Guui-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Guui-dong Church is a parish belonging to District 8 Seongdong-Gwangjin in the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Guui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. It was separated and established from Hwayang-dong Parish on April 20, 1977, and its patron is the Resurrection of Christ. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, it is a parish built on land secured with the help of the Korea branch of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, and it later separated Jayang-dong Parish and moved to a new church in 1990.

History

[Plan for Establishment] The establishment of Guui-dong Parish was planned around the end of 1975 as the number of believers in its mother parish, Hwayang-dong Parish, surged. Father Thomas Cleary (Thomas Cleary), pastor of Hwayang-dong Parish, prepared a plan to build a Guui-dong church as one of the pastoral projects for 1976 at the parish pastoral council, and in January 1976 the priests’ council of the eastern region resolved to establish a new Guui-dong Parish.

[First Church] In March 1976, with the help of the Korea branch of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, the parish purchased land of 248.4 pyeong at No. 257-12 in Guui-dong and began a fundraising campaign for construction costs, starting construction in September. With only walls and roof erected, it was established as a parish in April the following year. The construction of the church went through twists and turns, including replacement of the contractor and changes to the design, but with the cooperation of the faithful it was completed on October 16, 1977 as a church building with a total floor area of 785.45㎡ (1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors) on a site of 821.15㎡.

[Separation of Jayang-dong Parish and New Church] As the number of believers increased, in August 1982 the parish purchased land of 935.53㎡ at No. 669 in Jayang 2-dong, and, with the phase-1 construction of the new church completed, separated Jayang-dong Parish in January 1984. As the existing parish building was too small, in May 1990 construction began on a new church with a site of 1,030 pyeong and a total floor area of 864.3 pyeong at No. 67 Neung-dong, Seongdong-gu, the present location, and it was completed in October of the same year, moving here from the old church.

[Parish Statistics and Successive Pastors] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the numbers of believers were 1,140 in 1977, 3,212 in 1984, 5,858 in 1988, and 7,110 in 1993. The successive pastors are recorded as the first pastor Fr. Liam McCarron (Liamm McCarron) (1977. 4–1981. 1), the 2 pastor Fr. John Hogan (John Hogan) (1981. 1–1984. 7), the 3 pastor Augustino Ham Se-ung (1984. 8–1985. 8), the 4 pastor Paolo Na Won-gyun (1985. 8–1987. 2), the 5 pastor Mattia Hong In-sik (1987. 2–1988. 9), the 6 pastor Patrizio Yu Gyeong-hyeon (1988. 9–1992. 8), and the 7 pastor Pietro Lee Byeong-mun (1992. 10–).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The jurisdiction recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia covers Guui-dong, Gwangjang-dong, Jayang-dong, and part of Neung-dong. The location is listed in the encyclopedia as 67 Neung-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and in the online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea as Guui-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. The directory lists the establishment date as 1977.4.20., patron the Resurrection of Christ, women’s religious congregation the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs, and affiliation District 8 Seongdong-Gwangjin in the East Seoul Region.

Related Places and People

• Hwayang-dong Parish: It is the mother parish of Guui-dong Parish.
• Jayang-dong Parish: It was separated from Guui-dong Parish in January 1984.
• Korea Branch of the Missionary Society of St. Columban: It helped purchase the site in 1976.

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Guui-dong Parish.” Separation and establishment from Hwayang-dong Parish on April 20, 1977, patron the Resurrection of Christ, jurisdiction, establishment plan and land purchase, completion of the first church in 1977, separation of Jayang-dong Parish, move to the new church in 1990, parish statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/654
2. Online Directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Guui-dong.” Affiliated diocese and district (East Seoul Region District 8 Seongdong-Gwangjin), establishment date 1977.4.20., religious congregation (Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs), patron.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000050&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011