Muju Catholic Church

Overview

Muju Church is a church belonging to the Diocese of Jeonju, located in Muju-eup, Muju-gun, Jeonbuk State. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, it was established as a parish on September 6, 1956, and its patron is Saint Joseph. Its first pastor was Father Alexio Seo Jeong-su.

History

[Early history] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Catholic villages had formed early in the Muju-gun area at Yeo-u-nae in Anseong-myeon (now Jindo-ri), Sukgu-ji (now Gongjin-ri), and Hyeonnae-ri in Mupung-myeon, and Father Thomas Choe Yang-eop and Father A. Daveluy are believed to have visited them on circuit for several years. The persecution of 1866 scattered the faithful in all directions and their traces disappeared for a time, but after the persecution ended the faithful who gathered again in this area cleared slash-and-burn fields and continued their life of faith, founding the Yeo-u-nae and Mupung Catholic mission chapels in 1883 and the Sukgu-ji Catholic mission chapel in 1909. However, as the faithful left for Jinan, Geumsan and other places in search of livelihood, not many faithful lived there until around liberation.

[From mission chapel to parish] The encyclopedia states that around 1950 mission chapels at Bamsukgol (now Yulsok), Eunsan, Cheolmok and Hyeonnae in Muju-gun were established under the jurisdiction of Geumsan Parish (transferred on August 29, 1980 from the Diocese of Jeonju to the Diocese of Daejeon). At that time, five households of faithful, including Golomba Lee U-ok, who lived at Bamsukgol, and Paolo Han Mil-sul, who ran a pottery shop in Sang-ri, actively evangelized, so the Church grew rapidly, and Muju Parish was newly established in 1956 from these mission chapel faithful.

[Foundation and church construction] According to the encyclopedia, immediately after taking office the first pastor, Father Seo Jeong-su, purchased a house and about 1,800 pyeong of land at the present parish site, used the house as a temporary church and office, and began construction of a new church, completing that year on December a church with a total floor area of 240 pyeong and 2 stories. The following year on May 20 he opened Saint Thomas Children’s Home in the Muju area, where there were almost no early-childhood facilities, and it received a great response from local residents, but it was operated without authorization and closed after about 2 years, then reopened with formal authorization as Sohwa Kindergarten on September 1973.

[From the 1960s to the 80s] The encyclopedia states that in 1960 the Jangan-ri mission chapel in Bunam-myeon was newly established and at the same time 22,000 pyeong of forest at Jangan-ri 222–223 was purchased, and the land that could be reclaimed was let to the mission chapel faithful for cultivation, helping to build an economic foundation. For women in this area a dressmaking school was operated from 1964 for 6 years, in 1964 about 11,660 pyeong of forest was purchased at Eunsan-ri in Mupung-myeon, and a pigsty was installed in the parish to raise pigs and increase the financial self-sufficiency of the parish. A convent in 1965, a small chapel in 1979, and a rectory of about 40 pyeong on March 1984 were each newly built, and in 1986 3,486 pyeong of forest at Gaok-ri in Muju-eup was donated by Kim Jong-gyu and a parish cemetery was created. In 1989 landscape work inside and outside the church was also pursued, including repairing and restoring the aged statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Joseph.

[Development of mission chapels] According to the encyclopedia, beginning with the establishment of the Goemok mission chapel in 1966, the Seolcheon mission chapel and the Anseong mission chapel were established in 1977, followed by purchase of 240 pyeong of land for the Seolcheon mission chapel in 1979 and an additional 550 pyeong in 1983, completing on December 5, 1985 a mission chapel hall of 41 pyeong. In 1993 land was purchased for the Cheolmok mission chapel (164 pyeong) and the Anseong mission chapel (708 pyeong) respectively, and an Anseong mission chapel hall of about 50 pyeong was built.

