Bangrim-dong Church

Overview

Bangnim-dong Church is a church in Bangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, belonging to the Archdiocese of Gwangju. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and the Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia, on December 6, 1965 it was separated from Namdong Parish and established, and it is the fifth parish in the Gwangju Metropolitan City area, following Bukdong Church, Namdong Church, Wolsan-dong Church, and Gyelim-dong Church. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records the patron of the parish as Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows.

History

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, until the early 1960s pastoral care of the whole city of Gwangju was divided between Namdong Parish and Bukdong Parish. The diocese hastened parish divisions from the mid-1960s, first separating Gyelim-dong Parish and Wolsan-dong Parish from Bukdong Parish. However, in the Bangnim-dong and Hak-dong area, where the number of faithful far exceeded 1,000, there was not even a Catholic mission chapel, so the demand of the faithful there for parish establishment was strong, and as a result in late 1965 Bangnim-dong Parish was separated from Namdong Parish and established, and Father Tierney of the Missionary Society of St. Columban was appointed as the first pastor.

The Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia explains that on May 12, 1965, during the tenure of Archbishop Harold, the establishment of the Bangnim-dong Catholic Church was proposed, and on December 6 the establishment of Bangnim-dong Parish was approved and 1,250 parish registers were transferred from Namdong Church. The first pastor was Father J. Tierney (Peter), and Mass began in a temporary church. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Tierney lived for a time in the Namdong Parish rectory while searching for a parish site, and after purchasing 2,516 pyeong of the present parish site, began new church construction and completed the temporary church and rectory on June 13, 1966. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that construction began on September 15, 1970 with funds the parish community had gathered for new church construction, and the church was completed on May 23, 1972. Meanwhile, the Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia states that construction of the parish began on July 15, 1970 and the church dedication ceremony was held on May 23, so the two sources differ on the starting point and year notation.

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, on August 15, 1966 the first lay apostolic organization of the parish, the St. Anna Association, was established. During the tenure of the 2 pastor, Father Morrissey (Mo, Michael), on June 15, 1969 the Bangnim Credit Cooperative was founded as part of indirect mission, and when Bangnim Elementary School next to the church had to delay school building construction for lack of land, after consultation with the diocese, on July 6 of that year 734 pyeong of church-owned land was transferred.

During the tenure of the 3 pastor, Father McGinnis (Jin, Augustine), on September 8, 1974 Hakun-dong Parish was separated, and parish registers of 185 households and 577 persons were transferred. In April 1983 pastoral authority for the parish was transferred from the Missionary Society of St. Columban to the diocese, and Father Kim Jae-young became the 6 pastor as the first Korean priest. Father Kim Jae-young abolished the evangelization president system that had continued since the parish founding and installed a convent of the Salesian Sisters. The 7 pastor, Father Kim Hong-eon, on February 10, 1985 prepared the “House for Lonely Elderly Women” at Bangnim 1-dong 509-63, and this facility was closed in August 1995. The 9 pastor, Father Kim Hyong-su, on January 12, 1990 prepared an adoration chapel and founded the Carmelite Eucharistic Association, and on February 7, 1990, separating Bongseon-dong Parish, transferred parish registers of 448 households and 1,202 persons (the Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia records this separation as February 21, 1990).

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, despite two parish divisions the number of faithful continued to grow and the church building aged, so in November 1993 the parish gathered the opinions of the faithful and decided to build a new church. Until the new church was completed, the basement of the Bangnim Credit Cooperative was used as a temporary church. Construction began on July 10, 1994 and in the following year, on July 15, 1995, a church with a total floor area of 597 pyeong, 3 floors above ground and 1 floor underground was completed. The Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia also records that on July 10, 1994 the parish was demolished due to aging of the building, and on July 15, 1995 the new parish, rectory, and convent were completed, giving the present appearance of the church.

The Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia explains that Bangnim-dong Church was established to preach the Gospel to the Yangnim-dong area and Bangnim-dong in Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and part of Hak-dong in Dong-gu. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records the jurisdiction as all of Yangnim-dong and Bangnim 1 and 2-dong, Hak 1 through 3-dong, and part of Bongseon-dong.

The church statistics recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 1,149 persons in 1965, 1,699 persons in 1973, 1,330 persons in 1980, 2,985 persons in 1986, 4,513 persons in 1991, and 5,180 persons in 1995. According to the Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia, the sisters serving the parish are the Salesian Sisters.

Related Places and People

• Namdong Church: the parish from which Bangnim-dong Parish was separated in 1965.
• Hakun-dong Church: separated from Bangnim-dong Parish and established on September 8, 1974.
• Bongseon-dong Church: separated from Bangnim-dong Parish and established in 1990.

The successive pastors recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are as follows. First pastor Tierney Peter (1965.12–1968.6), 2 pastor Morrissey Michael (1968.6–1972.5), 3 pastor McGinnis Augustine (1972.5–1975.2), 4 pastor Rohan Patrizio (1975.2–1979.5), 5 pastor Logan Miles (1979.5–1983.4), 6 pastor Kim Jae-young Augustine (1983.4–1984.1), 7 pastor Kim Hong-eon John Bosco (1984.1–1988.2), 8 pastor Song Hyeon-seop Peter (1988.2–1989.2), 9 pastor Kim Hyong-su Pio (1989.2–1993.2), 10 pastor Kim Hui-hang Francisco (1993.2–1995.8), 11 pastor Lee Jae-sul Marco (1995.8–, recorded as “present” in the encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Bangnim-dong Parish”. Verified separation and establishment from Namdong Parish on December 6, 1965, patron Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, jurisdiction, church statistics, successive priests, completion of the temporary church in 1966, start of construction in 1970 and completion of the church in 1972, separation of Hakun-dong and Bongseon-dong parishes, and completion of the new church on July 15, 1995.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2376
2. Digital Gwangju Culture Encyclopedia, “Bangnim-dong Church”. Verified the fifth parish in Gwangju Metropolitan City, proposal of establishment on May 12, 1965 and approval of the parish on December 6, transfer of 1,250 parish registers, first pastor, transfer of registers for the Hakun-dong and Bongseon-dong separations, and rebuilding in 1994–1995.
   https://gwangju.grandculture.net/gwangju/toc/GC60003268