Seocheon Church

Overview

Seocheon Church is a church in Seocheon-eup, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Daejeon. Separated and established from Geumsari Parish in 1936, it became a Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Janghang Parish in December 1943 and was re-established as a parish on December 29, 1967, with the Sacred Heart of Jesus as its patron.

History

[Mission Chapel Era] According to the Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon, the Seocheon area was a region where the Gospel had been spread from early on, with Saint Hwang Seok-du (Luga), martyred in the Byeongin Persecution in 1866, and lay leader Kim Yosep and others residing in Sanmakgol, and lay leader Park Yohan, a Gongju martyr, and his son Park Un-seo (Baoro) were also from Jeongsu-dong, Seocheon. Im Baoro from neighboring Biin was martyred in Gongju, and Kim Pellikseu and brothers Kim Gabeuriel and Yosep were martyred in Seoul. As martyrs emerged in this way, the faith community in Seocheon was temporarily dispersed, but after the persecution ended, believers from other regions moved in and descendants of martyrs returned to the Church, forming communities in various places. Among them, Dokmoe (Suam-ri, Munsan-myeon) and Jageunjae (Geumdeok-ri, Pangyo-myeon), established as Catholic mission chapels in 1884, and Yongasil (Deogam-ri, Maseo-myeon), established as a Catholic mission chapel in 1890, were well known, and these mission chapels belonged to Gongju Parish from 1897 onward. On April 27, 1901, Buyeo Parish was separated and established from Gongju, with Father Gongbereu (J. Gombert) appointed as the first pastor, and all the mission chapels in the Seocheon area came to belong to Geumsari Parish in Buyeo.

[Parish Establishment] According to the Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon, the mission chapels in Seocheon were maintained until the early Japanese colonial period but were closed as believers moved away, and instead, as the number of believers in Seocheon-eup grew, the ‘Seocheon Catholic mission chapel’ under the jurisdiction of Geumsari Parish was established in 1934, and 2 years later, in 1936, it was elevated to ‘Seocheon Parish,’ with Father Jo In-won taking office as the first pastor. The Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon states that Seocheon mission chapel was established on May 15, 1934 and elevated to a parish in May 1936, administering the parish district around the church and 7 mission chapels, and explains that it was located in the Seocheon-eup area to respond to the movement of believers expected from railway construction and the concentration of population at the station location.

[Transfer of the Parish to Janghang and Re-establishment] The 2 pastor, Father Kim Yeong-sik, judging that Janghang was more strategic for Church development, worked to elevate the mission chapel there to a parish, and in 1941 purchased a site of 2,400 pyeong and built a small building, but in January of the following year was transferred to Gangneung Parish (now Imdang-dong). Afterwards, with Janghang mission chapel elevated to a parish on December 15, 1943, Seocheon Parish became a mission chapel under its jurisdiction, the church site was sold, and the rectory was used as the mission chapel building. In 1955, Seocheon mission chapel believers built a mission chapel hall, and the following year held a blessing ceremony officiated by Bishop Laribo. The pastor of Janghang Parish at the time was Father Yu Bong-un (Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon).

As the number of Seocheon mission chapel believers steadily increased in the 1950~1960s, believers pushed for elevation to a parish and built a new rectory on August 10, 1967. As a result, it was re-established as a parish on December 29 of that year, with Father Jo Byeong-gi taking office as the 3 pastor (Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon). The Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon explains that in 1967 the number of believers at Seocheon Church was 1,352, far exceeding 757 at Janghang Church, and that while Janghang Church was biased toward the coast, Seocheon Church was in a favorable location to encompass the previous historic mission chapels.

[After the 1970s] During the tenure of the 5 pastor, Father Yun In-sik, a statue of the Virgin Mary was blessed on May 23, 1976 and a convent was built on June 9. After the 6 pastor, Father Kim Gi, plans were made to build a new church, and through the efforts of believers the present church was newly built and blessed on July 2, 1984; before that, in 1981, the rectory and catechetical classrooms (60 pyeong) were completed. On April 20, 1985 the church corridor was expanded, on August 20 the church was extended, and on October 15 landscaping work was done, and on June 30, 1992 a 15-pyeong prefabricated building (2 stories) for use as catechetical classrooms was built. Since 1996, a feast for the elderly in the jurisdictional area has been held every year (Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon).

