Sinhabdeok Catholic Church

Overview

Shinhapdeok Church is a church in Unsan-ri, Hapdeok-eup, Dangjin-si, Chungcheongnam-do, belonging to the Diocese of Daejeon. On November 18, 1960, mission chapels under Hapdeok Parish were combined and elevated and established as Beogeune Parish, and on April 12, 1967, it was dedicated as the Korean Martyrs Blessed Church. Its patron is St. Andrew Kim Daegon.

History

[Beogeune Mission Chapel] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in 1959, Father Park Noyeol (Paul), pastor of Hapdeok Parish, prepared a mission chapel hall in the patient shelter building in Jungdong, Unsan-ri, for the believers in the Unsan-ri area and established the Beogeune Mission Chapel, and the number of believers at the time was about 50. Afterwards the church grew rapidly, and the lay leaders of 11 mission chapels in the Sinpyeong, Ugang, and Myeoncheon areas joined forces, and a parish was established on November 18, 1960.

[Parish Establishment] According to the Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia, Shinhapdeok Church was established on November 18, 1960. As the church in Hapdeok and its vicinity grew sharply and the number of believers in the mother parish, Hapdeok Church, reached about 4,200, 1,880 believers were separated that year to Shinhapdeok, then called Beogeune, to form a new community. This community was called ‘Beogeune Church’ after the old Beogeune marketplace in Unsan-ri, Hapdeok-eup, and its founder was Father Lee Gyunam. At first, an isolation facility for epidemic patients called ‘byeongmak’ was purchased and used as a temporary church. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that the parish name changed to Unsan-ri Parish in 1962 and to Shinhapdeok Parish in 1967, while the Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia states that the name was changed from Beogeune Church to Shinhapdeok Church in 1973, so the date of the renaming differs by source.

[New Church Building and Dedication] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the first pastor, Father Lee Gyunam, formed a new church building committee in April 1962 and purchased land the following year, and completed the present church of 153 pyeong in December 1965. The dedication ceremony was celebrated on April 12, 1967, officiated by Bishop Hwang Minseong (Peter), and the rectory was completed in July of the same year and a hall in September 1969. The Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia states that the area around lot 253, Unsan-ri, the site of the present church, was purchased in April 1963 and church construction began the following year, and when the new church was completed on April 12, 1967, it was dedicated as the ‘Korean Martyrs Blessed Church’ in honor of Father Kim Daegon and the Korean martyrs.

[Sanctuarization of Solmoe] According to both sources, Solmoe, the birthplace of Father Kim Daegon, Korea’s first priest, lay within the jurisdiction of Shinhapdeok Parish. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that the 2 pastor, Father Gu Jao (Benedict), fully launched the work of sanctuarizing Solmoe, which had been transferred at the separation from Hapdeok Parish, and that the Diocese of Daejeon later took charge of the project. The Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia states that, with the participation of Shinhapdeok believers, the Solmoe sanctuarization project began on July 5, 1977 and became the driving force behind the birth of the present Solmoe Shrine, and explains that it formerly had jurisdiction over Solmoe Shrine but it has since been separated.

[Separation of Sinpyeong Parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, amid continued growth, Sinpyeong Parish was divided on April 10, 1975, transferring 8 mission chapels in the Sinpyeong-myeon area and 1,660 believers. The Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia states that it reached its prime in the 1970 era, with believers reaching about 3,500 in 1974, and that following Sinpyeong Church in 1975, it separated Sunseong Church in 2015.

[Later Facility Maintenance] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 2 pastor, Father Gu Jao, newly built the Sinchon-ri mission chapel and the Baekseok-ri mission chapel hall. Under the 3 pastor, Father Yun Insik, a new rectory was built in July 1981, while the old rectory was remodeled into a convent and the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres in Seoul were invited in March of the following year, and in September 1983 the Daechi-ri mission chapel was newly established and a mission chapel hall (18 pyeong) was built. Under the 4 pastor, Father Lee Jongdae, construction of the education hall began on April 10, 1988 and was completed on April 23 of the following year, and the Sinsong-ri and Seryu-ri mission chapel halls were also completed. The 5 pastor, Father Song Gapui, remodeled the rectory and refurbished the church interior and exterior, including confessional work, and the 6 pastor, Father Yun Yeonggyun, introduced a Sunday evening Mass, completed the Wonchi-ri and Achan-ri mission chapel halls, and established the Sacred Heart of Mary Curia in January 1999. The 7 pastor, Father Yang Taekgyu, launched the parish bulletin and founded the Daegon Association.

