Ganggyo Catholic Church

Overview

Ganggyeong Church is a church in Jungang-ri, Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do, belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Daejeon. In 1945, it was separated from Nonsan Parish and established, and according to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia its patron is the Sacred Heart of Mary. The present church building was designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 650 on August 25, 2015.

History

[Beginnings of Faith in the Ganggyeong Area] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the Ganggyeong area had been inhabited by the faithful since the era of persecution, that many martyrs of the Korean Church came from this area, and that after religious freedom was achieved in 1884, Catholic mission chapels were established in various places including Ganggyeong-ri, Umteum (the present rectory site), and Seokgyo-dong. The Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture states that the Ganggyeong area first appears in 1883, when among the mission chapels founded by Father Doucet, who was in charge of Chungcheong-do at the time, was the Ganggyeong mission chapel, with 131 parishioners. In 1897, these mission chapels came under Nabawi Parish (Hwasan Parish), which Father Vemorel founded in Hwasan-ri, Mangseong-myeon, Iksan-gun. After the ‘Ganggyeongpo Incident’ (Ganggyeong church incident) that occurred in 1899 was resolved, the Church grew further (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture).

[Changes in Parish Affiliation] According to the Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture, when the Joseon Vicariate was divided into the Daegu Vicariate and the Seoul Vicariate in 1911, the Ganggyeong mission chapel administratively belonged to the Seoul Vicariate while its parish belonged to the Daegu Vicariate, causing confusion, and this conflict was resolved in 1921 when Nonsan Parish (present Buchang-dong Church) was separated from Hwasan Parish. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that in 1921, Nonsan Parish was separated and Father Rouvelet took office as its first pastor, after which most of the mission chapels in the Ganggyeong area came to belong to it.

[Parish Establishment] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the Ganggyeong area became independent from Nonsan Parish in 1945; as parish approvals proceeded smoothly with Liberation, Father Jo In-won (Vincent) of the parish accepted the wishes of the faithful and requested the division of the Ganggyeong area from the diocesan office, and accordingly it was established as a parish in the same year. The first pastor, Father Park Gwi-hun, used a hanok as the church in the absence of a rectory and worked to settle the parish before being transferred in 1948 (the encyclopedia’s list of successive pastors gives August 1946–June 1948). The Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture’s entry on “Ganggyeong Church” gives the founding year as 1945 and the founder as Father Park Gwi-hun, while its entry on “Catholicism” states in one place that Ganggyeong Parish was separated from Nonsan Parish in 1946 and in another that it was separated and established in 1945.

[Father Bermond and the Present Church] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Bermond, who took office next, stabilized the parish and laid the foundation for growth. Father Bermond first secured the church site and worked to promote evangelization and devotional associations, and also established the parish cemetery. In 1957, he founded St. Joseph Relief Clinic, built the rectory in 1959, and completed the present church in 1961. In 1963, he handed over pastoral care to the 3th pastor, Father Blanc, and died in 1967 and was buried in the parish cemetery. The Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture records that the present church building was completed in February 1961 under the design and supervision of Father Yuk Se-yeong.

[Later Growth] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 4th pastor, Father Jeon Hae-gwang (James), built the hall (in 1966) and a monument to Father Bermond (in 1968). The 5th pastor, Father Yun Ju-byeong (Peter), opened the convent and Our Lady Kindergarten in 1970 and invited the Sisters of the Inbo Eucharistic Congregation. The 8th pastor, Father Kim Yeong-gyo (Peter), founded the Ganggyeong Central Cooperative immediately after taking office and received its approval after 2 years, the 10th pastor, Father An Sang-cheol (Michael), newly built the kindergarten, rectory, and convent in 1983, and the 11th pastor, Father Jo Seong-ok (John), repaired the church and rebuilt the altar.

