Daechi 4-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Daechi 4-dong Church is a parish in Gangnam District No. 11 of the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, established on September 17, 1999 with Daechi-dong Church as its mother parish. Its patron saint is St. Therese of the Child Jesus. The parish homepage states that on September 17, 2024 it marked the ‘Daechi 4-dong Church church building 25 anniversary.’

History

[Establishment] The Parish Introduction on the parish homepage states that Daechi 4-dong Church was established on September 17, 1999 with Daechi-dong Church as its mother parish. The brief history in Parish Status on the same homepage states that it was established with Daechi-dong and Daechi 2-dong Churches as mother parishes, and that at the time of establishment it comprised 817 households and 2,681 faithful, with jurisdiction over all of Daechi 3-dong (excluding Woosung Apartments) and Daechi 4-dong, organized into 7 districts and 43 groups. The parish history chronology of its mother parish, Daechi-dong Church, records on October 8, 1999 the ‘separation of Daechi 4-dong Parish, its fourth daughter parish,’ so the establishment date (September 17) and the recorded separation date (October 8) are given differently by source.

[Division and changes in districts] According to the brief history in Parish Status, on October 28, 2004 Daechi 3-dong Church was divided from Daechi 4-dong Church, and the faithful of Daechi 3-dong were transferred to Daechi 3-dong Church. Thereafter, Daechi 4-dong Church is said to consist of 5 districts composed only of the faithful, plus those outside a district (6 district), and 26 groups. Parish Status lists the patronal feast day as October 1.

[Mother parish Daechi-dong Church] The Parish History on the Daechi-dong Church homepage explains that this parish received approval for establishment as Dogok-dong Parish on May 31, 1979 and changed its parish name to Daechi-dong Church on February 24, 1981, and that it spawned Yeoksam-dong Church in 1984, Gaepo-dong Church in 1985, Daechi 2-dong Church in 1991, Daechi 4-dong Church in 1999, and Dogok-dong Church in 2000. The ‘Church’ entry in the Digital Gangnam Culture Encyclopedia also states that Daechi-dong Church, which had branched off from Cheongdam-dong Church in 1979, spawned Daechi 2-dong Church (in 1991), Daechi 4-dong Church (in 1999), and others.

[Characteristics of the parish] The parish homepage introduces that, given the character of the Daechi-dong private-academy district, it sometimes serves as a church where families stay only briefly for their children’s university admission, that there are many temporary residents, and that there is a prayer group for students admitted through special overseas admission. It writes that the proportion of elderly people is rather high and that, although it is the smallest among the 4 churches in Daechi-dong, mutual cooperation works well in a family-like atmosphere. It also introduces that, as the parish priest has exceptional knowledge of sacred music and sacred art, the cultural level of the faithful is rising through special Advent lectures and sermons and formation at the Marian Night.

[Current status] The directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists 1,127 faithful, 0 Catholic mission chapels, the Sisters of the Holy Word as the sisters’ congregation, and the current pastor as Father Benedict An Jong-bae.

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the affiliated diocese as the Archdiocese of Seoul, the region/district as East Seoul Region, Gangnam District No. 11, the English name as Daechi 4dong Catholic Church, the establishment date as 1999.09.17, and the patron as St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

Related Places and People

• Daechi-dong Church: It is the mother parish of Daechi 4-dong Church. It is a parish that branched off from Cheongdam-dong Church in 1979, with its chronology posted in the Parish History on its homepage.
• Daechi 2-dong Church: It is a church listed as one of the mother parishes in the brief history in Parish Status.
• Daechi 3-dong Church: It is a church divided from Daechi 4-dong Church on October 28, 2004.

References and Sources

1. Daechi 4-dong Church, “Parish Introduction”. Mother parish, establishment date, patron saint, characteristics of the parish.
   http://daechi4.or.kr/?act=info.page&pcode=sub1_1
2. Daechi 4-dong Church, “Parish Status”. Number of households and faithful at establishment and jurisdiction, division of Daechi 3-dong in 2004, numbers of districts and groups, church building 25 anniversary.
   http://daechi4.or.kr/?act=info.page&pcode=sub1_2
3. Daechi-dong Church, “Parish History”. Division records of the mother parish (Daechi 4-dong Church in 1999).
   https://daechi.or.kr/history
4. Digital Gangnam Culture Encyclopedia, “Church”. Genealogy of Daechi-dong Church and the churches divided from it.
   http://gangnam.grandculture.net/gangnam/toc/GC04801214
5. Online Directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Daechi 4-dong”. Affiliated diocese and district, establishment date, sisters’ congregation, patron, number of faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000074&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011