Jinjam Catholic Church

Overview

Jinjam Church is a church in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City, belonging to the Diocese of Daejeon. It is the church in which ‘Wonnae-dong Church,’ approved for separation from Gasuwon Church on February 2001, was renamed to ‘Jinjam’ Church in 2006. Its patron saints are the Jinjam-born martyrs Saint Han Jaegwon Joseph and Saint Jeong Wonji Peter, and it belongs to the Daejeon South District.

History

〔Records of 1979–1989〕 The parish history on the Jinjam Church website also includes records from before 2001. According to the history, on September 10, 1979 Jinjam Parish was approved for separation from Yucheon-dong Parish and took Our Lady of Lourdes as its patron, and Fr. Jang Yeongsik (Thomas) took office as the first pastor. It records that on February 10, 1980 the 1th pastoral council was formed (first president Song Yocheol Peter), Fr. Gu Ilmo (Peter) took office as the 2th pastor on January 31, 1981, Fr. Yun Jongsu (John) as the 3th pastor on March 3, 1985, Fr. Kim Yeonggyo (Peter) as interim pastor on May 1 of the same year, and Fr. Yu Yunsik (Simon) as the 4th pastor on August 29. On December 31, 1989 the ‘approval of the Jinjam Catholic mission chapel’ is recorded. This history does not separately explain the relationship between the Jinjam Parish of 1979 and the Wonnae-dong Church of 2001.

〔Establishment〕 The parish history on the Jinjam Church website states that on February 8, 2001 Wonnae-dong Church was approved for separation from Gasuwon Church, on February 11 the first pastor Fr. Jeong Pilguk (Peter) took office, and on February 16 the first Mass and welcome ceremony for the first pastor were held. The Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference directory also lists the establishment date as February 8, 2001. In the same year, the first issue of ‘Jinjam Dure’ was published on February 18, the ‘Star of the Sea Curia’ was founded on February 25, and the first pastoral council was formed on March 8 (first president Min Gyeongho Marcellinus). The Mothers’ Association was launched on July 12, the Marian Association was launched on November 28, and on October 30 the church was expanded (installation of a baby room).

〔Dedication of the patron saints〕 According to the history, on October 28, 2001 Han Jaegwon (Joseph) and Jeong Wonji (Peter) were enshrined as patron saints. In 2009, the history records the ‘enshrinement of the relics of Saint Han Jaegwon Joseph’ on July 22, followed by a meeting of the relic-enshrinement committee on August 5, production of the reliquary monstrance stand on August 13, arrival of the monstrance at the church on September 18, and enshrinement of the relics of Saint Han Jaegwon Joseph in the monstrance and placement above the altar on September 19. In 2025, work to install a relief of the patron saints on the exterior church wall (behind the altar) was completed on September 16, and production of statues of patron saints Han Jaegwon Joseph and Jeong Wonji Peter was completed on October 10 and installed to the right of the altar.

〔Preparation for building the church〕 The history states that on December 1, 2002 the parish began collecting its own contributions and offerings for building the church, and on August 24, 2003 began selling goods to raise the church-building fund. On November 13, 2003 the existing church was closed due to housing-site development and moved to the 4th floor of the Yeonhap Clinic shopping arcade, and on November 28 the Tangjewon was completed (production of red-ginseng extract for church construction, relocation and blessing of the Tangjewon on July 15, 2004). On February 29, 2004 the parish website (www.jinjam.org) was opened.

〔Construction of the new church and change of name〕 On January 19, 2006 Fr. Im Sanggyo (Andrew Kim Daegon) took office as the 2th pastor. According to the history, the parish groundbreaking ceremony on June 10, 2006, excavation work on June 20, and completion of the structural frame on October 11 followed, and on October 1 approval was granted to change the parish name from Wonnae-dong to ‘Jinjam,’ and on November 14 Wonnae-dong Church was renamed to ‘Jinjam’ Church. Sales of goods for church construction ended on December 31, and on May 9, 2007 construction of ‘Jinjam Church’ was completed.

