Amsa-dong Church

Overview

Amsa-dong Church is a parish in the 9 Gangdong District of the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Amsa-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul. On January 6, 1981, it was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under Cheonho-dong Parish to a parish, and its patron is Queen of Apostles. The Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society assumed pastoral care, with Father C. Robak appointed as the first pastor, and in December 23, 1983 a church with 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors was completed. Godeok-dong Parish (1986) and Myeongil-dong Parish (1987) were separated from this parish.

History

[Founding] In the late 1970s, as apartment complexes were built in the Amsa-dong area and the faithful moved in and their number grew sharply, Father Joseph Kim Byeong-il of Cheonho-dong Parish, which had jurisdiction over the area, decided to divide the parish and from March 1980 began raising a fund for building a church. As a result, later that same year, on November 2, the Amsa-dong Catholic mission chapel was established, leasing the 3 floor (59 pyeong) of the Yusin Commercial Building at 446-16 Amsa-dong for use as a mission hall, and from December it began operating its own Sunday school. On December 8 the Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society came to take charge of pastoral care in the area, and the Archdiocese of Seoul elevated the Amsa-dong Catholic mission chapel to a parish as of January 6, 1981 and appointed Father Robak as the first pastor. At the time of its founding, it received the transfer of parish registers for 478 households and 1,376 persons from Cheonho-dong Parish. Its jurisdiction covered the entire area of Amsa-dong 1 to 4 and part of Myeongil-dong.

[Construction of a New Church] The first pastor, Father Robak, devoted himself to laying the foundation of the parish, purchasing 507 pyeong of land at the site of the present church in March 5 of the following year, beginning construction of a new church on March 5, 1983 and completing on December 23 a church with 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors (720 pyeong).

[Growth and Division] Amsa-dong Parish grew rapidly, with the number of the faithful increasing 5-fold within 5 years of its founding. Accordingly, on February 21, 1986 Godeok-dong Parish was established and parish registers for 216 households and 542 persons were transferred to it, and in the following year, on August 19, Myeongil-dong Parish was separated, transferring the registers of 1,365 faithful in the Godeok-dong area. From March 1988 to October a school of faith was opened as part of the re-education of the faithful, and in the following year the last Sunday of each month was designated as Family Sunday, with families encouraged to attend Mass together wearing hanbok. To expand catechetical rooms, in the same year, on March, two buildings across from the church were purchased, and these buildings are now used as a convent and an education hall.

[Since the 1990s] The 3 pastor, Father Francis Lee Gi-myeong, strove from the time of his appointment to inculturate the liturgy, deepen faith, and form an organized community. The 4 pastor, Father Joseph Kim Ung-tae, opened an environment school from April 1995 as part of an environmental protection movement, regularly collected waste paper and waste oil, and set up a direct farm-produce market. The 5 pastor, Father Peter Kim Hyeong-sik, to mark the Great Jubilee and to recall the meaning of the Eucharist and foster devotion to the Eucharist, held a Great Jubilee Eucharistic Congress in Gonjiam, Gyeonggi-do on May 21, 2000 under the theme “Let Us Play the Flute and Dance,” attended by over 3,000 faithful.

The number of the faithful was 1,386 in 1981, 7,502 in 1986, 8,403 in 1992, 6,675 in 1996, and 7,028 in 1999. The Korean Catholic Directory lists the Inbo Seongche Sisters as the religious community serving the parish.

Successive pastors are the first, Father Carlo Robak (Cha Il-bong) (1981.1~1987.2), the 2, John Gyeong Gap-sil (1987.2~1989.10), the 3, Francis Lee Gi-myeong (1989.10~1992.9), the 4, Joseph Kim Ung-tae (1992.9~1996.2), and the 5, Peter Kim Hyeong-sik (1996.2~).

Architecture and Space

It began by leasing the 3 floor (59 pyeong) of the Yusin Commercial Building at 446-16 Amsa-dong on November 1980 for use as a mission hall. It purchased 507 pyeong of land at the site of the present church on March 5, 1982, broke ground on March 5, 1983 and completed in the same year, on December 23, a church with 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors (720 pyeong). In March 1989 two buildings across from the church were purchased and are used as a convent and an education hall.

Related Places and People

• Cheonho-dong Parish: the parish that had jurisdiction over the Amsa-dong Catholic mission chapel and transferred parish registers for 478 households and 1,376 persons when Amsa-dong was elevated to a parish on January 1981.
• Godeok-dong Parish: the parish established from the jurisdiction of Amsa-dong Parish on February 21, 1986.
• Myeongil-dong Parish: the parish separated from Amsa-dong Parish on August 19, 1987.
• Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society: the mission society that took charge of pastoral care in the Amsa-dong area on December 8, 1980.
• Father Joseph Kim Byeong-il: the priest of Cheonho-dong Parish who raised funds for building Amsa-dong Church from March 1980.

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Amsa-dong Parish.” On January 6, 1981, the elevation from mission chapel to parish, the patron Queen of Apostles, jurisdiction, church statistics, successive priests, the mission-chapel founding process, construction of the new church, separation of Godeok-dong and Myeongil-dong Parishes, and pastoral activities were confirmed.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4241
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory, “Amsa-dong.” The affiliated district (the 9 Gangdong District of the East Seoul Region), founding date 1981.01.06, patron Queen of Apostles, and the Inbo Seongche Sisters were confirmed.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000179&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011