Hayang Church

Overview

Hayang Church is a church of the Archdiocese of Daegu in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The Hayang Catholic mission chapel, formed in the 1920s, was separated and established from Yongpyeong Parish on May 6, 1928 to become a parish, its patron saint is Saint Michael the Archangel, and its first parish priest was Father Kim Pilgon (Barnabas).

History

〔Beginning of the Mission Chapel〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that it is unknown when the faithful first lived in the Hayang area, but the statistical table of church membership for 1886 records 12 faithful in Bukdong, Hayang, so it conjectures that the faithful may have lived there from around the 1880s, and writes that the Gospel was spread in earnest in the 1920s. Around 1920, as the households of Lee Gyuhyeok and Jeon Gijik (Peter), faithful of Yongpyeong Parish in Yeongcheon, and Park Seongye (Agatha), a faithful of the Bukdong mission chapel, moved to downtown Hayang, a community of the faithful began to form. At first they attended Sunday Mass at the house of Lee Gyutaek (Dongseo-dong 630-12), then in 1925 they purchased a house at Dongseo-ri 599 and established the Hayang mission chapel.

〔Establishment of the Parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as the Hayang mission chapel was elevated to a parish in May 1928, Father Kim Pilgon took office as the first parish priest. The introduction of the encyclopedia states that it was separated and established from Yongpyeong Parish, the predecessor of Yeongcheon Parish, on May 6, 1928, and the Daegu Archdiocese parish information also lists the date of establishment as May 6, 1928 and the patron saint as Saint Michael the Archangel. When Father Kim died of illness 6 months after taking office, Hayang Parish received pastoral guidance from Father Yu Heungmo (Andrew), parish priest of Yongpyeong Parish, for about 4 months.

〔Construction of the Church〕 Father J. M. Hamon, who took office in April 1929 as the 2 parish priest, purchased the present church site at Dongseo-ri 618 the following year and began construction of a new church. The church and the rectory were completed on April 4, 1931, and the dedication ceremony was held on May 21 presided over by Bishop F. Demange. On September 19, 1932, to solve the drinking-water shortage of the church, Father Heuzet from Fukuoka was invited to find underground water veins. Father Lee Seongman, the 3 parish priest, installed the church bell and then held its blessing ceremony presided over by Bishop G. Mousset.

〔1940s–60s〕 6 parish priest Father Kang Chanhyeong carried out relief work distributing grain and part of the U.S. military relief supplies to faithful in economic difficulty. 8 parish priest Father Je Chankyu organized several devotional groups and from 1951 established Sohwa Kindergarten in the parish. 9 parish priest Father Lee Imchun, as the number of the faithful grew and the church could no longer accommodate all the faithful, decided on an expansion, in 1958 newly built a convent at the present location, in 1961 expanded the church by 40 pyeong, and in 1963 demolished the old kindergarten building and newly rebuilt it. In 1962, the Geumho mission chapel was newly built as a modern church and elevated to a parish in September 1963, in 1963 the land and building of the Jillyang mission chapel were purchased, and in 1969 the building of the Pyeongsa mission chapel was completed.

〔1970s–80s〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, 10 parish priest Father Heo Yeongu (Moses) organized several groups including the Legion of Mary. 11 parish priest Father Park Hyeongjin (Augustine) renamed Sohwa Kindergarten, which had been closed since 1968 because of financial difficulties, to Muhak Kindergarten and reopened it in March 1975, and on February 20, 1976 held a mountain prayer meeting on Mt. Muhak attended by various Action groups. During the tenure of 14 parish priest Father Kwon Hyeoksi (Moses), a campaign to double church dues and Sunday offerings was carried out, the Apostolic Association was founded, and in June 1983 the Curia of the Queen of Apostles was established. 15 parish priest Father Jeong Seongu (Paul) converted groups that had remained fellowship groups such as the Apostolic Association and the Seongdo Association into Praesidia of the Legion of Mary, and repainted the church, repaired the interior of the rectory, and relocated the office.

