Unsan Church

Overview

Unsan Church is a church located in Galsan-ri, Unsan-myeon, Seosan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, belonging to the Diocese of Daejeon. It was founded in 1974 when it was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Seosan parish to a parish, and according to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, its patron is St. Andrew the Apostle. The Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia records that it was the first among the mission chapels in the present Seosan area to be elevated to a church.

History

〔Mission Chapel Era〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that after the persecution ended, faith communities began to form again in the Naepo region, and by the early 1880s about 1 thousand believers lived there. Father C.-E. Doucet, who was in charge of this region from 1881, visited the communities and established mission chapels in various places, and in 1889 founded the ‘Gangdang-ri’ mission chapel in Yonghyeon-ri, Unsan-myeon, which then had 120 believers. Father Curlier, who had jurisdiction over the southern and eastern parts of Chungcheong-do, newly established the ‘Mireokbeol’ mission chapel in Yongjang-ri, Unsan-myeon in 1894, when it had 90 believers. The name Mireokbeol is said to derive from a Maitreya Buddha statue on a small hill in the center of the village. Since the number of believers at the Gangdang-ri mission chapel dropped sharply from 228 in 1892 to 62 in the year the Mireokbeol mission chapel was founded, the encyclopedia notes that believers from both places appear to have initially held mission chapel services together in Gangdang-ri and separated at that time.

The number of believers at the Mireokbeol mission chapel gradually increased to 212 in 1917, while the Gangdang-ri mission chapel declined to 45. The Unsan-ri mission chapel, which had belonged to Hapdeok parish until then, came under the jurisdiction of the newly established parish when Seosan parish was founded. In 1919, the Gangdang-ri mission chapel was merged into the Mireokbeol mission chapel, and in 1966 a mission chapel hall of 60 pyeong was newly built (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia records that the number of believers at the Gangdang-ri and Mireokbeol mission chapels within the jurisdiction of Unsan Church reached over 200 when they were designated as mission chapels at the end of the 19 century.

〔Elevation to Parish〕 On November 30, 1974, the Unsan mission chapel was elevated to a parish, and Father Kim Giryong took office as the first pastor (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia gives the founding date as November 20, 1974, so the date differs by source. The Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia explains that Unsan Church was founded to care for believers in village Catholic communities continuing from the late Joseon period and to run a school. In the Unsan area there was Daecheol Middle School, opened in 1958 under the name of the Foundation for the Maintenance of the Catholic Church, and until before 2008, the pastor or assistant priest of Unsan Church concurrently served as chaplain of Daecheol Middle School.

〔Development〕 Father Kim Giryong used the mission chapel hall as the church while laying the foundation of the parish, and in 1979 built an education hall for the re-education and gatherings of believers. During the tenure of Father Jeong Jipung, the 5 pastor, a convent was newly built on September 14, 1986, and in December of the following year a branch house of the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs was established. In June 1987, construction of the chapel hall of the Tapgok mission chapel under the parish began and was completed in August (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

〔Present Church〕 As the number of believers grew and celebrating Mass became inconvenient, Father Jeong Jipung began construction of a new 3-story church (380 pyeong) in March 1990, completed it on November 4, 1992, and held the dedication ceremony (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia). After the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs withdrew in December 1993, a branch house of the Mirinae Sisters of the Holy Heart of Mary was established in February 1995. Father Kim Hongcheon, the 7 pastor, organized an event in November 1999 for the 25 anniversary of the parish establishment. The Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia records that on January 23, 2008, a priest was assigned separately to Daecheol Middle School, separating the administration of Unsan Church and the school.

〔Pastoral Care and Current Status〕 According to the encyclopedia, Father Han Dongseong, the 8 pastor, considering that his jurisdiction was a rural area and most residents were elderly, focused on education and faith guidance for the elderly, promoted the operation of a senior college and a Korean-language school, invigorated Scripture education and Gospel sharing, and adopted ‘In Prayer with the Gospel’ as his pastoral indicator. Lay groups include the Legion of Mary and service-oriented St. Joseph Association, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Sacred Heart Association, Marian Association, St. Andrew Kim Daegeon Association, and St. Andrew Association. The Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia records that although there were many old village Catholic communities and mission chapels, only the Tapgok mission chapel is now maintained, and most mission chapels have been closed or absorbed into churches. The jurisdiction covers Unsan-myeon and Eumam-myeon in Seosan-si and Sudang-ri and Daeunsan-ri in Jeongmi-myeon, Dangjin-gun, and the number of affiliated believers is 834 as of the end of 2010, or 14.2% of the population of the jurisdiction. 2 sisters reside in the branch house of the Mirinae Sisters of the Holy Heart of Mary in the annex.

〔Church Statistics and Successive Pastors〕 The church statistics recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 485 in 1974, 576 in 1979, 626 in 1985, 840 in 1989, 1,086 in 1992, 756 in 1996, and 570 in 2000. The jurisdiction is recorded as all areas of Sudang-ri, Anho-ri, Yeomi-ri, Sudang-ri, Yongjang-ri 1 district in Jeongmi, Mipyeong, Galsan-ri, Supyeong-ri, Sangseong-ri, Gopung-ri and part of the market area, and the mission chapel under its jurisdiction is 1 place in Tapgok-ri. The successive priests are the first, John the Apostle Kim Giryong (1974.11–1976.2), the 2 Peter Kim Yeonggyo (1976.2–1977.2), the 3 John the Apostle Song Gabui (1977.2–1981.9), the 4 Anselm Gwon Taeung (1981.9–1986.3), the 5 Aquileo Jeong Jipung (1986.3–1992.8), the 6 Roberto Lee Junhwa (1992.8–1997.1), the 7 Peter Kim Hongcheon (1997.1–2001.3), and the 8 Gallisto Han Dongseong (2001.3–) (as of the time of writing of the encyclopedia).

Architecture and Space

It has church and education hall facilities with 3 stories above ground and a total floor area of 1,250㎡ (Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia). The church completed on November 4, 1992 is 3 stories (380 pyeong), construction of which began in March 1990 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

Related Places and People

• Gangdang-ri and Mireokbeol mission chapels: The Gangdang-ri mission chapel was founded in Yonghyeon-ri in 1889, and the Mireokbeol mission chapel was founded in Yongjang-ri in 1894, and in 1919 the Gangdang-ri mission chapel was merged into the Mireokbeol mission chapel (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Tapgok mission chapel: A mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Unsan Church; construction of its hall was completed in August 1987, and it is the only mission chapel still maintained (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia).
• Seosan (Dongmun) parish: The parish that had jurisdiction over the Unsan-ri mission chapel from its establishment and the mother parish from which Unsan parish was separated in 1974 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia).
• Daecheol Middle School: A school opened in 1958 under the name of the Foundation for the Maintenance of the Catholic Church; until before 2008, a priest of Unsan Church concurrently served as its chaplain (Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Unsan Parish” (Vol. 9). Elevated from a mission chapel under Seosan parish to a parish on November 30, 1974; Gangdang-ri and Mireokbeol mission chapels, new church construction, church statistics, jurisdiction, successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4783
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Seosan Cultural Encyclopedia “Unsan Church”. Separated from Seosan Church and founded in 1974; purpose of foundation and Daecheol Middle School, present church completed on November 4, 1992, current status.
   https://www.grandculture.net/seosan/toc/GC04101289