[Separations and Proclamation of Holy Sites] According to the Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon, Seocheon Church grouped the mission chapels in Biin and Seomyeon and separated and established Seomyeon Church in 2011, and in 2016 separated and elevated Masan, Hansan, Hwayang and others as Hansan Church. In 2023, through the Diocese of Daejeon, holy sites such as Dokmoe, Jageunjae, and Sanmakgol were proclaimed as pilgrimage sites. This source evaluates Seocheon Church as the mother parish of the Seocheon-area parishes, having separated and established parishes such as Janghang, Seomyeon, and Hansan.

[Building and Status] The Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon records that the present Seocheon Church building was built on April 9, 2006, with a total floor area of 1,781 square meters, a reinforced concrete 3-story structure equipped with an assembly hall and catechetical classrooms with a capacity of 500 seats (the Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon records that the church was newly built and blessed on July 2, 1984, differing on the construction date). As of the end of 2022, there were 872 households and 1,706 believers, with 1 pastor and 2 missionary sisters of the Syaltereu Seong Baoro Sisters active.

[Church Statistics and Successive Pastors] The church statistics recorded in the Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon are in 1968 1,500 believers, in 1973 1,360 believers, in 1978 1,441 believers, in 1982 1,451 believers, in 1987 1,573 believers, in 1991 1,516 believers, in 1994 1,494 believers, in 1996 1,498 believers. The mission chapels are recorded as Wolsan, Hansan, Masan, Suam, Sinnong, Biin, Pangyo, Dodun, Busa, Wondu and others, 10 places in total. The successive priests are the first Jo In-won Binsensio (1936~1939), the 2 Kim Yeong-sik Bedeuro (1939~1942.1), the 3 Jo Byeong-gi Baoro (1967.12~1971.7), the 4 Kim Gi-ryong Yohan (1971.7~1974.11), the 5 Yun In-sik Baoro (1974.11~1980.9), the 6 Kim Gi Baoro (1980.9~1984.11), the 7 Baek Seung-ok Isidoro (1984.11~1989.8), the 8 Bang Yun-seok Bereunareudo (1989.8~1992.3), the 9 Cubeureo (P. Coumeur, Go Gwang-ui) Baoro (1992.3~1993.8), the 10 Na Gi-sun Ludobiko (1993.8~) (based on the time of compilation of the encyclopedia).

Related Places and People

• Janghang Parish: The parish where, with Janghang mission chapel elevated to a parish on December 15, 1943, Seocheon Parish became a mission chapel under its jurisdiction (Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon, Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon).
• Geumsari Parish: The parish to which the mission chapels in the Seocheon area belonged and from which Seocheon Parish was separated in 1936 (Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon).
• Dokmoe (Suam-ri, Munsan-myeon), Jageunjae (Geumdeok-ri, Pangyo-myeon), Sanmakgol: Former mission chapels and faith heritage sites in the Seocheon area, proclaimed as pilgrimage sites in 2023 (Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon, Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon).
• Saint Hwang Seok-du (Luga): A person martyred in the Byeongin Persecution in 1866, who resided in Sanmakgol, Seocheon (Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon).
• Seomyeon Church (separated in 2011), Hansan Church (separated in 2016): Parishes separated and established from Seocheon Church (Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon).

References and Sources

1. Hanguk Gyohwesa Yeonguso, Hanguk Gatollik Daesajeon “Seocheon Parish”. Seocheon area mission chapel era, parish establishment in 1936, mission chapel under Janghang jurisdiction and re-establishment in 1967, church construction in 1984, church statistics and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3190
2. Hangukhak Jungang Yeonguwon, Dijiteol Seocheon Munhwa Daejeon “Seocheon Church”. Mission chapel establishment in 1934 and elevation to parish in 1936, re-establishment in 1967, separations in 2011 and 2016, proclamation of holy sites in 2023, building in 2006 and status in 2022.
   https://www.grandculture.net/seocheon/toc/GC09501319