[Church Strength and Jurisdiction] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that as of 1993, the parish had 23 apostolic organizations and 1,915 parishioners. At the time of its establishment, its jurisdiction covered most of Ganggyeong-eup, Seongdong-myeon, and Chaeun-myeon in Nonsan-gun, parts of Sedo-myeon and Seokseong-myeon in Buyeo-gun, and part of Mangseong-myeon in Iksan-gun, Jeonbuk, with 5 affiliated mission chapels including Manggae (Cheongpo-ri, Sedo-myeon), Gaecheok (Gaecheok-ri, Seongdong-myeon), Eongogae (Gahoe-ri, Sedo-myeon), Hwasu-ri (Hwasu-ri, Sedo-myeon), and Seokseong (Seokseong-ri, Seokseong-myeon), but all have since been closed except the Manggae (Sedo) mission chapel, which remains. The Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture states that it is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Mary, has Our Lady Kindergarten as an affiliated institution, and its jurisdiction covers 12 villages in Ganggyeong-eup and parts of Seongdong-myeon, Sedo-myeon and Seokseong-myeon in Buyeo-gun, and part of Mangseong-myeon in Iksan, Jeonbuk.

[Successive Pastors] The successive pastors listed by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the first, Park Gwi-hun (John) (1946.8–1948.6), the 2th pastor, Bermond (Julius) (1948.6–1963.8), the 3th pastor, Blanc (John) (1963.8–1965.6), the 4th pastor, Jeon Hae-gwang (James) (1965.6–1969.11), the 5th pastor, Yun Ju-byeong (Peter) (1969.11–1972.8), the 6th pastor, Yun Seok-bin (Luke) (1972.8–1974.11), the 7th pastor, Go Il-bong (Gabriel) (1974.11–1977.2), the 8th pastor, Kim Yeong-gyo (Peter) (1977.2–1978.1), the 9th pastor, Kim Gi-ryong (John) (1978.1–1982.3), the 10th pastor, An Sang-cheol (Michael) (1982.3–1985.8), the 11th pastor, Jo Seong-ok (John) (1985.8–1990.8), and the 12th pastor, Park Sang-ok (Thomas) (1990.8–).

Architecture and Space

The Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture’s “Ganggyeong Church” records that it was designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 650 on August 25, 2015, that its heritage designation number was abolished by a Cultural Heritage Administration notification and it was re-designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage on November 19, 2021, and that it was changed to National Registered Cultural Heritage with the enforcement of the Framework Act on National Heritage on May 17, 2024.

Related Places and Figures

• Buchang-dong Church in Nonsan: the mother parish to which the Ganggyeong area belonged in 1921. The Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture records that as the mother church for the Nonsan area, Ganggyeong Church, Yeonmu Church, Nonsan Daegyo-dong Church, and Nonsan Nae-dong Church were separated from Buchang-dong Church, and that Buchang-dong Church was separated from Nabawi Parish in June 1921 and its present church building was completed in October 1961.
• Nabawi Parish (Hwasan Parish): the parish founded in Hwasan-ri, Mangseong-myeon, Iksan-gun by Father Vemorel in 1897, to which the mission chapels in the Ganggyeong area belonged (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Ganggyeongpo Incident (Ganggyeong church incident): the incident that occurred in 1899; after its resolution the Church in the Ganggyeong area expanded (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Ganggyeong Parish” (Vol. 1). Separation and establishment from Nonsan Parish in 1945, founding and transformation, activities of Father Bermond, completion of the present church in 1961, jurisdiction and mission chapels, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/211
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture “Ganggyeong Church”. Ganggyeong mission chapel in 1883, separation from Nonsan Parish in 1945, process of National Registered Cultural Heritage designation, jurisdiction.
   https://www.grandculture.net/nonsan/toc/GC02000225
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Encyclopedia of Nonsan Culture “Catholicism”. Overview of Catholicism in the Nonsan area, background of the separation of Buchang-dong Church and Ganggyeong Church, completion of the present church in February 1961.
   https://www.grandculture.net/nonsan/toc/GC02002408