Onsu Catholic Church

Overview

Onsu Church is a church in Gilsang-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, belonging to the Ganghwa District of the Diocese of Incheon. Beginning when believers who moved from Chungcheong-do to Onsu-ri in 1928 started Catholic mission chapel services, it was separated from Ganghwa Church on August 28, 1995 and elevated to a parish. Its patron is Saint Therese of Lisieux (Saint Therese of the Child Jesus).

History

[Mission Chapel Period] According to the brief history on the Onsu Church website, the Gospel was first brought to the Onsu-ri area after Yang Chon-myeong and 9 others moved in 1928 from Palbong-myeon, Seosan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do to Dokjeom Village in Onsu-ri. At first they attended the Bugeun-ri mission chapel in Hajeom-myeon, and as believers increased, on June 1933 they designated the house of Jeong Tae-jun (Andrea) as the Onsu-ri mission chapel and held mission chapel services. At that time there were about 20 believers, and the 6th assistant priest of Dapdong Parish, Father Lagarde (J. Lagarde, 羅 Gal-do), came occasionally to celebrate Mass. The Incheon Diocese website records 1928 as the year when “Yang Chon-myeong and 9 others moved from Chungcheong-do and settled in Onsu-ri (mission chapel services began)”.

[Purchase of Land and Mission Chapel Building] According to the website brief history and chronology, believers purchased 16,033 square meters of forest land on June 7, 1963 and additionally purchased 2,995 square meters of building land in 1966. When the small thatched house used as a mission chapel became inconvenient with growth, the 11th pastor of Ganghwa Parish, Father Jang Hui-yeong (張喜榮, Simon), began construction of a new mission chapel building on July 25, 1983, and it was completed on December 3 of the same year, with a blessing ceremony celebrated by Bishop Na Gil-mo. The Incheon Diocese website records this as “completion of the chapel in 1983.12, consecrated by Bishop Guglielmo Na”.

[Elevation to Parish] On August 28, 1995, the Onsu-ri mission chapel was separated from Ganghwa Parish and elevated to a parish, and Father Sullivan (J. Sullivan, 薛 Pyeong-an) of the Order of Saint Augustine took office as first pastor (the Incheon Diocese website gives his English name as Fr. John Sullivan, OSA). At the time of elevation its territory was Gilsang-myeon of Ganghwa-gun (Onsu-ri, Giljik-ri, Seondu-ri, Donggeom-ri, Choji-ri, Jangheung-ri), Bureun-myeon (Sinhyeon-ri, Deokseong-ri, Duun-ri, Samdongam-ri, Odu-ri, Neopseong-ri, Goneung-ri), Yangdo-myeon (Dojang-ri, Josan-ri, Giljeong-ri), and all of Hwado-myeon, and its mission chapels were Choji, Odu-ri, Goneung-ri, Sangbang-ri, and Heungwang-ri (Onsu Church website brief history). That year on October the rectory and education hall were completed.

[1996-2004] According to the website brief history and chronology, on April 26, 1996 the diocesan vicar general, Father O Gyeong-hwan (吳庚煥, Francis), made his first pastoral visit, and the next day, on April 27, the parish’s first Confirmation was celebrated with Bishop Na Gil-mo presiding. In the same year, on June, Samseong-ri, Samdongam-ri, and Duun-ri were incorporated into the parish. On January 30, 1997, Kim Jae-yeong (金載永, Joseph), the first priest from the parish, was ordained, and because Onsu Church was too small his first Mass was celebrated at Ganghwa Church on February 2. In the same year, on June 20, an outdoor Mass area was prepared and the Stations of the Cross were installed. On August 14, 1999, the parish’s first Legion, “Mother of Good Counsel” Curia, was founded (former head Elisabeth; the Incheon Diocese website records the curia founding as “1999.9”), and on November 1, 2000 the statue and relics of the parish patron Saint Therese of the Child Jesus were enshrined in the church. In 2002, the 3rd pastor, Father Kim Seon-ho (金善鎬, Luke), began building a prefabricated education hall (the former “So-hwa Education Hall”) and held its blessing on April 14.

[Separation of Manisan Quasi-Parish] According to the brief history, on January 26, 2004 the Sangbang-ri mission chapel was elevated to “Manisan Quasi-Parish,” and 107 households and 258 believers (109 men, 149 women) in part of Yangdo-myeon (including the Heungwang-ri mission chapel) and all of Hwado-myeon were transferred to Manisan Quasi-Parish. The brief history describes Manisan Quasi-Parish as a daughter parish of Onsu Church.

