Jirye Catholic Church

Overview

Jirye Church is a church of the Archdiocese of Daegu located in Jirye-myeon, Gimcheon-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Beginning as the Jirye Catholic mission chapel established in 1960, it was elevated to a parish on November 11, 1968, with St. Martin of Tours as its patron. It covers Jirye-myeon, Guseong-myeon, Jeungsan-myeon, Daedeok-myeon and Buhang-myeon in Gimcheon-si.

History

[Formation of Catholic villages and the Jirye mission chapel] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that during the Byeongin Persecution in 1866, believers from Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheong-do, Sacheon in Gyeongnam and other areas fled persecution and formed Catholic villages around the Gimcheon area, sprouting the seeds of faith. In 1960, the Jirye mission chapel was established around believers who had moved to Jirye-myeon from the Hwangjeom, Magusil, Jangjateo and Seomuteo mission chapels in Jeungsan-myeon, and catechist leader Yi Yeong-hui (John), dispatched from the Gimcheon (now Hwanggeum-dong) parish, resided at the mission chapel and engaged in evangelization.

[Church construction and elevation to parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in 1967 the number of faithful at the Jirye mission chapel had increased to more than 700, making the cramped mission chapel building difficult to accommodate them. Accordingly, Abbot Odo Haas (Odo Haas), then abbot of Waegwan Abbey of the Order of St. Benedict, instructed Fr. Erik Nussbickel (Nussbickel), then interim pastor of the Naksan in Waegwan (formerly Gasil) parish, to build a church in Jirye. In 1967, Fr. Erik Nussbickel demolished the Jirye mission chapel building and, beginning on April 1968, newly built a church, rectory, convent, office and catechism room. On November 11, 1968, the Jirye mission chapel was elevated to a parish, and on November 20 it took over 487 parish register entries from the Hwanggeum-dong parish and began parish ministry. The foundation date of November 11, 1968 is also listed in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory and in the Archdiocese of Daegu parish information.

[Parish organizations and transfer of pastoral authority] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that it organized the Youth Association in 1971 and the Apostolic Association in 1973, among others, to strengthen the devotion of the faithful. On February 1984, the Jirye parish, together with the Jijwa-dong, Pyeonghwa-dong and Hwanggeum-dong parishes in the Gimcheon area, had its pastoral authority transferred from the Waegwan Vicariate to the Archdiocese of Daegu.

[Decline in mission chapel faithful and typhoon damage] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, from the late 1980s the number of faithful at the mission chapels that had been the cradle of the parish began to decline, falling from 176 in 1986 to 138 in 1992, a decrease of more than 21%, with the decline continuing thereafter. In 2000, Typhoon Rusa collapsed the walls of the historic Hwangjeom mission chapel and completely flooded the seat of Jirye-myeon, devastating the villages where the faithful lived, but it was overcome through restoration work by parish faithful and volunteers.

[Jurisdiction and church statistics] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia lists the jurisdiction as Jirye-myeon, Guseong-myeon, Jeungsan-myeon, Daedeok-myeon and Buhang-myeon in Gimcheon-si, the number of mission chapels under its jurisdiction as 4, and church strength as 400 in 1974, 516 in 1980, 552 in 1985, 575 in 1991, 620 in 1994 and 602 in 2001. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory lists the number of faithful as 445 and the number of mission chapels as 4.

[Successive pastors] The successive pastors as listed by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the first, Erik Nussbickel (E. Nussbickel, Yun) (1968–1984.1), the 2th, Moses Kwon Hyeok-si (1984.1–5), acting pastor Bartholomew Jeong In-yong (1984.5–7), the 3th, Paul Won Dong-su (1984.7–1986.5), the 4th, John Kim Hyeon-jong (1986.5–1987.4), the 5st, Charles Park Seok-jae (1987.4–1990.6), the 6th, John Han Jae-sang (1990.6–1991.3), the 7th, Stanislaus Gzella (S. Gzella, Gil Jae-gwang) (1991.3–1993.10), the 8th, Peter Choe Jong-hyeon (1993.10–1994.8), the 9rd, Peter Han Myeong-seok (1994.8–1996.2), the 10th, Peter Choe Jong-hyeon (1996.2–1998.8), the 11th, John Son Jong-hyeon (1998.8–2000.11), the 12nd, Paul Kim Jong-gi (2000.11–2003.2), and the 13th, Gregory Yi Sang-yeong (2003.2–to the time of compilation of the encyclopedia).

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the buildings constructed beginning on April 1968 consist of a church, rectory, convent, office and catechism room.

Related Places and People

• Hwanggeum-dong (Gimcheon) Parish: the parish that dispatched and administered the Jirye mission chapel, and which transferred 487 parish register entries at the establishment of the Jirye parish in 1968 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Jijwa-dong, Pyeonghwa-dong and Hwanggeum-dong Parishes: parishes in the Gimcheon area whose pastoral authority was transferred from the Waegwan Vicariate to the Archdiocese of Daegu together with the Jirye parish on February 1984 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Hwangjeom, Magusil, Jangjateo and Seomuteo mission chapels: mission chapels in the Jeungsan-myeon area that formed the basis for the establishment of the Jirye mission chapel in 1960 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Fr. Erik Nussbickel (Nussbickel): built the church and served as the first pastor (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Jirye Parish” (vol. 10). Catholic villages after the Byeongin Persecution, the Jirye mission chapel in 1960, elevation to parish and church construction in 1968, transfer of pastoral authority, damage from Typhoon Rusa, church statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5808
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Catholic Directory of Korea, “Jirye” (Archdiocese of Daegu). Foundation date 1968.11.11, patron St. Martin of Tours, number of faithful, number of mission chapels, jurisdictional area.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000021&code=201000892&gubn2=all&char=all
3. Archdiocese of Daegu, Parish Information, “Jirye”. Foundation date November 11, 1968.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=110&premenu&srl=church_search