Waegwan Church

Overview

Waegwan Church is a church in Waegwan-eup, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu. After the Waegwan Catholic mission chapel separated from Gasil Parish and was elevated to a parish, it spun off the Gumi, Seongju, Gunwi, Chilgok, Sindong, Yangmok, Seokjeon, and Indong parishes, and the present church building, construction of which began in 1966 and which was dedicated in 1967, was designated in 2018 as National Registered Cultural Heritage (then National Registered Cultural Property No. 727).

History

[Catholic Mission Chapel Period] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that the first Catholic faithful appeared in the Waegwan area around 1908 when Yi Mun (Venantio) moved from Geumsan-dong, and that as the families of Kim Chi-gyeon (Filippo, moved in 1910), Yi Man-won (John, moved in 1917), Jeong Jae-mun (Andrea, moved in 1920), and Seo Seok-bae (Francisco, moved in 1921) moved in, a faith community appears to have formed around 1920. The Waegwan Catholic mission chapel, then under the jurisdiction of Gasil Parish, used Kim Chi-gyeon’s house as a Catholic mission chapel around 1920 and then became a formal Catholic mission chapel in 1923 when it began using Jeong Jae-mun’s family home in Hapo (a thatched house of 3 kan) as a Catholic mission chapel. Jeong Jae-mun, who served as Catholic mission chapel chairman, built a Catholic mission chapel building in 1924 on land he owned in Sangpo and held night school at night (common to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia).

[Elevation to Parish] With a plan to develop the Waegwan Catholic mission chapel into a parish, Chairman Jeong Jae-mun purchased land of 1,700 pyeong at Waegwan-dong No. 322 in 1927, and in February 1928 began construction of a new church and in November completed a church with a scale of 90 pyeong (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). Fr. Tourneux (Tourneux, Yeo Dong-seon) of Gasil Parish bore part of the construction cost and frequently visited the construction site to supervise it directly. While construction was underway, a youth association was organized in August 1928 and a choir in October of that year. Sources give different dates for the parish foundation. The Waegwan Church parish history states that in February 1928 it was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel belonging to Gasil Parish to a parish and construction of the church began, and that the first parish priest was Fr. Yeo Victor, while the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia states that in May 1928 the Waegwan Catholic mission chapel under Gasil Parish was elevated and separated as a church, beginning with the first Fr. Yeo Dong-seon serving concurrently with Gasil Church. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that it was separated and founded around May 1929 and that Fr. Cadars (Gang Dal-sun) took office as the first parish priest, adding that the Waegwan Parish itself regards it as separated from Gasil Parish in 1928 with Fr. Tourneux of Gasil Parish serving concurrently as the first parish priest of Waegwan Parish. The Daegu Archdiocese parish information lists the parish as founded on April 30, 1928.

[Dedication of the Church and Early Activities] On November 3, 1932, the dedication ceremony for the newly built Waegwan church was held. The Waegwan Church parish history states that Bishop An Floriano completed and dedicated it and that the patron saint is Our Lady of Lourdes, while the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia state that Bishop Demange presided over the dedication ceremony. With the appointment of the parish priest, a rectory was newly built in 1929, a convent and clinic building were newly built in 1933, and a kindergarten course called Cheonsin Yuyeonbu was established in 1935. In April 1936, the Sohwa Girls Academy opened for girls who had not received educational opportunities (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). According to the parish history, on April 10, 1936, a branch of the St. Paul Convent (first branch superior Sr. Ha Teresa) was founded, and on May 15 of the same year the Sohwa Girls Academy opened. During this period, devotional groups such as the Sacred Heart Association, the Blessed Andrea Youth Association, the Our Lady Women’s Association, and the Teresa Girls Association were formed, and in May 1939 a Catholic mission chapel was established in the Gumi area (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The parish history states that on May 30, 1942, Fr. Jeong Haeng-man (Francisco), the first priest from the parish, celebrated his first Mass in the parish.

[End of the Japanese Colonial Period and After Liberation] In April 1945, the parish priest was forcibly interned by the Japanese authorities. The parish history states that on April 3, the 5 parish priest, Fr. Han Yurio, was forcibly interned at Namsan Parish, and the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that the 4 parish priest, Fr. Bertrand (Bertrand, Han) Yulio, was interned. After liberation, on December 9, 1945, Sunshim Girls Junior Middle School was founded (parish history), and the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that a mimeographed parish bulletin was issued in January 1946 and that approval to establish Sunshim Girls Junior Middle School was received in May. In April 1947, the Cheonsin Yuyeonbu was elevated to open Sunshim Kindergarten. In 1950, Jeong Haeng-don (Michael) donated 7 thousand-odd pyeong of forest land in Changma for a church cemetery (parish history), and the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that accordingly the Changma Church Cemetery was established in November of the same year. The parish history states that on March 19, 1950, the Sangju Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish, and the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia lists Seongju Parish (1950.3) among the parishes separated since its foundation.

