Banghwa 3-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Banghwa 3-dong Church is a parish belonging to the 17 Gangseo District in the West Seoul Region of the Seoul Archdiocese, established on September 17, 1999 after separation from Gonghang-dong Church. Its titular is the ‘Holy Family.’ Its establishment was promoted as the number of faithful grew through the housing-site development in the Banghwa district.

History

〔Background of Establishment〕 According to ‘Footsteps of Banghwa 3-dong Church’ on the parish homepage, Banghwa 3-dong Church came to recognize the need for its establishment as the number of faithful increased with the housing-site development in the Banghwa district. On November 29, 1998, at Ewha Kindergarten (449-27 Banghwa-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul; director Choi Jung-hui Susanna), the first Catholic mission chapel Mass was offered for the elderly of Gonghang-dong, and this mission chapel Mass continued for about 3 months.

〔Land Purchase and Establishment〕 On March 13, 1999, a contract was signed to purchase land (1,652.8㎡, about 500 pyeong) from the City of Seoul, and on March 21, the 5 Sunday of Lent, at 9 a.m., a celebratory Mass for the planned new site was celebrated, officiated by the 15 district dean and the director of the diocesan chancery. On March 23, ownership of the parish site was registered to the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul Maintenance Foundation. On September 17, 1999, Banghwa 3-dong Church was established after separation from Gonghang-dong Church, and at the time of establishment there were 910 households and 2,400 faithful. On October 1, 1999, the first pastor, Fr. Park Hui-won (Boniface), took office, and on October 3 the first Mass was offered in a tent temporary church.

〔Construction of the Church〕 According to the chronology, on September 23, 2001 the prefabricated temporary church was demolished, and on October 7 the groundbreaking ceremony for the new parish church was held. On December 23 of the same year, Mass was offered in the temporary basement church inside the new parish building under construction. There was a ridge-beam Mass on September 29, 2002, an entrance Mass into the new church (the 2-story main sanctuary) on September 11, 2005, and a dedication ceremony for the church on September 1, 2007. On December 11, 2018, the blessing ceremony for the remodeled parish and an invited performance by the Parinamu Sipjaga Boys’ Choir were held, officiated by Bishop Jeong Sun-taek and priests. Earlier, there had been a blessing ceremony for the church café on November 26, 2017, and a blessing ceremony for a new outdoor confessional connected with COVID-19 on June 21, 2020.

〔Successive Pastors〕 The pastors listed in the chronology are the first pastor, Fr. Park Hui-won, Boniface (took office on October 1, 1999), the 2 pastor, Fr. Kim Sun-jin, Joseph (took office on September 18, 2007), the 3 pastor, Fr. Jo Gun-ho, Joseph (took office on August 28, 2012), the 4 pastor, Fr. Kim Ji-young, Samuel (took office on August 21, 2017), the 5 pastor, Fr. Kwon Tae-hyeong, Lino (took office on August 30, 2022), and the 6 pastor, Fr. Lee Sang-won, John the Apostle (took office on September 2, 2025). As assistants, it is recorded that the first assistant, Fr. Lee Hui-cheon, Francis (took office on February 12, 2013), the 2 assistant, Fr. Park Tae-min, Peter (took office on February 17, 2015), the 3 assistant, Fr. Park Wu-jun, John the Apostle (took office on February 14, 2017), the 4 assistant, Fr. Jeon Chang-hun, Simon (took office on February 17, 2019), the 5 assistant, Fr. Kang Cheol-ho, John the Baptist (took office on February 8, 2022), the 6 associate assistant, Fr. Lee Sang-min, Gregory (took office on February 13, 2024), and the 7 assistant, Fr. Kim Min-jung, Michael (took office on February 19, 2026) took office.

〔Changes in Jurisdiction〕 At the time of establishment on September 17, 1999, the jurisdiction covered the whole area south of Yangcheon-gil in Banghwa 3-dong formed by the Banghwa housing-site development, and included part of Magok-dong (lots 203 and 223-5). The chronology explains that by a readjustment of jurisdiction on August 21, 2008, parts of Banghwa 1-dong and Magok-dong were additionally incorporated, and the same chronological list states that by a diocesan readjustment of jurisdiction on September 2, 2008, 2 districts of Gonghang-dong were incorporated into the Banghwa 3-dong Church district.

〔Commemorative Events and Activities〕 There were a celebration for the 10 anniversary of the parish foundation and a Bible-transcription offering ceremony on September 13, 2009 (offering 272 volumes by district), and an award ceremony for a parish logo design contest in April 2009. Recorded are an opening Mass for the Senior Academy (school for the elderly) on March 5, 2010 (102 entrants), a family camp commemorating the 15 anniversary of the parish foundation in August 2014, and a broadcast of a Sunday Mass by the Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation on July 14, 2019. In 2024, marking the 25 anniversary of the parish foundation, a feast for all parishioners was held on May 19, a Parish Day event was held on September 1, and September 17 was designated as the anniversary day for the 25 anniversary of the foundation.

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the affiliated diocese as the Seoul Archdiocese, the region and district as the 17 Gangseo District in the West Seoul Region, the date of establishment as 1999.09.17, the titular as the Holy Family, 4,213 faithful, and 0 Catholic mission chapels. The parish homepage introduces the patron Holy Family as referring to the family in Nazareth of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and St. Joseph, and explains that the Church in Korea celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family on the first Sunday after the Solemnity of Christmas.

Related Places and People

• Gonghang-dong Church: It is the mother parish from which Banghwa 3-dong Church was separated in 1999.
• Fr. Park Hui-won, Boniface: He is the first pastor.
• Bishop Jeong Sun-taek: He officiated at the blessing ceremony for the remodeled parish on December 11, 2018.

References and Sources

1. Banghwa 3-dong Church, “Parish History (Footsteps of Banghwa 3-dong Church).” Catholic mission chapel Masses, land purchase, establishment, church construction, successive pastors and assistants, changes in jurisdiction, major events by year.
   http://www.banghwa3.com/sub01/sub02
2. Banghwa 3-dong Church, “Patron Saint/Symbol Mark.” Explanation of the patron Holy Family and the Feast of the Holy Family.
   http://www.banghwa3.com/sub01/sub01
3. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea Online Directory, “Banghwa 3-dong.” Affiliated diocese and district, date of establishment, titular, number of faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000118&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011