Sapgyo Catholic Church

Overview

Sapgyo Church is a church in Singa-ri, Sapgyo-eup, Yesan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, belonging to the Diocese of Daejeon. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, it was separated and established from Yesan Parish on April 27, 1967, its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its first pastor was Father Emilio Beaudevin (E. Beaudevin). It is a parish that administers the Baenadeuri Catholic village by the nearby Sapgyo Stream and the martyrdom shrine of Blessed In Eon-min Martino.

History

[Early history] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that in Sapgyo and its neighboring areas, from the martyrdom of In Eon-min (Martino) in the Jeongsa persecution of 1797 until the martyrdom of Bang Yeong-chang (Antonio) in 1868, many martyrs and Church leaders emerged. It explains that the momentary ruin by persecution in October 1817 of the Baenadeuri community (Sapgyo-ri, Sapgyo-eup) beside the Sapgyo Stream is very famous. Good News Catholic Shrines states that Baenadeuri was an island-like village on the Sapgyo Stream southeast of Sapgyo-eup, which was called by this name because floods turned its surroundings into a sea of water crossed by boat, and that in 1817 the runners of Haemi arrested and dragged away all the faithful, and Min Cheomji Peter and his sister-in-law Anna, Song Cheomji Joseph, Son Yeon-uk Joseph, Min Suk-gan and others kept the faith under severe torture and were martyred in prison.

[Catholic mission chapel period] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gospel was preached again in this area when faithful living in Hapdeok in the early Japanese colonial period moved here to prepare a new place of life. In the 1930s, faith communities began to form in neighboring Juryeong-ri, Eungbong-myeon (present Eungbong Parish area) and in Jurae (Yongdong-ri 1 sector, Sapgyo-eup), and from about that time faithful also began to live in downtown Sapgyo and in Yongmeori (Yongdong-ri 2 sector). Then the Juryeong-ri Catholic mission chapel was established in 1941, the Sapgyo Catholic mission chapel was established around the Liberation in 8-15, and the Jurae Catholic mission chapel was established on October 24, 1956. The Jurae Catholic mission chapel (president Lino Kim Do-heung) built a hall in 1957 with the support of Yesan Parish, and in 1960 the hall of the Sapgyo Catholic mission chapel (president James Jo Seong-dong) was also built.

[Building of the church] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as the number of faithful continued to increase, the presidents of the Sapgyo, Juryeong-ri and Jurae Catholic mission chapels worked for elevation to a parish and decided to build a church, and with the help of Father Beaudevin of Yesan Parish purchased the site of the present parish. After a groundbreaking ceremony on March 19, 1965, with fund support from president Simon Kim In-sik of the Jurae Catholic mission chapel, a church with a scale of 90 pyeong was completed on April 5 of the following year, and on April 24 the dedication ceremony was held with the first Mass. In the following year the hall of the Yongmeori Catholic mission chapel was built and construction of the rectory and convent was started. The Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia writes that the present church held its dedication ceremony on April 24, 1967, so the year of dedication differs by source.

[Establishment of the parish] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia writes that on April 27, 1967 Sapgyo Parish was established and Father Beaudevin was appointed as the first pastor (the Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia writes that it was separated from Yesan Parish in 1966 and the first parish pastor was Father Emil Beaudevin, so the year of establishment differs). Immediately after taking office, Father Beaudevin founded groups such as the women’s association, the student association and the youth association, completed the rectory and convent, and on October 1, 1968 invited the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Pohang. In the term of the 2 pastor, Father Plassier, a hall was built, and in 1972 the Juryeong-ri Catholic mission chapel was transferred from Yesan Parish while the nearby Jurae Catholic mission chapel was closed. In 1975 the church yard was expanded and in the following year a statue of Mary was enshrined.

[Branching] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia writes that on October 1, 1979 Deoksan Parish was separated with the transfer of 616 parish registers, on July 26, 1985 the Sansu-ri area of Hongbuk-myeon, Hongseong-gun was transferred to Hongseong Parish, and on April 10, 1986 the Juryeong-ri Catholic mission chapel was elevated to Eungbong Parish with the transfer of 465 parish registers. The Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia writes that Deoksan Church was separated and established from Sapgyo Parish on September 19, 1979 with Father Marco Lee Chang-deok as first pastor, and Eungbong Church was separated and established from Sapgyo Parish on April 1, 1986 with Father Paul Kim Jin-hwa taking office as first pastor, and that the present church was built in 2001 by the 4 pastor, Father Cyrillo Byeon Gap-seon.