[40th anniversary of foundation and Sohwa Nursery] The encyclopedia states that in 1996, marking its 40th anniversary of parish foundation, Muju Parish drew up a long-term development plan to carry out large-scale repairs of the aged present church and its mission chapels and to operate Sohwa Nursery separately from Sohwa Kindergarten. Sohwa Nursery was completed around December 1996 with a total floor area of 101 pyeong and 2 stories, opened in 1997 the following year, and is operated with subsidies from Muju-gun and the parish’s own funds.

[Church statistics, jurisdiction and successive pastors] The jurisdiction recorded in the encyclopedia is all of Mupung-myeon, Bunam-myeon, Seolcheon-myeon, Anseong-myeon and Jeoksang-myeon in Muju-gun, and the mission chapels under its jurisdiction are 7 in total, namely Gigok, Goemok, Mupung, Seolcheon, Anseong, Eunsan and Cheolmok. Church statistics are 66 persons in 1956, 270 persons in 1961, 548 persons in 1966, 761 persons in 1973, 832 persons in 1980, 1,006 persons in 1987, 1,139 persons in 1991, and 1,262 persons in 1994. The successive pastors are the 1st, Alexio Seo Jeong-su (1956.9–1960.7), the 2nd, Domenico Kim Yeong-tae (1960.7–1963.6), the 3rd, Leo de Schutter, L. de Schutter, Do Gwang-seok (1963.6–1966.4), the 4th, Antonio Gwon Yeong-gyun (1966.4–1972.7), the 5st, Benedetto Kim Yong-tae (1972.7–1976.4), the 6th, Giacomo Kim Dong-jun (1976.4–1979.1), the 7th, Matteo Yu Jong-hwan, the 8th, Giovanni Kim Gi-su (1981.1–1983.1), the 9st, Moses Lee Sang-seop (1983.1–1986.1), the 10th, John the Baptist Han Gi-ho (1986.1–1989.1), the 11th, Casimiro O Hyeon-taek (1989.1–1992.1), the 12th, Simone Park Jung-sin (1992.1–1997.2), and the 13rd, Pietro Park Chang-sin (1997.2–to the time of writing). The address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the present parish as belonging to District 1, its foundation date as April 1, 1956, its patron as Saint Joseph, and its serving religious congregation as the Inbo Sisters of the Holy Eucharist. Its foundation date differs from that in the encyclopedia (September 6, 1956).

Architecture and Space

According to the encyclopedia, the first pastor, Father Seo Jeong-su, purchased a house and about 1,800 pyeong of land at the present parish site, used the house as a temporary church and office, and on December 1956 completed a church with a total floor area of 240 pyeong and 2 stories. A convent in 1965, a small chapel in 1979, and a rectory of about 40 pyeong on March 1984 were newly built, and in 1986 3,486 pyeong of forest at Gaok-ri in Muju-eup was donated and a parish cemetery was created. Around December 1996 Sohwa Nursery with a total floor area of 101 pyeong and 2 stories was completed.

Related Places and Persons

• Geumsan Parish: the parish that around 1950 had jurisdiction over the Bamsukgol, Eunsan, Cheolmok and Hyeonnae mission chapels in Muju-gun, and was transferred on August 29, 1980 from the Diocese of Jeonju to the Diocese of Daejeon (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Sohwa Kindergarten and Sohwa Nursery: Muju Parish received formal authorization as Sohwa Kindergarten on September 1973 and opened it, and opened Sohwa Nursery in 1997 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father Alexio Seo Jeong-su: the first pastor of Muju Parish (1956.9–1960.7), who built the church and opened the children’s home (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Muju Parish” (Diocese of Jeonju, Vol. 5). Early history, parish establishment in 1956, church construction, mission chapel foundations, church statistics, jurisdiction, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2123
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Catholic Directory in Korea, “Muju” (Diocese of Jeonju). Foundation date 1956.4.1, patron Saint Joseph, Inbo Sisters of the Holy Eucharist, District 1.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201001291&gubun=4