Sanggyeok Catholic Church

Overview

Sangyeok Church is a church in Sangyeok-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City, belonging to the Archdiocese of Daegu. It was established in 1982 through separation from Daehyeon-dong Parish and Goseong-dong Parish, and its patron is Our Lady of Sorrows. On April 28, 1984, it held the dedication ceremony for the church, rectory, and convent.

History

〔Preparations for Establishment〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that before the parish was established, believers in this area suffered the inconvenience of having to travel a long distance to Daehyeon-dong Parish, and that in the late 1970s, as many apartments and detached houses were built in the Sangyeok and Bokhyeon areas, the establishment of a new parish covering the Sangyeok, Bokhyeon, and Geomdan areas became urgently needed. Gwak Gil-u (Peter), pastor of Daehyeon-dong Parish, organized male believers living in Sangyeok-dong into a fellowship association on August 25, 1979 to prepare for the establishment of the parish. Daebong-dong Parish donated its parish reserve funds to the diocese in 1982 to enable the purchase of the present church site, and the Baeginhoe, a group supporting church construction within the Archdiocese of Daegu, also raised funds.

〔Establishment and Dedication of the Church〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as the establishment of Sangyeok-dong Parish was decided on September 3, 1982, Father Choe Yeong-su was appointed as the first pastor. The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and the parish information of the Archdiocese of Daegu give the date of establishment as August 25, 1982, differing by source. Father Choe Yeong-su rented the basement of a 3-story building opposite the north gate of Kyungpook National University to provide a temporary church, held a groundbreaking ceremony at the present church site on September 18, and formed the ‘Church Construction Promotion Committee’ on September 20. The following year, a branch of the Virgin Marian Association was established on March 25, and on April 28, 1984, the church, rectory, and convent with a total floor area of about 508 pyeong were completed and the dedication ceremony was held.

〔Division of the Parish and Later Developments〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that when Seongbuk Parish was newly established on May 14, 1986, the parish registers of 72 households and 245 believers in the Sangyeok 1-dong area were transferred. On June 26, 1988, the education hall with 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors (97.4 pyeong) was completed, and in 1992, the parish history 《Sangyeok Church: 10 Years》 was published. On February 4, 1995, in separating Bokhyeon-dong Parish, the parish registers of 822 households and 2,246 believers in the Bokhyeon 2-dong and Geomdan-dong areas were transferred, and on August 15, 1997, church construction funds were delivered to Bokhyeon-dong Parish.

〔Jurisdiction and Membership〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia gives the jurisdiction as all of Sangyeok 2 and 3-dong and Bokhyeon 1-dong and part of Sangyeok 4-dong, and gives the membership as in 1982, 1,333 believers, in 1986, 3,492 believers, in 1991, 5,436 believers, and in 1996, 3,877 believers. The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea gives the parish district as all of Bokhyeon 1-dong and Sangyeok 2 and 3-dong and part of Sangyeok 4-dong, gives the number of believers as 2,964, gives the affiliated religious congregation as the Congregation of Jesus, and states that there is no Catholic mission chapel.

〔Successive Pastors〕 The pastors listed in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the first pastor, Choe Yeong-su (John) (1982.9–1986.1), the 2 pastor, Yi Yong-gil (John) (1986.1–1990.6), the 3 pastor, Kim Sang-gyu (Philip) (1990.6–1993.10), the 4 pastor, Choe Hong-deok (James) (1993.10–1998.8), and the 5 pastor, Yi Yong-ho (Gabriel) (1998.8 to the time the encyclopedia was compiled).

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the church, rectory, and convent dedicated on April 28, 1984 have a total floor area of about 508 pyeong, and the education hall completed on June 26, 1988 has 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors (97.4 pyeong).

Related Places and People

• Daehyeon-dong Church and Goseong-dong Church: in 1982, Sangyeok-dong Parish was separated and established from these parishes (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Daebong-dong Church: in 1982, it donated parish reserve funds to the diocese to enable the purchase of the church site for Sangyeok-dong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Seongbuk Church: when it was newly established on May 14, 1986, it received the transfer of the parish registers of 72 households and 245 believers in the Sangyeok 1-dong area from Sangyeok-dong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Bokhyeon Church: on February 4, 1995, it was separated and established from Sangyeok-dong Parish and received the transfer of the parish registers of 822 households and 2,246 believers (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Baeginhoe: a group supporting church construction within the Archdiocese of Daegu, which raised funds for the construction of Sangyeok-dong Church (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Sangyeok-dong Parish.” Separation and establishment from Daehyeon-dong and Goseong-dong parishes in 1982, preparations for establishment and dedication of the church, separation of Seongbuk and Bokhyeon-dong parishes, membership, jurisdiction, and successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2999
2. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Sangyeok” (Archdiocese of Daegu). Date of establishment 1982.08.25, patron Our Lady of Sorrows, number of believers, religious congregation, parish district.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000021&code=201000824&gubn2=all&char=all
3. Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu, Parish Information “Sangyeokcheong.” Date of establishment August 25, 1982.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=52&premenu&srl=church_search