Geumma Church

Overview

Geumma Church is a church of the Diocese of Jeonju located in Geumma-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, it was separated and established from Yeosan Parish on April 20, 1981, and its patron is Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon.

History

〔Mission-chapel era〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gospel first reached the Geumma area around 1854 when Mun Gyu-hyeon (John), released from Yeonsan prison, went into hiding in what is now Gatjeom (Gamnamugol at the eastern foot of Mireuk Mountain). Later, Seo Chi-sam from Dalseong in North Gyeongsang, Kim Man-sil from Seosan in South Chungcheong, Park Ji-suk from Hamyang in South Gyeongsang and others settled in Geumma and attended the Dohwajeong Catholic mission chapel (present-day Dongchon-ri, Wanggung-myeon). A Catholic mission chapel was formed in Gamnamugol around 1876, under the jurisdiction of Nabawi Parish around 1897, then Jeonju (present-day Jeondong) Parish around 1900, then Gunsan (present-day Dunyul-dong) Parish around 1950.

〔Geumma mission chapel〕 The Encyclopedia states that in 1958, when it came under the jurisdiction of Iri (present-day Changin-dong) Parish, the Geumma Catholic mission chapel was started by purchasing the Geumma-myeon office building with the cooperation of Father Jeong Jae-seok (Joseph) and chairman Park Bong-gi (Stephen), and that the number of believers at the time was 38 (20 men and 18 women). From 1959 it came under the jurisdiction of Yeosan Parish, and with the work of catechists and missionary sisters the Church grew greatly, but the mission-chapel hall at lot 688 in Geumma-myeon alone could no longer accommodate the growing believers, so in 1978 they agreed to build a new church and formed a committee to promote the establishment of a parish.

〔Elevation to parish and church construction〕 According to the Encyclopedia, the Geumma Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish on April 1981. Later that same year, on September, it formed a church construction committee, purchased the stream-site lot 888-1 in Geumma-myeon, and began work starting March 1983. Because it was a stream site with low ground, the ground had to be raised by about 2–6 m with reclamation support from a nearby military unit, but the work was completed on December 23 the following year. The church building, equipped with a rectory, a kindergarten and other annex facilities, was built on a site of 2,000 m² with a total floor area of 470 m², and on September 1985 a convent was prepared on floor 2 of the kindergarten with a total floor area of 265 m².

〔Development〕 The Encyclopedia states that after 1984 it organized the Legion of Mary in the area directly under the parish and in the mission chapels, laying the foundation for the development of faith life, and that, as many residents farmed and lived in difficulty, it collected recyclables and conducted fundraising campaigns to help neighbors in need in order to help households headed by a student. Since February 1985, a branch of the Mirinae Sisters of the Holy Heart of Mary has been established here.

〔Jurisdiction, membership and successive pastors〕 The jurisdiction recorded in the Encyclopedia covers all of Geumma-myeon in Iksan-gun, parts of Wanggung-myeon, Samgi-myeon and Chunpo-myeon, Deokgi-dong in Iri-si, and Jeneri and Janggu-ri in Bongdong-eup, Wanju-gun, and the mission chapel under its jurisdiction is the Janggu-ri Catholic mission chapel. Membership was 588 in 1981, 820 in 1984, 1,065 in 1988, and 1,182 in 1993. The successive pastors were the first, Benedict Kim Ban-seok (1981.4–1985.2), the 2th, Matthew Yu Jong-hwan (1985.2–1988.1), the 3th, John the Apostle Lee Deok-geun (1988.1–1992.2), the 4th, Bartholomew Mun Jeong-hyeon (1992.2–1994.1), and the 5th, Joseph Jo Jeong-o (1994.2–the time of writing). The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory lists the present parish as belonging to the 6 district, with the establishment date as April 10, 1981, the patron as Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon, and the affiliated congregation as the Mirinae Sisters of the Holy Heart of Mary. The establishment date differs from that in the Encyclopedia (April 20, 1981).

Architecture and space

According to the Encyclopedia, the church reclaimed the stream-site lot 888-1 in Geumma-myeon, began construction on March 1983, and finished the work on December 23, 1984, building on a site of 2,000 m² with a total floor area of 470 m² together with annex facilities such as the rectory and kindergarten. On September 1985 a convent was prepared on floor 2 of the kindergarten with a total floor area of 265 m².

Related places and people

• Yeosan Parish: the parish that had jurisdiction over the Geumma Catholic mission chapel from 1959 and from which Geumma Parish was separated in 1981 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Mun Gyu-hyeon (John): the figure who, after release from Yeonsan prison around 1854, went into hiding in Gamnamugol and brought the Gospel to the Geumma area (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Dohwajeong Catholic mission chapel (present-day Dongchon-ri, Wanggung-myeon): the mission chapel attended by the early believers (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Geumma Parish” (Diocese of Jeonju, vol. 2). Mission-chapel era, elevation to parish in 1981, church construction, jurisdiction, membership, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/788
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory, “Geumma” (Diocese of Jeonju). Establishment date 1981.4.10, patron Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon, Mirinae Sisters of the Holy Heart of Mary, 6 district.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201001275&gubun=4