July 1977, the Daehyeon-dong parish, which had begun construction of a new church, temporarily rented one traditional Korean house at 401 Daehyeon-dong for use as a rectory and celebrated Sunday Mass there. From October of that year onward, it rented the 3th-floor auditorium of the Daegu Medical Association Hall near the present church for use as a temporary church, and then moved into the 1th-floor rectory of the church under construction in January 1978. The Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia records Sinam Church as the mother parish. As the Daehyeon-dong area developed rapidly with the arrival of Kyungpook National University and many other schools in the 1960s, the diocese prepared a church building site of about 363.64㎡ [110 pyeong] at 403-2 Daehyeon-dong on the newly built road southwest of Kyungpook National University, using a donation from Baek Yun-sik (of Daean Church), and established Daehyeon Church in July 5, 1977. Its establishment date is July 5, 1977, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory and the Archdiocese of Daegu parish information agree on this.

[First church] According to the Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia, the Daehyeon Parish Development Association was founded on July 30, 1977, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new sanctuary was held on September 5, and the parish bulletin was first published on October 16. The new church was built to a design by Fr. Albin of Waegwan St. Benedict’s Abbey, and its consecration ceremony was held on April 23, 1978. The encyclopedia records that on April 23, 1978, a newly built church with 1 basement floor and 3 above-ground floors (total floor area 300 pyeong) was completed and consecrated on a 150-pyeong site at the present parish location, which the diocese had purchased with donated funds received from a benefactor. A branch of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres was established on February 10, 1978 (confirmed by both the encyclopedia and the Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia), and the sisters commuted from their main convent to assist in ministry such as visiting faithful families, Sunday school, and devotional group meetings; on March 1978 a traditional house behind the church was purchased and remodeled into a convent (encyclopedia).

[1970s–80s] According to the encyclopedia, in the early period in 1978–1982, a 5-year plan was adopted with organization, education, activities, renewal, and charity of the faith community as its main contents; in 1979, Wednesday lectures were held throughout the year to teach daily-life doctrine, and retreats and training sessions for lay leaders continued. A faithful-doubling campaign was held 2 times starting in 1980, and a pilgrimage to the shrine was made every year on July starting in 1981. After spinning off the Sangeok-dong parish on August 1982, in order to revive the halved church strength and stagnant atmosphere, interior repairs of the church and full painting work were carried out that year together with a prayer campaign for parish development on September 19. On February 1983, free haircut services were provided for elderly people in the district, and proceeds from a one-day tea shop and a rice-sharing campaign were used to help neighbors in need. In the same year, starting on May 1, a prayer campaign and a campaign to offer 80 ten thousand Rosary prayers were begun in preparation for the beatification of the Korean Martyrs and the 200th anniversary of evangelization, and they were offered on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on August 15; in 1984, the backyard of the church and the present convent building were purchased through fundraising for the 200th anniversary project of the Catholic Church in Korea.

[After 1986] According to the Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia, Seongbuk Church was spun off on June 8, 1986, and a Parish 15-Year History Editorial Working Committee was launched on September 1, 1991. A house at 402-10 Daehyeon-dong was purchased on March 19, 1992, a library was opened on May 23, 1993, and houses at 404-7 Daehyeon-dong on January 13, 2001 and at 404-8 on February 23, 2006 were purchased. The Daehyeon Parish 25-Year History was published on January 5, 2003. The encyclopedia notes that the atmosphere was at times somewhat stagnant in the 1990s because of frequent transfers of priests, but efforts were made to improve devotion through mass-media education, M.B.W. education, and marriage renewal ceremonies, and that by July 1997, ahead of the 20th anniversary of its founding, 5 priests had been produced.

[New church] According to the Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia, at a pastoral council meeting convened on February 1, 2010, construction of a new rectory and rebuilding of the church were confirmed and a church construction promotion committee was launched, and the consecration ceremony for the new church was held on June 17, 2012 with Archbishop Cho Hwan-gil (Thaddeus) presiding.

[Status and activities in the 2020s] The Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia records that as of January 2022, the pastor was Fr. Seo Dong-wan (Pius) and registered faithful numbered 1,803. Centered on the Social Welfare Committee, residential environment improvement projects, the neighborhood gathering-place program Haha Hoho, A Hundred Years of Life, travel projects with elderly people living alone were carried out and a free legal counseling office was opened, and there are groups such as the Lay Council, District Council, Family Committee, Education Committee, Social Welfare Committee, Liturgy Committee, Environment Committee, Mission Committee, and the Five Loaves and Two Fishes Group. This source evaluates Daehyeon Church as a Catholic church needed for research on the spread of Catholicism in the Daehyeon-dong area of Buk-gu, Daegu after the 1970s and on the status and role of Catholicism in the local community.

[Church statistics and successive pastors] Church statistics recorded in the encyclopedia are 1,550 in 1977, 3,625 in 1981, 3,608 in 1988, and 3,845 in 1993. Successive priests were the first Fr. Kwak Gil-u, Peter (1977.7–1981.4), the 2th Fr. Lee Sang-ho, Peter (1981.4–1986.1), the 3th Fr. Lee Seong-han, Bernard (1986.1–1989.6), the 4th Fr. Jang Hyo-won, Joseph (1989.6–1990.6), the 5th Fr. Heo Yong, Joseph (1990.6–1991.9), the 6st Fr. Jang Jeong-sik, Matthias (1991.9–1994.8), and the 7th Fr. Kim Yun-ho, Thomas Aquinas (1994.8–time of writing). The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory lists the jurisdiction as all of Daehyeon-dong and parts of Sinam 2-dong and Sincheon 1 and 2-dong, the religious congregation as the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, and the number of Catholic mission chapels as 0.

Architecture and Space

According to the encyclopedia, a church with 1 basement floor and 3 above-ground floors and a total floor area of 300 pyeong was completed and consecrated on April 23, 1978 (the site is recorded as 150 pyeong in the encyclopedia and about 110 pyeong in the Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia). The Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia records that this church was built to a design by Fr. Albin of Waegwan St. Benedict’s Abbey, and that a new church was consecrated on June 17, 2012. The address is 403-2 Daehyeon-dong.

Related Places and People

• Sinam Church (Sinam-dong Parish): the mother parish from which Daehyeon Church was spun off (Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sangeok-dong Parish and Seongbuk Church: the encyclopedia records that the Sangeok-dong parish was spun off on August 1982, and the Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia records that Seongbuk Church was spun off on June 8, 1986.
• Fr. Albin: a member of Waegwan St. Benedict’s Abbey, who designed the church consecrated in 1978 (Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia).
• Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres: a branch was established on February 10, 1978 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Daehyeon-dong Parish” (Vol. 3). Founded in 1977, church consecrated in 1978, early plans and activities, church statistics and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1327
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Daegu Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia “Daehyeon Church”. Background of establishment, Albin-designed church, spin-off of Seongbuk Church, consecration of the new church in 2012, status as of January 2022 and significance.
   https://www.grandculture.net/daegu/toc/GC40004618
3. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Daehyeon” (Archdiocese of Daegu). Establishment date 1977.07.05, patron St. Peter the Apostle, religious congregation, jurisdiction.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000021&code=201000792&gubn2=all&char=all
4. Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu, parish information “Daehyeon Church”. Establishment date July 5, 1977, patron St. Peter the Apostle.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=36&premenu&srl=church_search