[6-25 War] According to the Waegwan Church parish history, on September 23, 1950, the 3 parish priest, Fr. Irobeldo, and the 4 parish priest, Fr. Nobeldo, were abducted by communist forces and martyred, and on December 18 of the same year, the 2 parish priest, Fr. Gang Joseph, was abducted by communist forces and martyred in Hajang-ri, North Korea, at the age of 72. In June 1951, repairs to the church and rectory damaged in the war were completed, and in the same month a celebration was held for the silver jubilee of priestly ordination of the 9 parish priest, Fr. Yi Gi-su. On March 30, 1952, the establishment of Sunshim High School was approved (the 10 parish priest, Fr. No Gyu-chae).

[Settlement of St. Benedict’s Waegwan Abbey and Division of Catholic Mission Chapels and Parishes] In June 1952, the St. Benedict Order settled in Waegwan, and from that time Waegwan Parish and Gasil Parish were entrusted to the jurisdiction of the Benedictine Order, with Benedictine priests serving as parish priests, and Waegwan Parish became the cathedral of the Waegwan Gammok Vicariate (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The parish history states that in October 1952 the Seonsan Catholic mission chapel was established and that in 1954 the Hanti Catholic mission chapel was transferred from Bisan-dong Parish in Daegu to the jurisdiction of Waegwan Parish (the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that the Hanti transfer occurred in December 1954 and that the Yongdae and Geumgu Catholic mission chapels were transferred in May 1953). On May 24, 1953, a priestly ordination was held, presided over by Bishop Choi Deok-hong, head of the Daegu Diocese, at which Fr. Kim Yeong-geun (Beda), Fr. Kim Seong-do (Moise), and Fr. Yi Gyeong-u (Gabel) were ordained. In September 1955, a settlement for people with Hansen’s disease (Bethania House) was prepared in Samcheong-dong. In January 1956 the Gumi Catholic mission chapel was separated and elevated to a parish, and on December 8 of the same year the Gunwi Catholic mission chapel was separated and elevated to a parish, while the parish history states that on April 9, 1957, the Chilgok Catholic mission chapel was separated and elevated to a parish (the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that the Chilgok parish division occurred in April 1959). On January 13, 1957, the Legion of Mary (Queen of Apostles Praesidium) was founded for the first time in the Archdiocese of Daegu, and a Curia was founded on August 2. On May 25, 1958, the Yeonhwa and Utjeon Catholic mission chapels were merged to build a hall in Sindong, and on December 6, 1959, the completion and dedication ceremony for Sindong Church and the Bethania House Church in Samcheong-dong was held. On August 23, 1961, Sunshim Middle School was transferred to the St. Benedict Order foundation.

[Construction of a New Church] At the end of 1965, when the number of faithful exceeded 5,000, discussion of building a new church began (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia), and from Lent in 1965 Mass was celebrated in Korean. The parish history states that on December 23, 1966, construction of the new church was completed under the 12 parish priest, Fr. Jang Yeolmano (Jang Hwi), and that on May 17, 1967, the dedication and completion ceremony for the new church was held, at which time the patron saint became the Holy Spirit. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that in December 1966 a new church was built at its present location and the parish moved on December 24, and that in May 1967 the dedication ceremony for the new church dedicated to the Holy Spirit was held. In April 1967, the inaugural general meeting of the Waegwan Credit Union was held and a parish bulletin was first published. After building the new church, on October 28, 1967, the Sindong Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish (parish history). According to the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia, under the jurisdiction of Waegwan Church, Sindong Church was separated and became independent on February 1, 1968, and Yangmok Church in November 1973, and when the number of faithful surpassed 5 thousand in 1965, Seokjeon Church in Seokjeon-ri, Waegwan-eup, was newly established and separated. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that Seokjeon Parish (1978.7) and Indong Parish (1979.1) were also separated from Waegwan Parish.

