Dongsan-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Dongsandong Church is a church in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, belonging to the Archdiocese of Gwangju. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, after Lee Dong-gwan (Thaddeus) first preached the Gospel in Yeosu in 1930, a parish was established on June 29, 1934 at 296, Dongsan-dong, Yeosu, and with the establishment of a daughter parish in 1961, the name changed from Yeosu Parish to Dongsandong Parish. Its patron is Queen of Peace.

History

[Foundation and first pastor] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Lee Dong-gwan (Thaddeus) first preached the Gospel in Yeosu in 1930, and a parish was established in 1934 at 296, Dongsan-dong, Yeosu. At that time, with the establishment of the Jeollanam-do vicariate, Columban missionaries were entering the area and fervor for evangelization was ripening in Yeosu. Father Lee Min-du (Thaddeus), who became the first pastor, began with about 20 faithful and steadily continued evangelization through the Japanese colonial period, the liberation period, and the Korean War. The encyclopedia states that during World War 2 he was illegally imprisoned by the Japanese authorities and suffered hardship, but was released at the liberation in 8·15 and returned to office to develop full-scale evangelization.

[Dedication of the church building] The encyclopedia states that Father Brandon, the 2 pastor, came temporarily in 1948 and cared for the faithful until 1950, never leaving Yeosu even in the difficult time of the Yeosu-Suncheon rebellion incident, and took office formally in 1954 and on October of that year purchased 520 pyeong at 1117, Gonghwa-dong, Yeosu, the present site, and 362 pyeong at 1118. On July 1956 he began construction of a hall and rectory and completed them, and on October 7, 1958 he completed a church with a floor area of 128 pyeong and celebrated its dedication presided over by Bishop Henry (H. Henry). The encyclopedia describes that the church building with its towering bell tower and pointed roof of blue galvanized iron was then a famous landmark of the Yeosu district.

[Change and division of the parish name] According to the encyclopedia, Father Brandon foresaw the geographical development plan of Yeosu City and began a plan to separate a parish in the Seogyo-dong area, and so the name Yeosu Parish came to be called Dongsandong Parish with the establishment of a daughter parish in 1961. Afterwards, from 1987 he purchased 500 pyeong of land at 10-3, Munsu-dong, to promote the establishment of Munsu-dong Parish, and on January 20, 1988 at the division he transferred 207 faithful of the parish jurisdiction to Munsu-dong Parish.

[Convent and kindergarten] The encyclopedia states that Father Dunne, who took office as the 3 pastor on August 1961, wished to establish a convent and remodeled part of the hall, and Sister Kim Bartholomew of the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and two other sisters arrived. Later the parish purchased land and a building of 215 pyeong at 1120, Gonghwa-dong, moved the convent there, and after the convent was completed held the blessing of the convent on August 25, 1972, after which sisters of the Sisters of Caritas arrived. Father Peña, who took office in 1966, remodeled the building formerly used as a church, obtained permission to establish a kindergarten with 1 classes, and held the opening ceremony of Lily Kindergarten on March 13, 1967, but less than 1 years after opening it closed because of fire. On December 12, 1968 the parish completed a concrete-slab 2-story building with a floor area of 75 pyeong, deciding to use the 1 floor as a kindergarten and the 2 floor as a catechism room, reopened the kindergarten on March 10, 1969, and expanded it to 2 classes.

[Cemetery and facilities] The encyclopedia states that on June 20, 1969 the parish jointly with Seogyo-dong Parish purchased 3,486 pyeong of woodland at 100, Yeoseo-dong, Yeosu, as a Catholic community cemetery for the Yeosu area, and in 1977 set up a briquette-heated ondol room in a slab building of 9 pyeong on the site of a triangular fort in the front yard of the church so that elderly people could rest and play janggi or baduk, also using it as a meeting room of the Legion of Mary. On December 8, 1985 the church was remodeled and its dedication was celebrated.

