Seonsan Catholic Church

Overview

Seonsan Church is a church in Nosang-ri, Seonsan-eup, Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Archdiocese of Daegu. It was a Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of the Gumi (now Gumi Wonpyeong) Parish, before being elevated to a parish on April 5, 1962. Its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its first pastor was Father Müller (Mo Anse) Anscario.

History

[Early history and mission-chapel period] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that a faith community had already formed in the Seonsan area to the extent that, by 1883, the faithful of the Sagijeom Catholic mission chapel in Yeojin (Naksan-ri, Haepyeong-myeon) had reached 69. After Peter Nam Man-eok moved to Songnim-ri in 1902, the Gospel began to spread to Songnim-ri and Irye-ri, and in March 1931 a Goa Catholic mission chapel hall was built at lot 380 in Irye-ri. In Seonsan-eup, Teresa Park Eul-im of Imun-ri, who was baptized in 1943, spread the faith to her family and relatives, forming a community. These faithful later attended the Hwanggeum-dong Parish, and after the Order of Saint Benedict settled in Waegwan in June 1952, they came to belong to the Waegwan Parish, and in the time of Father Bede Kim Yeong-geun they were designated as the Seonsan Catholic mission chapel.

[Before elevation to a parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Seonsan Catholic mission chapel was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Gumi Parish in 1956, and the following year a thatched house with 4 rooms in Nosang-ri, Seonsan-eup was prepared and remodeled into a mission hall. In 1958, the nearby Dogae Catholic mission chapel was founded, followed in turn by the Mueul and Oeye Catholic mission chapels. The faithful in Seonsan petitioned the diocese for elevation to a parish, while in 1959, through the arrangement of the Order of Saint Benedict, they purchased more than 800 pyeong at the present parish site and began building a church, holding the blessing ceremony on August 9 of the same year.

[Founding of the parish] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that it was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under the Gumi Parish to a parish on April 5, 1962. The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia also records that Seonsan Church was founded on April 5, 1962 and that Father Mo Anse (Anscalio) took office as the first pastor, and the Daegu Archdiocese parish information likewise lists the founding date as April 5, 1962 and the patron as the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia adds that, at the time Seonsan Church was founded, the Protestant churches in the Seonsan area, Seonsan-eup Church (Presbyterian Church of Korea, Tonghap) and Seonsan Jungang Church (Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea), were already established with long histories. The parish jurisdiction recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia covers Seonsan-eup, Okseong-myeon, Mueul-myeon and Goa-myeon, and the jurisdictional mission chapels are 8 places, including Goa, Mueul, Oeye, Naegok, Igok, Sinchon, Dokdong and Wonni.

[Growth and development] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the first pastor, Father Müller, built the rectory in 1962 immediately after taking office, and the following year received the Sanchon Catholic mission chapel from the jurisdiction of the Sangju Seomun-dong Parish. He broke ground for the church on April 12, 1964 and held the blessing ceremony for a church of 187 pyeong on November 22 of that year. On December 30, 1968 he purchased the Gyori church cemetery in Seonsan-myeon, and on November 1 of the following year, when the Haepyeong Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish, he transferred 12 households and 38 parish registers. On April 25 of the same year he purchased the house and land of 660 pyeong at lot 82-14 in Nosang-ri, Seonsan-eup, opened the Sacred Heart Nursing Home on December 1 of the following year, and on July 5, 1970 the Merciful Virgin Curia was established.

[After the 1970s] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the Seonsan Credit Cooperative was founded on May 11, 1975, a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was erected on June 19, 1977, a convent was newly built on December 5, 1981 and the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Pohang were invited in March of the following year. Construction of the rectory and education hall began on June 17, 1991 and was completed on June 26 of the following year, together with a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding.

[Church strength and successive pastors] The church strength recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is 1,065 in 1963, 1,561 in 1967, 1,539 in 1971, 1,470 in 1975, 1,313 in 1982, 1,579 in 1986, 1,914 in 1990, 2,003 in 1993, and 1,884 in 1997. The successive priests are listed as the first, Anscario Müller (A. Müller, Mo Anse) (1962.4~1981.2), the 2 pastor Joseph Kim Tae-gyu (1981.2~1985.2), the 3 pastor John Lee Eung-uk (1985.2~1987.11), the 4 pastor John Jo Seong-taek (1987.11~1990.7), the 5 pastor Peter Jang Byeong-bae (1990.7~1991.7), the 6 pastor Paul Lee Sang-rak (1991.7~1992.7), the 7 pastor Peter Kim Jun-nyeon (1992.7~1994.11), the 8 pastor James Choe Chang-ho (1994.11~1995.7), and the 9 pastor Paul Baek Myeong-heum (1995.7~). The Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia gives the later situation as Father Luke No Geon-u serving as pastor, with 1,421 faithful active, and the Naego Catholic mission chapel (Naego-ri, Seonsan-eup) and the convent of the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus belonging to it.

Related places and people

• Gumi Wonpyeong Parish: the parish to which the Seonsan Catholic mission chapel transferred its jurisdiction in 1956 and which had jurisdiction over it until its elevation to a parish in 1962 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• St. Benedict Waegwan Abbey and Waegwan Parish: the place to which the Seonsan faithful belonged after 1952 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Haepyeong Catholic mission chapel (Haepyeong Parish): when it was elevated to a parish on November 1, 1969, the Seonsan Parish transferred 12 households and 38 parish registers to it (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Naego Catholic mission chapel: a Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Seonsan Church (Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia).
• Father Müller (Mo Anse) Anscario: the first pastor (1962.4~1981.2) (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia).

References and sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Seonsan Parish” (vol. 7). Elevation to a parish on April 5, 1962, mission-chapel period and early history, blessing ceremony in 1959 and church blessing in 1964, jurisdictional area and mission chapels, church strength, successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3235
2. The Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Gumi Culture Encyclopedia, “Seonsan Church”. Founding on April 5, 1962, first Father Mo Anse, local Protestant churches at the time of founding, patron saint, mission chapel and convent situation.
   https://www.grandculture.net/gumi/toc/GC01202218
3. Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu, parish information, “Seonsan Church”. Founding date April 5, 1962, patron Sacred Heart of Jesus.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=88&premenu=c1&srl=church_search&y_id=88