[After the 1970s] In September 1970, a children’s Sunday school was launched, and in October 1973 an unveiling ceremony for a statue of the Virgin Mary was held (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). According to the parish history, a Saturday vigil Mass began on April 1, 1972, a monument at Sinnamugol Shrine was erected on July 11, 1977, and on September 20, 1978, the book History of the Waegwan Catholic Church Covering 50 Years (Waegwan Half-Century) was published, with a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the parish foundation held on September 24. On December 25, 1981, its own parish bulletin was discontinued with issue No. 626 and the joint bulletin of the Archdiocese of Daegu was adopted. On July 8, 1984, the remains of the martyr Yi Seon-i Elisabeth were transferred from Gwangok to Sinnamugol. On November 30, 1986, construction of a new convent building was completed, and with the dissolution of the Waegwan Gammok Vicariate (the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that this occurred on March 1, 1986), the parish came under the direct jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Daegu (the parish history states that incorporation occurred on January 1, 1987). On October 1, 1997, the diocesan organization changed from 6 District to 3 District, a parish website was opened on September 16, 2001, and a dedication ceremony for a newly built education center was held on December 25, 2001. On May 11, 2008, an event for the 80th anniversary of the parish foundation was held, and on May 19, 2013, a Parish Day event for the 85th anniversary was held (parish history).

[Parish Statistics and Successive Parish Priests] The parish statistics recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are, in 1929, 282 people, in 1940, 1,190 people, in 1950, 1,009 people, in 1960, 3,352 people, in 1965, 5,086 people, in 1980, 2,745 people, and in 2000, 3,907 people. The successive priests are listed from the first, Joseph Cadars (Cadars, Gang Dal-sun) (1929.5–1931.6), to the 2 parish priest Roberto Richard (Richard, Yi Dong-heon), the 3 parish priest Pedro Leleu (Leleu, No), the 4 parish priest Yulio Bertrand (Bertrand, Han), the 5 parish priest Jakob Yi Myeong-u, and the 6 parish priest Johann Kim Yeong-je, up to the 19 parish priest Isidoro Choe Yeon-hwan, who took office in September 2001 (the encyclopedia’s numbering differs from the parish history’s numbering, which counts Fr. Tourneux as the first). The Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia states that on February 5, 2010, the 22 parish priest, Fr. Go Geon-sang (Melchior), took office, that the number of faithful was about 3,200, and that it has jurisdiction over the Samcheong Catholic mission chapel. The parish overview states that, as of the 86th anniversary of the parish foundation in 2015, the parish had produced 18 clergy and 28 religious.

Architecture and Space

The present Waegwan Church was designed by Fr. Alwin (Alwin). According to the Waegwan Church parish overview, this church was designed by the German priest Fr. Alwin (1904–1978), who belonged to St. Benedict’s Waegwan Abbey, and reflects the liturgical spirit of the 2 Vatican Council, namely “active and engaged participation by the laity.” Prioritizing spatial arrangement according to liturgical function over exterior form, the congregation seating was arranged wider than it is deep relative to the altar, and the tabernacle was installed completely separate from the altar. The parish overview explains that this style completely departs from the ordinary church structure that follows historic styles and basilica-style spatial composition.

According to the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia, under the 12 parish priest, Fr. Jang Hwi (Elmar Lang), a single building of about 1,500 square meters encompassing a church, a rectory, various meeting rooms, and a kindergarten began construction in April 1966 and was completed 7 months later, in November. The floor plan is based on an oval with sanctuary and entrance sections added, and unusually for an ordinary parish, the church is on the 2 floor. The National Heritage Portal lists 2 above-ground stories and 1 building, a building area of 731.31 square meters, a total floor area of 1,372.54 square meters, construction in the 1960s, and a designation date of August 6, 2018, and the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia states that it was designated on August 6, 2018 as National Registered Cultural Property No. 727, was redesignated as National Registered Cultural Property when the cultural property designation numbers were abolished by a Cultural Heritage Administration notice on November 19, 2021, and was changed to National Registered Cultural Heritage with the enforcement of the Basic Act on National Heritage on May 17, 2024.

The old church building built in 1928 is now within St. Benedict’s Waegwan Abbey and was designated in 2025 as National Registered Cultural Heritage under the name Chilgok Old Waegwan Church (National Heritage Digital Service: built in 1928, designated in 2025, 1 building, 487.45 square meters). The Academy of Korean Studies cultural heritage commentary describes this building as a semi-Gothic red brick building, and states that Fr. Yeo Victor (Yeo Dong-seon), who built Gasil Church, took charge of the design and construction supervision, with Korean and Chinese bricklayers carrying out the construction. The Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia describes this church’s architectural style as Romanesque with a Neo-Gothic character, and names the French priest Fr. Bak Do-haeng as the designer. During the 6-25 War, parts were damaged as walls and ceilings were left with bullet holes and shells penetrated the wooden floor and cement floor to explode in the basement, but it was restored with the help of the Belgian engineer unit and others. The Order of St. Benedict used this building as the abbey’s main space until a new abbey main building was built in 1955, and since the church moved to its present site in 1966, it has been used as a hall for major events (cultural heritage commentary).