〔After 2007〕 The history records a dedication ceremony for handwritten Bible copies on October 9, 2007, operation of the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel (Hyogyeong Room) on March 2, 2008, and introduction of the Yangeop system on January 6, 2009. On January 20, 2011 Fr. Na Bonggyun (Joseph) took office as the 3th pastor, and on January 13, 2012 there was a blessing ceremony for the parish café ‘Via,’ and on April 19, 2013 the opening and blessing ceremony for the Good Library. Confirmations are recorded as 93 people on October 21, 2012 (celebrated by Bishop Yu Heungsik Lazarus), 59 people on May 19, 2019 (celebrated by Bishop Kim Jongsu Augustine), and 36 people on April 24, 2022 (celebrated by Bishop Han Jeonghyeon Stephen). As events marking the 17nd anniversary of the parish founding on February 4, 2018, a 17rd anniversary history was published and a statue of the Risen Sacred Heart was dedicated, and on December 3, 2021 Parking Lot No. 2 was blessed. On November 2022, from 19 to the 20th, all parishioners transcribed and offered Fr. Choe Yangeop’s letter transcription notebooks (67 people submitted).

〔Successive pastors〕 The parish-priests page introduces the successive pastors of Jinjam Church as the first, Jeong Pilguk Peter (2001.2–2006.1), the 2nd, Im Sanggyo Andrew Kim Daegon (2006.1–2011.1), the 3th, Na Bonggyun Joseph (2011.1.20–2014.1.22), the 4th, Lee Jaehun John the Baptist (2014.1.23–2016.8), the 5st, Baek Gwanghyeon John the Baptist (2016.8.24–2021.1), the 6th, Jeong Yunsik Cornelius (2021.1.21–2026.1), and the current, Kim Hanseung Raphael (took office in 2026.1.22). The history records Fr. Lee Jaehun’s appointment as January 22, 2014, one day different from the page’s date. As priests from the parish, the history records Fr. Im Jeonghyeon Theophilus (on leave while studying in Rome), who celebrated a parish Mass on July 6, 2025, and seminarian Park Yongseong Joseph from the parish, who received the ministries of Lector and Acolyte at Daejeon Catholic University on March 1 in the same year.

Related places and people

• Saint Han Jaegwon Joseph: According to the patron-saints page, he was born in Jinjam, Chungcheong-do in 1835 as the son of Han Eonjeok Dominic and Seongju Bae, and married Seo Magdalene but had no children. When persecution broke out in Jinjam, his father fled to Darisil in Gosan, Jeolla-do, and later led the family to live in Sin-ri Village in Daeseong-dong. He served as chairman in Jinjam and villagers called him “Chairman,” and on December 3, 1866 he was arrested by constables and imprisoned at the Jeonju magistrate’s office, and on December 13 he was beheaded at Supjeongi in Jeonju and martyred at age 31.
• Saint Jeong Wonji Peter: Born in 1845 in Jinjam, Chungcheong-do into a Catholic family, his father was martyred early. He passed through Yangnyang Sunneolmaru in Jeonju and Geumgu to Seongji-dong Village, where he lived as a tenant in Jo Peter’s house. During the raid on Seongji-dong on December 3, 1866, after spending a night in the mountains, he was arrested by constables, and on December 13 he was beheaded with other Catholics at the Supjeongi execution ground in Jeonju and martyred at age 21.
• Gasuwon Church: The mother parish from which Wonnae-dong Church, which later became Jinjam Church, received approval for separation on February 8, 2001 (parish history).

References and sources

1. Jinjam Church, Parish Introduction “Parish History”. Records of 1979–1989, establishment approval and first pastor appointment in 2001, dedication of patron saints and enshrinement of relics, fundraising for church construction and new church construction in 2006–2007, change of name, and later events and facility records.
   https://www.jinjam.org/sub0103.html
2. Jinjam Church, Parish Introduction “Patron Saints”. Lives and martyrdom of Saint Han Jaegwon Joseph and Saint Jeong Wonji Peter.
   https://www.jinjam.org/sub0102.html
3. Jinjam Church, Parish Introduction “Our Parish Priests”. Careers and terms of 7 successive pastors.
   https://www.jinjam.org/sub0101.html
4. Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Korean Catholic Directory “Jinjam”. Belonging to the Daejeon South District, establishment date 2001.2.8, patron saints.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000016&code=201000733&gubn2=all&char=all