Bakchon-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Bakchon-dong Church is a church in Bakchon-dong, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City, belonging to the Gyeyang District of the Incheon Diocese. It was established on December 5, 2005 as a branch from Gyesan-dong Church, and the first pastor was Father Yun Ja-myeon (Vincentio). On August 20, 2006, the blessing ceremony was held for the newly built sanctuary at 19-3 Bakchon-dong, and the patron is the Holy Spirit.

History

[Establishment] The parish introduction on the Incheon Diocese website states that Bakchon-dong Church branched from Gyesan-dong Church on December 5, 2005 and that the first pastor was Father Yun Ja-myeon Vincentio. It says that the parish, which had 5 zones at the time of the branching, had grown to 13 zones with 2,173 faithful as of October 28. The Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference directory also lists the establishment date as December 5, 2005 and the patron as the Holy Spirit. The chronology records that on December 5, 2005 the first pastor, Father Yun Ja-myeon Vincentio, took office.

[Early activities and church site] According to the chronology, additional church land was purchased on December 30, 2005 and the 31st (the December 31 entry refers to 21-7 Bakchon-dong, 50 pyeong). On February 12, 2006, a yut-game tournament was held to promote the church-building campaign, and the first baptisms were celebrated that day. On March 12 there were the presentation of appointment letters to Sunday school teachers and the opening of Sunday school, and on July 11 additional church land was purchased. Afterwards, there was a land donation on May 13, 2008, and church land was purchased on July 23, 2010.

[New construction and blessing of the sanctuary] The parish introduction states that on August 20, 2006 a sanctuary was newly built at 19-3 Bakchon-dong and the blessing ceremony was celebrated with Diocesan Bishop Choe Gi-san (Boniface) presiding. The chronology records that on June 4, 2006 the community moved to the newly built sanctuary and held the first Sunday Mass and a celebratory event, and in the same year it records temporary sanctuary construction work on June 30. The parish introduction states that from June 2007, over 5 months, the rectory and education center with a total floor area of 135.15 pyeong (3 stories) were added. According to the chronology, on April 24, 2007 the plan to expand the education center and rectory was reported to the diocesan bishop, and on December 23, 2007 the blessing ceremony of the Maria Education Center was held. Regarding loans, the chronology records that on September 12, 2007 loans from the credit union and the mutual aid association for the education-center expansion were repaid and re-borrowed, on January 10, 2008 long-term loans were repaid, on May 28, 2010 long-term loans from the mutual aid association and credit union were repaid, and on September 28, 2010 1,000 ten thousand won of credit-union loans was repaid.

[Pastoral visit and pastoral council in 2007] According to the chronology, on March 3, 2007 there were the pastoral visit of the diocesan bishop and Confirmation, and on March 4 a letter of appointment was presented to the first pastoral council chair O Myeong-cheol (Thomas). On March 2, 2008 there were confirmation catechesis and Confirmation, and there were also Confirmations on April 19, 2009 and March 13, 2010 (in 2010, Father Lee Jun-hui Marco, vicar general).

[2009–2010] According to the chronology, on January 9, 2009 the 6th anniversary Mass for the late Father Shin Dong-hwan Paul was offered, and there were the farewell and inauguration ceremony for priests on January 12 and a welcome Mass for the parish priest on January 13. On March 3, 2009 the parish minibus was purchased, on May 13 the integrated faith-formation program was opened, on August 23 the Marian Association was newly established, and on November 14 the 1th choir festival of the parish choir Veritas was held. The chronology also lists a yut-game tournament to raise the building fund on February 28, 2010, a pilgrimage of all parishioners on May 2, and the diocesan martyrs celebration rally on September 14.

[Parish size and affiliation] The parish introduction lists the number of faithful as 2,173, and the Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference directory puts the number of faithful at 2,860. The directory lists Bakchon-dong Church as a parish belonging to the Gyeyang District of the Incheon Diocese, and the current pastor is Father Lee Hong-il (Thomas).

Related places and people

• Gyesan-dong Church: the mother parish from which Bakchon-dong Church branched on December 5, 2005 (Incheon Diocese website).
• Father Yun Ja-myeon (Vincentio): the first pastor of Bakchon-dong Church. He took office on December 5, 2005, and a feast-day celebration for the parish priest appears on January 20, 2008 in the chronology (Incheon Diocese website).
• Bishop Choe Gi-san (Boniface): the diocesan bishop at the time who celebrated the sanctuary blessing in 2006 (Incheon Diocese website).
• O Myeong-cheol (Thomas): the first pastoral council chair who received the letter of appointment on March 4, 2007 (chronology on the Incheon Diocese website).

References and sources

1. Incheon Diocese website, Bakchon-dong parish guide (parish introduction and chronology). Branch establishment in 2005, first pastor, new construction and blessing of the sanctuary, expansion of the rectory and education center, chronology for 2005–2010.
   http://www.caincheon.or.kr/church/church_jigu.do?churchIdx=14099
2. Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference directory, Bakchon-dong. Establishment date 2005.12.5., affiliation Gyeyang District of the Incheon Diocese, patron Holy Spirit, current pastor, number of faithful.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201000360&gubun=4