[After 1987] In January 1987, in the time of the 5 pastor, Father Marco Lee Han-yeong, the Yongmeori Catholic mission chapel was closed, and in June of that year the ‘Mother of All Curia’ was established (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The 6 pastor, Father Paul Couvreur (P. Couvreur) transferred the Buncheon-ri Catholic mission chapel to Yesan Parish in August 1988, and in 1991 created the ‘In Eon-min Martino Martyrdom Shrine’ on the site of the former Yongmeori Catholic mission chapel. The 7 pastor, Father Gabriel Yun Seong-gyun erected a martyrdom monument at this shrine site on August 13, 1992 and on April 11, 1993 expanded the existing hall into a Marian hall. The 8 pastor, Father Beda Lee Won-mu completed office computerization in April 1996, ran a Korean-language school for illiterate people in the area, and in 1997 published the parish history titled 《History of Sapgyo Parish over 30 Years》. The Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia writes that on June 10, 2017 a thanksgiving event for the 50 anniversary of the parish establishment was held.

[Church statistics and successive pastors] The church statistics recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 1,525 persons in 1967, 1,330 persons in 1970, 2,135 persons in 1978, 1,411 persons in 1983, 998 persons in 1988, 932 persons in 1991, and 1,094 persons in 1996, and the jurisdictional area is Singa-ri, Du-ri, Sangseong-ri, Hyorim-ri, Banga-ri, Sapgyo, Pyeongchon-ri and Yongdong-ri in Sapgyo-eup. The successive pastors are the first Emilio Beaudevin (1967.4-1972.2), the 2 Augustino Plassier (A. Plassier, Park Su-beom) (1972.2-1977.10), the 3 Michael Lee Seol (1977.10-1982.9), the 4 Bellado Yun Jong-hak (1982.9-1986.4), the 5 Marco Lee Han-yeong (1986.4-1988.2), the 6 Paul Couvreur (P. Couvreur, Go Gwang-ui) (1988.2-6), the 7 Gabriel Yun Seong-gyun (1988.6-1996.2), and the 8 Beda Lee Won-mu (in office from 1996.2 at the time of compilation of the encyclopedia).

Related Places and People

• In Eon-min (Martino) Martyrdom Shrine: it is located in Yongdong 2-ri (commonly called Haryong Village) near the Baenadeuri Catholic village. It was originally the place of the hall of the Jurye Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Yesan Parish, and when the Catholic mission chapel was closed and the hall was to be demolished as Sapgyo Parish branched off in 1967, it was created as a shrine commemorating Martino In Eon-min (Good News Catholic Shrines). In Eon-min was arrested in 1797, punished in Cheongju and transferred again to Haemi, and was martyred by beating with sticks on December 15, 1799 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). On August 16, 2014 he was raised to the rank of Blessed by Pope Francis at Gwanghwamun Square (Good News Catholic Shrines).
• Baenadeuri: a Catholic village by the Sapgyo Stream, administered together by Sapgyo Parish (Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia). The village was ruined by the persecution of 1817, and the shrine has a stone engraved with the words “Glory to the Martyrs,” the Martino In Eon-min monument, and an outdoor altar in the middle of a cross-shaped garden (Good News Catholic Shrines).
• Yesan Church (Oridong): the mother parish from which Sapgyo Parish was separated, which had branched off from Hapdeok Church in 1927. The Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia explains that afterwards Sapgyo Church in 1967, Sillyewon Church in 1977, Deoksan Church in 1979, Eungbong Church in 1986, Yesan Sanseong-ri Church in 1988, and Yeosaul Shrine Church in 2008 were separated and established.
• Deoksan Church and Eungbong Church: churches separated from Sapgyo Church in 1979 and 1986 respectively (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Sapgyo Parish” (vol. 6). Separation and establishment from Yesan Parish on April 27, 1967, early history and Catholic mission chapel period, building of the church, branching, creation of the In Eon-min shrine, church statistics and successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3065
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Yesan Culture Encyclopedia “Catholicism”. Location and time of separation of Sapgyo Church, first pastor, administration of Baenadeuri, separation of Deoksan and Eungbong, 50 anniversary event of the establishment in 2017, and order of branching of churches in the Yesan area.
   https://www.grandculture.net/yesan/toc/GC06601079
3. Good News (Catholic Internet), Catholic Shrines “Baenadeuri”. Baenadeuri Catholic village and persecution of 1817, background of creation of the Martino In Eon-min shrine, beatification (August 16, 2014).
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2836