〔Since the 1990s〕 16 parish priest Father Kim Cheoljae (Paul) reorganized the parish registers of the faithful by generation, on October 25, 1989 began construction of a new rectory and catechetical room on the vacant lot between the convent and the kindergarten, finished it in October 1990, and held the blessing ceremony on December 13 presided over by Archbishop Lee Munhui (Paul). On May 11, 1990, the Inseong Association was founded to help poor and unfortunate neighbors. 17 parish priest Father Jeon Heonho (Silvester) paved the church yard and built a new main gate, on February 29, 1992 held a concert commemorating the 65th anniversary of the parish establishment, opened a bookstore in early March of the same year, and on May 5 published the Hayang Parish 65-Year History. From the late 90s, 21 parish priest Father Lee Jaesu (Simon) repaired the catechetical room, 22 parish priest Father Kim Sanggyu (Philip) carried out extensive repairs of the church and the convent, and 23 parish priest Father Gwak Jaejin (Peter) created a Marian garden behind the church.

〔Jurisdiction and Church Membership〕 The jurisdiction recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is all of Hayang-eup and Wachon-myeon in Gyeongsan-si and part of Cheongtong-myeon in Yeongcheon-si, and the mission chapel is 1 Wachon mission chapel. Church membership was 2,296 in 1965, 2,300 in 1970, 2,153 in 1975, 2,401 in 1980, 2,769 in 1985, 2,998 in 1990, 3,375 in 1995, 3,098 in 2000, and 3,110 in 2003. The successive parish priests were the first Kim Pilgon Barnabas (1928.5–11), 2 J. M. Hamon John Mary (1929.4–1943.2), 3 Lee Seongman Ignatius (1943.2–1947), 4 Yu Heungmo Andrew (1947–1947.5), 5 Kim Gyeryong Peter (1947.5–6), 6 Kang Chanhyeong Pascal (1947.6–1949.6), 7 Kwon Yeongjo Mark (1949.6–1950.10), 8 Je Chankyu Simeon (1950.10–1955.4), 9 Lee Imchun Felix (1955.4–1971.11), 10 Heo Yeongu Moses (1971.11–1975.1), 11 Park Hyeongjin Augustine (1975.1–1976.10), 12 Kim Yonghyo Joseph (1976.10–1978.3), 13 Lee Sangho Peter (1978.3–1981.4), 14 Kwon Hyeoksi Moses (1981.4–1984.1), 15 Jeong Seongu Paul (1984.1–1988.6), 16 Kim Cheoljae Paul (1988.6–1991.3), 17 Jeon Heonho Silvester (1991.3–1994.8), 18 Jeong Jaewan Nicholas (1994.8–1996.8), 19 Lee Gangeon Paul (1996.8–1997.9), 20 Lee Seongeok Thaddeus (1997.9–1998.8), 21 Lee Jaesu Simon (1998.8–2001.8), 22 Kim Sanggyu Philip (2001.8–2004.8), and 23 Gwak Jaejin Peter (2004.10–).

Related Places and People

• Yongpyeong Parish, the predecessor of Yeongcheon Parish: the parish from which Hayang Parish was separated; around 1920, as faithful households of this parish moved to downtown Hayang, the community of the faithful began (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Geumho Parish: the Geumho mission chapel newly built by Hayang Parish in 1962 was elevated to a parish in September 1963 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Wachon mission chapel: the mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Hayang Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father J. M. Hamon: as the 2 parish priest (1929.4–1943.2), he purchased the present church site and newly built the church and the rectory (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Bishop F. Demange: he presided over the dedication ceremony of Hayang Church on May 21, 1931 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Hayang Parish” (Vol. 12). Establishment on May 6, 1928, beginning of the mission chapel, dedication of the church in 1931, expansion and kindergarten, separation of Geumho Parish, jurisdiction and mission chapel, church membership, successive parish priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/6704
2. Archdiocese of Daegu, parish information “Hayang Church”. Date of establishment May 6, 1928, patron saint Saint Michael the Archangel.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=117&premenu=c1&srl=church_search&y_id=117