Jeonui Catholic Church

Overview

Jeonui Church is a church in Eupnae-ri, Jeonui-myeon, Sejong Special Self-Governing City, belonging to the Diocese of Daejeon. The Jeonui Catholic mission chapel belonging to Jochiwon Parish was elevated to a parish in April 1980 and established, and according to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, its patron is Saint Joseph. The first pastor was Father Kim Sun-ho.

History

〔Mission Chapel Period〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and the Digital Sejong City Cultural Encyclopedia record that the Jeonui Catholic mission chapel belonging to Jochiwon Parish was founded in Donggyo-ri, Jeonui-myeon in 1957. At that time, the faithful of the mission chapel had no separate mission chapel building and held mission chapel rites in believers’ homes used as a temporary mission chapel, including the house of Lee Su-pil in Donggyo-ri, the house of Choi In-hyeok in Eupnae-ri in 1958, the house of Hwang Tae-hui in Eupnae-ri in 1969, and the house of Hyeon Chang-sun in Eupnae-ri in 1973. In January 1974, Choi Dong-bun (Veronica), who lived in Seoul, donated 70 ten thousand won as a fund for building a new mission chapel, which made the plan to build a mission chapel hall concrete, and in April of the same year the mission chapel building was completed.

〔Preparation for Elevation to Parish〕 After obtaining a mission chapel building, the faithful were active centered on the mission chapel and discussed establishing a parish, and in July 1977 they formed the ‘Church Construction Promotion Committee.’ According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the committee submitted a church construction plan to the diocesan authorities, received approval, and completed the rectory in November 1979.

〔Establishment as Parish〕 The Jeonui mission chapel was elevated to a parish in April 1980, and Father Kim Sun-ho took office as the first pastor (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Sejong City Cultural Encyclopedia). The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records the elevation as April 17. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Kim Sun-ho used the existing hall building as a church and worked to lay the foundation of the parish, but suffered the hardship of losing the wooden church in the flood that swept the Jeonui area in July 1980. With flood relief donations received from parishes across the country in March of the following year and the donations and labor of the parish faithful, church construction began in March 1981 and a single-story church (119 pyeong) was completed in October.

〔Early Development〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 2th pastor, Father Lee Eun-jin, began construction, provided a hall and rectory in October 1984, and carried out church repair work in June of the following year. The Olivetan Benedictine Sisters, who had assisted parish ministry since May 1983, withdrew in August 1987 because of the parish’s difficult circumstances. Father Hwang Yong-yeon, who took office as the 5th pastor in 1988, completed church repair work and landscaping on April 15, 1990, held an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the parish, and completed a meeting room (25 pyeong) in April of the following year.

〔House of Joseph〕 After planning the ‘construction of a residence facility for elderly without family support’ in 1993, funds for construction were raised together with the faithful through bazaars and the production and sale of meju, a local specialty, and the single-story building ‘House of Joseph’ was completed in May 1994 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Sejong City Cultural Encyclopedia).

〔After 1995〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that when the Sojeong-ri mission chapel under its jurisdiction was closed in February 1995, the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres who had been active in the mission chapel assisted parish ministry until February 1998. Father Lee Ui-jeong, who took office as the 7th pastor in February 1999, rebuilt the parish patron saint statue destroyed by strong winds in August of the same year and held a blessing ceremony in October. In June 2001, the convent building, which had become unused after the withdrawal of the branch convent, was repaired for use as an education hall and offices, and Father Lee Ui-jeong worked to vitalize small community gatherings, including offering Mass with district members every Friday. The Digital Sejong City Cultural Encyclopedia also records that in June 2001 the convent building was repaired into an education hall and offices.

〔Parish Statistics and Jurisdiction〕 The parish statistics recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 339 persons in 1981, 657 persons in 1986, 497 persons in 1990, 664 persons in 1994, 780 persons in 1998, and 676 persons in 2001. The jurisdictional area at that time was all of Jeonui-myeon and Sojeong-myeon and parts of Jeondong-myeon, Mokcheon-eup, Gwangdeok-myeon, and Pungse-myeon in Cheonan-si. The Digital Sejong City Cultural Encyclopedia describes the jurisdictional area as of 2019 as Jeonui-myeon and Sojeong-myeon, part of Jeondong-myeon, and parts of Mokcheon-eup, Gwangdeok-myeon, and Pungse-myeon in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, and explains that it belongs to the Gongju District of the Diocese of Daejeon. The successive pastors in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the first, Francis Kim Sun-ho (1980.4~1982.9), 2th, Dominic Lee Eun-jin (1982.9~1985.8), 3th, John Crinquand (J. Crinquand, Kang Jin-su) (1985.8~1987.8), 4th, Matthias Lee Won-sun (1987.8~1988.2), 5th, Paul Jeremiah Hwang Yong-yeon (1988.2~1995.2), 6th, Pontian Kim Gi-beom (1995.2~1999.2), and 7th, Matthias Lee Ui-jeong (1999.2~).

Related Places and People

• Jochiwon Church: As the mother parish to which the Jeonui mission chapel belonged, it separated and established Jeonui Parish in April 1980, transferring 240 faithful to the new parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Jochiwon Parish”). It is also recorded that in April 1974, during the time of the 7th pastor of Jochiwon Parish, the Jeonui mission chapel hall was built.
• House of Joseph: A residence facility for elderly without family support completed in May 1994 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Sejong City Cultural Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Jeonui Parish” (Vol. 10). Elevation from mission chapel to parish in April 1980, patron, jurisdictional area, mission chapel period and parish establishment process, new church construction, growth of the parish, parish statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5439
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Sejong City Cultural Encyclopedia “Jeonui Church.” Founding of the Jeonui mission chapel in 1957, completion of the mission chapel building in 1974, elevation to parish in 1980, completion of the single-story church in 1981, House of Joseph, jurisdictional area.
   https://www.grandculture.net/sejong/toc/GC07700956
3. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Jochiwon Parish” (Vol. 10). Separation and establishment of Jeonui Parish in April 1980 and transfer of 240 faithful, construction of the Jeonui mission chapel hall in 1974.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5646