Related Places and People

• Gasil Church (Naksan): the mother parish to which the Waegwan Catholic mission chapel belonged before being separated as a parish. The National Heritage Digital Service describes Gasil Parish as the first Catholic parish in Gyeongsangbuk-do, built in 1924, and the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that it was separated and founded from the Gasil (now Naksan) Parish in May 1929.
• St. Benedict’s Waegwan Abbey: it settled in Waegwan in June 1952, and the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia article St. Benedict’s Waegwan Abbey states that monks from Deokwon Abbey in Hamgyeong-do and Yanji Abbey in China gathered anew and founded it on July 6, 1952. The old Waegwan church building is within this abbey.
• Daughter parishes: Seongju (1950.3), Gumi (1956), Gunwi (1956), Chilgok (1959.4 by the encyclopedia’s standard), Sindong (1967.10), Yangmok (1973.11), Seokjeon (1978.7), and Indong (1979.1) parishes (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sinnamugol Shrine and Hanti Shrine: Catholic historic sites in the Chilgok area; the Hanti Catholic mission chapel was transferred to the jurisdiction of Waegwan Parish in 1954, and a shrine monument was erected in Sinnamugol in 1977 (parish history). The Academy of Korean Studies cultural heritage commentary states that early faithful hid in Sinnamugol in Jicheon, Hanti in Dongmyeong, Jangjagol in Waegwan, and other places to escape persecution and formed faith communities.
• Fr. Yeo Dong-seon (Victor Louis Tourneux): as parish priest of Gasil Parish, he bore part of the construction cost for the new Waegwan church and supervised the construction, and the Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia and the parish history record him as the first priest of Waegwan Parish.
• Jeong Jae-mun (Andrea): as the first chairman of the Waegwan Catholic mission chapel, he built a Catholic mission chapel building and purchased land for the parish foundation (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Catholic Waegwan Church, Parish History. History covering 1928–2014: elevation to parish, dedication of the church in 1932, martyrdom of priests during the 6-25 War, division process, dedication of the new church in 1967, and foundation anniversary events.
   https://www.wgc.or.kr/history.php
2. Catholic Waegwan Church, Parish Overview. Elevation in 1928, patron saints (Our Lady of Lourdes, and the Holy Spirit after 1967), design by Fr. Alwin and liturgy-centered spatial arrangement.
   https://www.wgc.or.kr/welcome.php
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia “Chilgok Waegwan Church”. Establishment of the Catholic mission chapel and parish, dedication in 1932, new church in 1966, divisions, cultural heritage designation history, and current status.
   https://www.grandculture.net/chilgok/toc/GC02301440
4. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Waegwan Parish” (Volume 9). Account of separation and foundation in 1929, migration of local faithful, successive priests, parish statistics, and daughter parishes.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4677
5. Cultural Heritage Administration, National Heritage Portal “Chilgok Waegwan Church”. National Registered Cultural Heritage, designation date 2018.08.06, building area and total floor area.
   http://www.heritage.go.kr/heri/cul/culSelectDetail.do?VdkVgwKey=79%2C07270000%2C37
6. Cultural Heritage Administration, National Heritage Digital Service “Chilgok Old Waegwan Church”. Built in 1928, designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2025.
   https://digital.khs.go.kr/heri/heriDetail.do?ctptNo=4412502130001&ctptUid=13983497825458047355
7. Academy of Korean Studies, HeritageWiki “Chilgok Old Waegwan Church”. Semi-Gothic red brick building, design and supervision, damage and restoration during the 6-25 War, and early use by the abbey.
   https://dh.aks.ac.kr/~heritage/wiki/index.php/%EC%B9%A0%EA%B3%A1_%EA%B5%AC_%EC%99%9C%EA%B4%80%EC%84%B1%EB%8B%B9
8. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Chilgok Culture Encyclopedia “St. Benedict’s Waegwan Abbey”. Account of how monks from Deokwon Abbey and Yanji Abbey founded Waegwan Abbey on July 6, 1952.
   https://www.grandculture.net/chilgok/toc/GC02301435
9. Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu, Parish Information “Waegwan Church”. Founded on April 30, 1928, patron saint the Holy Spirit.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/area.html?menu=c4&number=102&premenu=c1&srl=church_search&y_id=102