[Devotional activities] According to the encyclopedia, on March 9, 1970 the parish held the founding general meeting of the Apostleship, approved its rules and elected Park Jong-seok as president, and the Apostleship first planned to install long pews with kneelers in the church and to build a new convent, installing the pews through a campaign of offerings of rice and fundraising by all the faithful. The parish organized the Legion of Mary in each neighborhood. On May 29, 1992, ahead of the 60 anniversary of the parish foundation, it decorated a small truck bearing a statue of the Virgin Mary as a flower car and held a street parade across downtown Yeosu as a campaign for local evangelization and environmental protection. On June 27, 1993 it prepared the ‘House of Jericho’ in Chungmu-dong, Yeosu, to shelter elderly people without support, and held its blessing, and it states that the ‘Yeosu-Yeocheon Meeting Day’ festival for fellowship and unity among 8 parishes in the Yeosu-Yeocheon area is held every year. In 1995 it developed a one-thing campaign aimed at the sanctification of family communities and the evangelization of society, and the encyclopedia lists as its contents one person per family attending weekday Mass, families facing each other every Saturday, rejection of the anti-life culture, and evangelization of non-believers in the family.

[Church statistics, jurisdiction, and successive pastors] The jurisdiction recorded by the encyclopedia is Dongsan-dong, Gonghwa-dong, Gwanmun-dong, Sujeong-dong, Deokchung-dong, Jonghwa-dong, Goso-dong, Jungang-dong, Gunja-dong, and Dolsan-eup and Nam-myeon of Yeocheon County. Church statistics are 1,222 in 1969, 1,300 in 1972, 1,420 in 1975, 1,684 in 1980, 1,857 in 1984, 2,367 in 1990, and 2,722 in 1994. Successive pastors are the first Lee Min-du, Thaddeus (1934.6–1954), the 2 Brandon (P. Brandon, Bu), Patricio (1954–1961.8), the 3 Dunne (J. Dunne, Do), Joseph (1961.8–1962), the 4 Lohan (P. Lohan, Han), Patricio (1962–1965), the 5 Kim Jeong-yong, Antonio (1965–1966), the 6 Peña (A. Peria, Bae), Aloysius (1966–1967.5), the 7 Chavez (J. Chavez, Kang), Joseph (1967.5–1968), the 8 Contreras (F. Contreras, Go), Fidencio (1968–1970.4), the 9 Kim Jeong-won, Thomas (1971.1–1973.4), the 10 Kim Chung-ho, Michael (1973.4–1976.11), the 11 Kim Yong-bae, Andrea (1976.11–1981.9), the 12 Jang Yong-bok, Michael (1981.9–1985.6), the 13 Park Sang-su, Cosmas (1985.6–1988.2), the 14 Song Jong-eui, Jacobus (1988.2–1989.8), the 15 Seo Sang-chae, Justino (1989.8–1994.2), the 16 Jo Dong-in, John (1994.2–1997.2), and the 17 Jang Hong-bin, Aloysius (1997.2–the present at the time of writing). The directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the present parish as belonging to the Yeosu District, its foundation date as June 29, 1936, its patron as Queen of Peace, and its serving congregation as the Sisters of Jesus of Caritas. The year of the foundation date differs from the encyclopedia (1934).

Architecture and Space

According to the encyclopedia, on October 1954 the parish purchased 520 pyeong at 1117, Gonghwa-dong, Yeosu, and 362 pyeong at 1118, and on July 1956 began construction of a hall and rectory and completed them. On October 7, 1958 it completed a church with a floor area of 128 pyeong and celebrated its dedication, and with its towering bell tower and pointed roof of blue galvanized iron it was a famous landmark of the Yeosu district. On December 8, 1985 the church was remodeled and its dedication was celebrated.

Related Places and People

• Seogyo-dong Parish (Yeosu): on June 20, 1969 it jointly with Dongsandong Parish purchased woodland in Yeoseo-dong, Yeosu, as a Catholic community cemetery, and in 1988 Munsu-dong Parish was separated and newly established from this parish and Dongsandong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Munsu-dong Parish: on January 20, 1988 it was separated and newly established from Dongsandong Parish and Seogyo-dong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father Lee Min-du (Thaddeus): he is the first pastor of Dongsandong Parish (1934.6–1954) (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Dongsandong Parish” (Archdiocese of Gwangju, volume 3). First evangelization in 1930, parish foundation in 1934, church dedication in 1958, convent and kindergarten, division of Munsu-dong in 1988, church statistics, jurisdiction, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1472
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Dongsandong” (Archdiocese of Gwangju). Foundation date 1936.06.29, patron Queen of Peace, Sisters of Jesus of Caritas, Yeosu District.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201001140&gubun=4