Daechi-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Daechi-dong Church is a parish belonging to Gangnam District No. 11 in the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. In 1979, it was separated from Cheongdam-dong Parish and first established as Dogok-dong Parish, and in February 1981 the parish name was changed to Daechi-dong Parish. Its patron is the Seven Sacraments. The date of establishment is given as June 14, 1979 in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and as May 31, 1979 in the Korean Catholic Directory respectively, and the Directory lists the patron as ‘Seven Sacraments of Grace.’

History

Before the mission chapel was established, the faithful in the Daechi-dong and Dogok-dong areas took the bus to Cheongdam-dong Parish to attend Mass. On April 9, 1978, when the Apgujeong Mission Chapel of Cheongdam-dong Parish was established, the faithful in Daechi-dong began a fundraising campaign for a mission chapel in July of that year. Father Choi Chang-jeong Joachim of Cheongdam-dong Parish purchased 85.5 pyeong on floor 3 of a newly built commercial building (No. 5-Na on reserved land in Block 439, Dogok-dong) in August 1978 and established the Dogok-dong Mission Chapel on September 3. From September 24, Father Lee Seong-man Thomas, an Air Force chaplain, helped with mission ministry including offering Mass, and the Legion of Mary, the Eucharistic Society, the choir, the altar servers, and the student group were separated from Cheongdam-dong Parish to operate, while the Sunday school became independent and opened on October 8. In November 1978, Bishop Gyeong Gap-ryong, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Seoul, visited for pastoral visitation and encouraged preparation for elevation to parish status, and after preparations including gatherings of household heads and formation of a mission pastoral council, it was elevated to Dogok-dong Parish on June 14, 1979. Its jurisdiction covered Daechi 1-dong and 4-dong and part of Dogok-dong.

The number of faithful was 1,311 in 1979, 4,564 in 1981, 11,488 in 1984, 14,473 in 1988, 16,639 in 1990, 9,580 in 1991, and 10,090 in 1993. The successive pastors are recorded as the first pastor Ahn Sang-in Joseph (June 1979–November 1981), the 2 pastor Kim Su-gil Ludovico (November 1981–August 1986), the 3 pastor Choe Gwang-yeon Moses (August 1986–September 1991), the 4 pastor Kim Mong-eun John (September 1991–September 1995), and the 5 pastor Kim Yeong-hwan Paul (September 1995–).

The commercial building used as a mission chapel was cramped and the surroundings were noisy, so after the parish was established opinion in favor of building a new church grew. The parish returned the hillside land in Dogok-dong assigned by the diocese, judging it unsuitable as a church site, and with funds raised by the faithful for the church building, purchased 586.3 pyeong of land at 1016-1 in Daechi-dong, the present location, in December 1980. As the parish location changed from Dogok-dong to Daechi-dong, the parish name was changed to Daechi-dong on February 24, 1981.

Having entered a stable period with the construction of the new church, the parish donated books in March 1981 to a nearby elementary school, a downtown bus conductresses’ dormitory, and lodgings for maintenance workers and drivers. It spent over 10% of the parish budget on welfare projects and carried out a ‘13-month parish dues system’ of offering an additional month’s offering at year-end, using it for the supporters’ association, diocesan social welfare projects, and support for financially poor local parishes. It provided re-education for the faithful through special lectures in Advent and Lent, group retreats, Holy Spirit seminars, and Scripture study groups, and from May 1988 opened counseling offices for medical, family, youth, employment, legal, and tax matters. A retreat and youth education house was prepared on forest land in Galpung-ri, Hoengseong-eup, Gangwon-do, with a groundbreaking ceremony held in April 1986, but due to operational difficulties it was handed over to the Dominican Sisters at the final stage, and the parish education hall was prepared in the basement when the church was expanded and renovated in 1992. From July 1992 to October 1993 Mass was offered in the basement hall while the church was under repair, and in January 1994, the 15th anniversary of its foundation, it published 《Daechi-dong Parish’s 15 Years》. As the population of the Gangnam area grew, it spun off Yeoksam-dong Parish in August 1984, Gaepo-dong Parish in August 1985, and Daechi 2-dong Parish in August 1991.

Architecture and Space

After a groundbreaking ceremony on May 10, 1981, the parish completed and blessed on May 29, 1983 a church with 1 basement floor and 3 above-ground floors, along with a rectory, convent, offices, and meeting rooms (total floor area 970 pyeong). The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that this church was the first modern church in the country equipped with centralized heating and cooling facilities. Before the blessing, a ‘Thanksgiving Retreat for the Dedication of the Church’ was held.

Related Places and Figures

• Cheongdam-dong Parish: The mother parish from which Daechi-dong (Dogok-dong) Parish was separated.
• Yeoksam-dong Parish, Gaepo-dong Parish, and Daechi 2-dong Parish: The parishes spun off from Daechi-dong Parish in August 1984, August 1985, and August 1991 respectively.
• Father Ahn Sang-in Joseph: The first pastor, serving from June 1979 to November 1981.

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Daechi-dong Parish.” It was used to confirm the separation and establishment from Cheongdam-dong Parish on June 14, 1979, the parish name change from Dogok-dong to Daechi-dong in February 1981, the mission-chapel period and securing of the site, church construction (groundbreaking in 1981 and blessing in 1983), activities, and spin-offs.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1317
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Daechi-dong.” It was used to confirm the affiliated district (Gangnam District No. 11 in the East Seoul Region), establishment date 1979.05.31, patron Seven Sacraments of Grace, and the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000071&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011