Indong Catholic Church

Overview

Indong Church is a church in Inui-dong, Gumi-si, North Gyeongsang Province, belonging to the Daegu Archdiocese. Beginning as a Catholic mission chapel founded by believers in Geumjeon-dong, it was separated from Waegwan Parish and elevated to a parish on January 1, 1979. Its patron is Saint Francis Xavier (the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia gives the form Saint Francis Xavier).

History

〔Beginning of the Catholic mission chapel〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that Bang U-yeong (Thaddeus), who lived in Geumjeon-dong under the jurisdiction of Naksan (Gasil) Parish, was baptized in 1905 and began to evangelize local residents, with 30 or so people entering the Church, and that the 5 pastor of Naksan Parish, Father Tourneux, visited to receive confessions and celebrate Mass, thereby establishing it as a Catholic mission chapel. The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia records that around 1905, Bang U-yeong (Dadu) of the Indong area was baptized at Gyesan Church in Daegu at the recommendation of Seo Byeong-jo, returned to his hometown, and persuaded his family, including his father Bang Se-jong (Agabito) and his grandfather Bang Sa-gwon (Peter), so that 10 or so households of the Bang family were baptized at Gasil Church in Waegwan at that time. It adds that Bang Sa-gwon then founded the Geumjeon Catholic mission chapel in what is now the Geumjeong-dong area of Gumi-si and was appointed its first president.

〔Hwangsang Catholic mission chapel and Indong Catholic mission chapel〕 According to the Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia, in 1933 the house of Jeon Chil-gwon (John) was opened as the Hwangsang Catholic mission chapel, and Park Seok-su (Justinus) was appointed its first president. Both sources record that in 1947 the chapel was moved from Geumjeon-dong to Hwangsang-dong and thus came under the jurisdiction of Waegwan Parish. The subsequent course is described differently in each source. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that as of 1956 a chapel building was built on the present parish site and named the Indong Catholic mission chapel, Sunday Mass began to be celebrated every week from that time, and in 1957 a salaried evangelist-president took office. The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1956 a quasi-parish was established in Inui-dong and in 1957 a new wooden single-story Indong chapel building was built, to which the Hwangsang chapel moved.

〔Quasi-parish and elevation to parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as the number of believers grew from 1970, 2 Sisters of the Inbo Holy Eucharist were dispatched in February 1978, and in July Father Jeong Hak-geun (Moses) took office as temporary administrator, raising it to a quasi-parish. On January 1, 1979, it was separated from Waegwan Parish and elevated to a parish, with Father Herbert Bottawa (H. Wottawah, Heo Chang-su) taking office as first pastor. The Daegu Archdiocese parish information also gives the date of establishment as January 1, 1979. The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1979 Indong Church was elevated to a parish and Father Heo Chang-su (Herbert) took office as first pastor.

〔Construction of the new church〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in the time of the 4 pastor, Father Kim Chung, Joseph Yu, then vice-chair of the pastoral council, donated land, making full-scale church construction possible, and the 5 pastor, Father Kim Heung-su, completed a church with a site of 1,596 pyeong and a total floor area of 728 pyeong at the present location (Inui-dong, Gumi-si, 312). The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1987 Father Kim Chung (Francis Xavier) took office and prepared the new church construction, and in 1991 Father Kim Heung-su (Silvano) took office and broke ground for a church at Inui-dong 312. The dedication was officiated by Archbishop Lee Mun-hui (Paul): the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia gives March 28, 1993, while the Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia gives March 20, 1993.

〔Division and later period〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the church grew in the time of the 6 pastor, Father Lee Hyeong-mun, so that division was planned, and in the time of the 7 pastor, Father Lee Jae-won, Jungni Parish was established on October 1, 2001 by separation from Indong Parish. The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia records that in 2006 Indong Church welcomed its first assistant priest and that on September 5, 2008 Father Na Jin-heum (Augustine) took office. The same source records that there is a convent of the Sisters of the Inbo Holy Eucharist and that 2,343 believers belong to it.

〔Successive pastors and church statistics〕 The successive pastors as recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the first, Herbert Bottawa (Heo Chang-su) (1979.1–1985.9), the 2, Aloysius Soiperling (A. Seuferling, Min Gong-do) (1985.9–1987.1), the 3, Moses Heo Yeon-gu (1987.1–10), the 4, Francis Xavier Kim Chung (1987.10–1991.6), the 5, Silvano Kim Heung-su (1991.6–1995.6), the 6, Anthony Lee Hyeong-mun (1995.6–2000.11), and the 7, Job Lee Jae-won (2000.11–). Church statistics are 481 persons in 1980, 494 persons in 1985, 921 persons in 1990, 2,067 persons in 1995, and 2,700 persons in 2000, and the jurisdictional area is the entire Inui-dong, Jinpyeong-dong, Gupyeong-dong and Yangpo-dong districts of Gumi-si.

Related places and people

• Waegwan Church: the mother parish from which Indong Parish was separated (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Naksan (Gasil) Church: the parish to which the believers in Geumjeon-dong belonged, visited by the 5 pastor, Father Tourneux, when the chapel was established (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Gyesan Church: the church in Daegu where Bang U-yeong was baptized around 1905 (Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia).
• Jungni Church: established on October 1, 2001 by separation from Indong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Hwangsang Catholic mission chapel and Geumjeon Catholic mission chapel: the chapels that preceded Indong Church (Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sisters of the Inbo Holy Eucharist: dispatched 2 Sisters in February 1978, and still maintains a convent at the church (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia).

References and sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia “Indong Church”. Geumjeon and Hwangsang chapels, Indong chapel building, elevation to parish, dedication in 1993, recent priests and current status.
   https://www.grandculture.net/gumi/toc/GC01202230
2. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Indong Parish” (vol. 9). Elevation to parish in 1979, beginning of the chapel, construction of the church, successive pastors, church statistics, jurisdictional area, separation of Jungni Parish.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5201
3. Catholic Daegu Archdiocese, parish information “Indong Church”. Date of establishment January 1, 1979, patron Saint Francis Xavier.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=105&premenu=c1&srl=church_search&y_id=105