Gaepo-dong Church

Overview

Gaepo-dong Church is a parish in the 11 Gangnam District of the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, it was separated from Daechi-dong Parish and established on August 16, 1985, and its patron is Saint Ignatius Kim Je-jun.

History

[From a Catholic mission chapel to a parish] Following population growth in the nearby area, Gaepo-dong was first established as an urban Catholic mission chapel as of July 14, 1985, when there were about 1 thousand households and 4,135 faithful. The faithful of the mission chapel rented and used a building at lot 2-5 in the Gaepo-dong commercial area, on the 6 floor of the Gaepo shopping complex. As elevation to a parish could no longer be postponed, the diocese decided on the elevation as of August 16 of the same year and appointed Father Ignatius Jeong Chi-yun as the first pastor.

[Building the church] Father Jeong Chi-yun worked for a long time to lay the foundation for the construction of the church and then went on leave for health reasons, and Father Joseph Hwang Heung-bok, who succeeded him, completed the church, which held its dedication ceremony on September 12, 1993. A branch house of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres is located in the parish.

[Parish membership and successive pastors] The number of faithful was 4,548 in 1985, 8,394 in 1989, and 9,887 in 1993. The successive pastors are recorded as the first, Ignatius Jeong Chi-yun (1985. 8–1993. 3), and the 2 pastor, Joseph Hwang Heung-bok (1993. 3–).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The jurisdiction recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia covers Gaepo 1, 2 and 3-dong and the Irwon-dong area. The online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the affiliated diocese as the Archdiocese of Seoul, the region and district as the 11 Gangnam District of the East Seoul Region, the date of establishment as 1985.08.16, the religious congregation as the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, and the patron as Saint Ignatius Kim Je-jun.

Related Places and People

• Daechi-dong Parish: the mother parish from which Gaepo-dong Parish was separated.
• Gaepo shopping complex: a building on the 6 floor was rented and used during the period as a mission chapel.
• Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres: a branch house of the congregation is located in the parish.

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Gaepo-dong Parish”. Separation from Daechi-dong Parish and establishment on August 16, 1985, patron, jurisdiction, establishment as a mission chapel (1985. 7. 14) and elevation to a parish, dedication of the church (1993. 9. 12), parish membership, and successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/251
2. Online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Gaepo-dong”. Affiliated diocese and district (the 11 Gangnam District of the East Seoul Region), date of establishment 1985.08.16, religious congregation (Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres), and patron Saint Ignatius Kim Je-jun.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000039&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011