Dae-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Daedong Church is a church in Dong-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City, belonging to the Diocese of Daejeon. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, it was separated and established from Daehung-dong Parish on September 19, 1966, with Our Lady of Lourdes as its patron.

History

〔Founding〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Diocese of Daejeon planned a parish for pastoral efficiency in the Daedong area and purchased a building with 602 pyeong of land and 54 pyeong of floor space on June 1966. That year it remodeled the building into a hall on August and used it as a temporary church, and the parish was established on September 19. Its jurisdiction covered all of Dae-1 and 2-dong, Soje-dong, Sinan-dong, Sinheung-dong and Jayang-dong, and parts of Yongun-dong, Panam-dong and In-dong.

〔Church construction and annexes〕 According to the encyclopedia, construction of the church (125 pyeong) and the rectory (36 pyeong) began on June 1967 and was completed on December, with dedication and blessing on March 25 the following year. The parish-affiliated Rose Kindergarten, officially approved on May 3, 1968, opened. Construction of a convent building of 17 pyeong began on July 1970, and a branch of the Seoul Seongga Sobi Sisters was installed as of July 31 that year. In the late 1970s, when the faithful exceeded 2 thousand, an education center, kindergarten and rectory were newly built on May 1983.

〔Early pastoral area〕 The encyclopedia records that in the early parish period the Gospel was preached to the poor across a wide jurisdiction including San 1 in Daedong, then called a hillside shantytown (at the time of writing under Jayang-dong Parish), and the village for the blind in Yongun-dong.

〔Growth and branching〕 According to the encyclopedia, together with Seongnam-dong Parish it began ongoing eucharistic adoration for the first time in the Diocese of Daejeon on December 1987, and opened the diocese’s first college for the elderly on September 22, 1988. In the 1990s it made liturgy its top pastoral priority, encouraged all the faithful to bring the Bible to Mass, and gave Bible education through the parish bulletin issued from 1991 onward. On June 1992 it held three special lectures on “national reconciliation and unity.” After newly building a Catholic mission chapel hall on December 1985, it branched off the Jayang-dong Catholic mission chapel as a parish on February 1987, and branched off Panam-dong Parish on August 1993. Founded in 1996, for its 30 anniversary the parish reportedly planned to publish the History of Daedong Catholic Church for 30 Years.

〔Statistics and successive pastors〕 The statistics recorded in the encyclopedia are in 1968 1,267 persons, in 1972 1,614 persons, in 1978 2,330 persons, in 1982 2,122 persons, in 1988 2,761 persons, in 1992 4,304 persons, and in 1994 1,632 persons. The successive pastors are temporary administrator James Yu Bong-un (1966.9~1968.1), first pastor Cyrillo Byeon Gap-seon (1968.1~1969.12), the 2 pastor John Cho Seong-ok (1969.12~1972.12), the 3 pastor Francis Yu In-seong (1972.12~1975.9), the 4 pastor Joseph Lee Gyu-nam (1975.9~1980.9), the 5 pastor Ludovico Na Gi-sun (1980.9~1982.3), the 6 pastor Andrea Park Jong-woo (1982.3~1986.4), the 7 pastor Thomas Jang Yeong-sik (1986.4~1990.12), and the 8 pastor Gabriel Yun Jong-gwan (1990.12 to the present at the time of writing).

〔Directory record〕 The directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists Daedong Parish as belonging to the Daejeon Eastern District, with establishment date September 22, 1966 and patron Our Lady of Lourdes Mary. The establishment date differs from that in the encyclopedia (September 19, 1966).

Architecture and space

According to the encyclopedia, construction of the church (125 pyeong) and the rectory (36 pyeong) began on June 1967 and was completed on December, with dedication and blessing on March 25, 1968. Construction of a convent building of 17 pyeong began on July 1970, and an education center, kindergarten and rectory were newly built on May 1983.

Related places and people

• Daehung-dong Parish: the mother parish from which Daedong Parish was separated and established in 1966 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Jayang-dong Parish: the Jayang-dong Catholic mission chapel belonging to Daedong Parish was branched off as a parish on February 1987 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Panam-dong Parish: branched off from Daedong Parish on August 1993 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father Cyrillo Byeon Gap-seon: the first pastor of Daedong Parish (1968.1~1969.12) (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Daedong Parish” (Diocese of Daejeon, volume 3). Founding in 1966, church construction and blessing, kindergarten and convent, eucharistic adoration and elderly college, branching of Jayang-dong and Panam-dong, statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1252
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Catholic Directory of Korea “Daedong” (Diocese of Daejeon). Establishment date 1966.9.22, patron Our Lady of Lourdes Mary, Daejeon Eastern District.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201000662&gubun=4