[2005-2010] According to the website chronology, the blessing of the Eucharistic Adoration room was held on May 22, 2005, and on June 5 all believers joined a walking pilgrimage from Gwangseongbo to Gapgot Shrine. The 5th pastor, Father Jang Gi-yong (張起龍, John the Baptist), planning to build a new church, rectory, and convent because of growth and aging buildings, began construction on March 23, 2008, and in the same year, on August 24, the dedication of the new church and the blessing of the rectory and convent, with Confirmation, were celebrated with Bishop Choi Gi-san presiding. On July 1, 2008, Sister Gu Seon-deok (Agnes) took office. The 6th pastor, Father Park Byeong-hun (朴炳勳, Joseph), while finishing the new education hall and working on surrounding drainage on September 2009, created So-hwa Garden and pond, and the new education hall completed on July 2010 was named “So-hwa Education Hall.” The brief history explains this as provision for believers to make group retreats on the spirituality of Saint Therese of Lisieux. On January 2010, the parish website was opened and its territory was subdivided into 3 districts and 12 groups.

[After 2014] According to the website chronology, the building register for the Choji mission chapel was created on December 22, 2015, and on July 29, 2016 156 square meters of land bordering Gilsang Elementary School were purchased. The current brief history lists the mother parish as Ganghwa Parish, its territory as all of Gilsang-myeon and Bureun-myeon and part of Yangdo-myeon in Ganghwa, its mission chapels as Choji, Odu-ri, and Goneung-ri, and its believers as 577 households and 1,312 people (573 men, 739 women) as of December 31, 2022.

[Successive Pastors] The website’s list of former priests is: 1st Seol Pyeong-an (Sullivan) John (1995.8-1999.10), 2th Bae Do-hun Aaron (1999.10-2002.1), 3th Kim Seon-ho Luka (2002.1-2004.12), 4st Son Hae-rak Melchior (2004.12-2005.12), 5th Jang Gi-yong John the Baptist (2005.12-2009.1), 6th Park Byeong-hun Joseph (2009.1-2014.1), 7th Yang Ju-yong Paul (2014.1-2017.1), 8rd Yang Jeong-hwan Andrew Kim Dae-geon (2017.1-2020.1), 9th Kim Sang-u Thomas (2020.1-2024.1), 10th Na Gi-won Michael (January 2024-). The 2th pastor, Father Bae Do-hun, belongs to the Order of Saint Augustine (the Incheon Diocese website gives Fr. Arlon Vergara, OSA) and the brief history gives his name as Vergara (A. Vergara).

Related Places and People

• Ganghwa Church: the mother parish to which the Onsu mission chapel belonged before separation when it was elevated to a parish in 1995 (Onsu Church website brief history).
• Manisan Quasi-Parish: the place separated when the Sangbang-ri mission chapel was elevated on January 26, 2004, a daughter parish of Onsu Church (Onsu Church website brief history).
• Choji, Odu-ri, and Goneung-ri mission chapels: the mission chapels currently under Onsu Church (Onsu Church website brief history, Mass guide on the Incheon Diocese website).
• So-hwa Education Hall: the education hall completed on July 2010, which the Incheon Diocese website introduces as used as a camp and retreat center accommodating 80 people.
• Father Sullivan (Seol Pyeong-an) John: the first pastor, belonging to the Order of Saint Augustine (Onsu Church website, Incheon Diocese website).

References and Sources

1. Incheon Diocese website, Onsu Parish guide (introduction, history). Mission chapel start in 1928, chapel consecration in 1983, parish establishment in 1995, first priest, years of successive pastors, patron saint, introduction to So-hwa Education Hall.
   http://www.caincheon.or.kr/church/church_jigu.do?churchIdx=14036
2. Onsu Church website, history of Onsu Church. Year-by-year chronology for 1928-2024, pastors taking office, new church dedication in 2008, So-hwa Education Hall completion in 2010.
   http://onsu.or.kr/onsu_h
3. Onsu Church website, brief history of Onsu Church. Immigrant believers in 1928 and Onsu-ri mission chapel in 1933, land purchase, territory at the time of elevation in 1995, separation of Manisan Quasi-Parish, church statistics at the end of 2022.
   http://onsu.or.kr/onsu_info
4. Onsu Church website, former priests. Pastors and terms from the first to the 10th.
   http://onsu.or.kr/father2
5. Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference directory, Onsu. Establishment date 1995.8.28., Incheon Diocese Ganghwa District, patron Saint Therese of Lisieux, number of mission chapels 3.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201000409&gubun=4