Surichigol Shrine

Overview

The Surichigol Marian Shrine is a shrine of the Diocese of Daejeon located in the Guksabong area of Bonggap-ri, Sinpung-myeon, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, on the site of a persecution-era Catholic village where Korea's first Sacred Heart of Mary Association was organized on November 2, 1846. The motherhouse of the Mirinae Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary now stands there.

History

[Catholic Village in the Persecution Era] Good News writes that at the time there were Catholic hiding places in several places in the Gongju area centered on Guksabong, including Dumbeongi, Yongsu-gol, Deomti, Jinbat, and Meokbangi, and that among them Surichigol was the deepest and largest and was home to many Catholics living together, according to tradition. Chungnam Jin writes that the place name Surichigol derives from the abundance of suri-chwi plants growing in this area.

[Formation of the Sacred Heart of Mary Association (1846)] Good News explains that on November 2, 1846, a devotional association called the Sacred Heart of Mary Association was organized for the first time in Korea by Bishop Ferreol and contributed to the formation of faith in the Gongju area. The Digital Gongju Culture Encyclopedia writes that on that day French missionary Father Daveluy and the faithful gathered to found the Sacred Heart of Mary Association, that this group was registered with the association founded by Father Desgenettes of the Church of Our Lady of Victories in Paris, France, and that thereafter Surichigol became a place where the faithful regularly gathered to pray, although it is not known how long the Catholic village and the Sacred Heart of Mary Association survived. Chungnam Jin writes that the 3 head of the Joseon Diocese, Bishop Ferreol, and Father Antoine Daveluy founded the Joseon branch of the Sacred Heart of Mary Association to ask the Virgin Mary for protection for Joseon on the occasion of the martyrdom of Father Kim Dae-geon and the Byeong-o Persecution, and explains that the Sacred Heart of Mary Association was a devotional association founded in 1836 by Father Desgenettes, pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Victories in Paris.

[Confirmation of the Location and Development of the Shrine] The Digital Gongju Culture Encyclopedia writes that the time when meaning was given to Surichigol and its location was confirmed was around 1984, the 200 anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Church in Korea. The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary of Mirinae in present-day Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do took interest, began purchasing nearby land from 1986 onward and started developing the shrine, completed a cloistered monastery and a retreat house on August 22, 1990, and prepared prayer places in several nearby locations. The monastery became the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary on May 19, 1997. Good News writes that Father Jeong Haeng-man, founder of the Mirinae Holy Trinity Priestly Congregation and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, confirmed the location through several field visits, completed a cloistered monastery of the Sacred Heart of Mary for priests in 1990, unveiled a statue of the Holy Trinity, and in 1993 made and installed statues of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Good News explains that in 1997 the cloistered monastery moved elsewhere and the Mirinae Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary motherhouse moved in. Chungnam Jin writes that in 1984 Pope John Paul 2 officially recognized its value in Church history as the first shrine in the Korean Church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Mary (this content is not in Good News or the Culture Encyclopedia).

[Current Status as a Shrine] Chungnam Jin writes that this place is a designated shrine in the Diocese of Daejeon where a plenary indulgence can be received, and that management of the shrine is entrusted to the Mirinae Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary.

Architecture and Space

Chungnam Jin writes that above Marian Plaza there is a church where Mass is offered, and across from it a Blessed Sacrament adoration chapel and the Stations of the Cross have been created. The church has a round fish-shaped altar and the 2 floor was also designed in the shape of a fish, the Stations of the Cross consist of 14 stations, and at the top there is a fish-shaped Marian chapel symbolizing believers in the persecution era. On the forest path to the left of the Marian chapel there is a 3.5km pilgrimage course, divided into four meditation courses of the Luminous Mysteries, the Glorious Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Joyful Mysteries, each said to take from 30 to 60 minutes.

Related Places and People

• Mirinae Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary: manages the Surichigol shrine, and this place became its motherhouse on May 19, 1997 (Culture Encyclopedia, Chungnam Jin).
• Father Jeong Haeng-man: founder of the Mirinae Holy Trinity Priestly Congregation and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, who contributed to confirming and developing the Surichigol location (Good News).
• Bishop Ferreol and Father Daveluy: figures involved in the formation of the Sacred Heart of Mary Association in 1846, as recorded respectively by Good News (Ferreol) and the Culture Encyclopedia (Daveluy).

References and Sources

1. Catholic Good News Shrines and Historic Sites, “Surichigol Marian Shrine” (Diocese of Daejeon). Status of the Catholic village, formation of the Sacred Heart of Mary Association in 1846, development process in 1986–1997.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2306
2. Digital Gongju Culture Encyclopedia, “Surichigol Shrine”. Founding of the Sacred Heart of Mary Association in 1846, confirmation of the location around 1984, completion of the monastery on August 22, 1990, motherhouse on May 19, 1997.
   https://gongju.grandculture.net/gongju/toc/GC01701689
3. Chungnam Jin, “Surichigol Marian Shrine, Pilgrimage Road of Hope” (2025). Origin of the place name, church, Stations of the Cross and pilgrimage course, designated shrine for plenary indulgence.
   https://chungnamzine.com/5623