[Growth and Jurisdiction] The church growth recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia was 1,880 in 1960, 2,575 in 1965, 3,304 in 1972, 1,533 in 1976, 1,734 in 1980, 2,255 in 1987, 2,782 in 1993, 3,383 in 1997, and 3,396 in 1999. Its jurisdiction covered all of Ugang-myeon and parts of Hapdeok-eup, Sunseong-myeon, Myeoncheon-myeon, and Simpyeong-myeon, and its mission chapels were 9 places, including Achan-ri, Jungbang-ri, Sinsong-ri, Sinchon-ri, Wonchi-ri, Seryu-ri, Baekseok-ri, Daechi-ri, and Namsan. The Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia states that, as of the end of 2015, it had jurisdiction over Unsan-ri, Seogu-ri, Dogok-ri, and Soso-ri in Hapdeok-eup, all of Ugang-myeon, and Sinsong-ri in Sinpyeong-myeon, with 1,988 believers. Its successive pastors were the first, Joseph Lee Gyunam (1960.11~1972.12), the 2 pastor, Benedict Gu Jao (1972.12~1980.8), the 3 pastor, Paul Yun Insik (1980.8~1985.3), the 4 pastor, Joseph Lee Jongdae (1985.3~1990.2), the 5 pastor, John the Apostle Song Gapui (1990.2~1994.8), the 6 pastor, Michael Yun Yeonggyun (1994.8~1999.2), and the 7 pastor, Andrew Yang Taekgyu (1999.2~) (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

Architecture and Space

The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia gives the size of the present church, completed in December 1965, as 153 pyeong. According to the Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia, the Shinhapdeok Church compound can accommodate about 600, with a rectory where the pastor resides and a convent where 2 sisters reside, and the education hall is equipped with a hall that can hold about 300 and kitchen facilities for preparing food for festive occasions (described as of the end of 2015).

Related Places and Figures

• Solmoe Shrine: the birthplace of Father Kim Daegon; Shinhapdeok Parish took it over at the separation from Hapdeok Parish and began sanctuarization work. It has since been separated and is no longer under Shinhapdeok Church (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia).
• Hwangmusil Shrine: located in Seogu-ri, Hapdeok-eup, and still under Shinhapdeok Church. The Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia states that Hwangmusil had been a village inhabited by believers since the 1780 era and by the mid-1850 era was a large Catholic village where about 100 lived together; Father Wien was arrested in the 1866 Byeongin Persecution and martyred at Galmaemot, while Father Mestre and Father Landre died of illness and were buried at Hwangmusil. Francis Lee Bohyeon, who had lived at Hwangmusil, was beatified during Pope Francis’s visit to Korea in 2014, and to commemorate this, Shinhapdeok Church purchased part of the land and erected a monument on August 15, 2014, establishing Hwangmusil Shrine.
• Hapdeok Church: the mother parish of Shinhapdeok Church. The Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia states that Hapdeok Church, established in 1890, is the mother of Catholicism in the Dangjin area and the mother of Catholicism in Chungcheongnam-do, and that Dangjin Church in 1939 and Shinhapdeok Church in 1960 successively separated from Hapdeok Church (Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia “Catholicism”).
• Sinpyeong Church and Sunseong Church: parishes separated from Shinhapdeok Church in 1975 and 2015 respectively (Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Shinhapdeok Parish” (volume 8). Elevation to parish on November 18, 1960, patron, jurisdiction and mission chapels, church growth, successive priests, church completion in 1965 and dedication in 1967, separation of Sinpyeong Parish.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3994
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia “Catholic Shinhapdeok Church”. Establishment in 1960 and the Beogeune Church name, renaming in 1973, dedication as the Korean Martyrs Blessed Church, sanctuarization of Solmoe, Hwangmusil Shrine, status as of the end of 2015.
   https://www.grandculture.net/dangjin/toc/GC06400958
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Dangjin Culture Encyclopedia “Catholicism”. Changes in Catholicism in the Dangjin area, order of separation of Hapdeok, Dangjin, Shinhapdeok, and Sinpyeong Churches.
   https://www.grandculture.net/dangjin/toc/GC06400016