Haengdang-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Haengdang-dong Church is a parish belonging to Seongdong-Gwangjin District No. 8 in the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. It was separated and established from Wangsimni Parish on August 10, 1969, and its patron is St. Stephen. Early pastoral ministry was undertaken by the Missionary Society of St. Columban, and in 1978 pastoral responsibility was transferred to the Archdiocese of Seoul.

History

In the late 1960s, Wangsimni Parish had a wide jurisdiction and many faithful, so division was needed. Father Mannion (F. Mannion, Myeong), the 4th pastor of Wangsimni Parish, selected the Haengdang-dong area as the target region, judging that it needed separate pastoral attention because it was far from Wangsimni Parish and was a highland densely settled by poor people with poor housing and educational conditions.

From February 1969, the Korea branch of the Missionary Society of St. Columban searched for a church site and on May 30 purchased 284 pyeong of field owned by Kim Gideuk, and Father O’Connor was dispatched to oversee the new church construction. The archdiocese established Haengdang-dong Parish on August 10 and appointed Father O’Connor as first pastor, and on August 31 held the church dedication ceremony officiated by Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan. Father O’Connor formed the pastoral council and in September founded the Gate of Heaven Praesidium and the Morning Star Junior Praesidium, the beginnings of parish Legion activity, and also founded the Women’s Association (on October 8) and the Association for the Deceased (on November 2). On January 20, 1970, he opened elementary catechism classes for Sunday school and on December 8 founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Father John Bergin (J. Bergin, Park), the 2th pastor, laid the groundwork for re-education of the faithful by conducting catechetical study 1 times a month with the textbook “Who Are These People” and retreats for all parishioners from the start of his tenure. On May 27, 1973, he erected a statue of Our Lady in the parish garden, and on October 3, 1974, organized the church expansion promotion committee. Father Hugo McMahon (H. McMahon, Min), the 3th pastor, began church expansion work in October 1975 and finished it on May 29, 1976, holding the dedication ceremony officiated by Cardinal Kim. From June 1 of the same year, he held monthly tong-level neighborhood meetings by district, and on December 26 opened the Haengdang Credit Union. When a convent was prepared by temporarily remodeling a meeting room on May 4, 1977, Sisters of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were dispatched on May 8, and the Immaculate Conception Praesidium was founded on August 17 and the St. Stephen Association, a gathering of the older group in their 30s, was established on December 4.

After pastoral responsibility was transferred from the Missionary Society of St. Columban to the Archdiocese of Seoul, Father John Oh Jiyoung took office as the 4th pastor effective January 16, 1978. Father Oh held retreats for all parishioners together with the School of Faith, a leader-formation program, in 5 sessions from 1979 to 1980, and founded the Queen of Angels Praesidium, a student Legion, on February 25, 1978, the Queen of Apostles Praesidium, a youth Legion, on August 31, and the Mother of Christ and Mother of the Saviour Praesidia on March 17, 1979, thereby bringing every parish organization into the Legion. In the same year, on December 23, he purchased land opposite the church to build an education hall.

Father Gregorio Han Huidong, the 5th pastor, launched the Mother Most Faithful Praesidium on June 21, 1980, the Mothers’ Choir on October 15, and the Youth Choir on April 17, 1981, established the House of Gold Curia on February 6, 1983, and in June 1985 purchased 51 pyeong of nearby land in preparation for church expansion. Father Paul Jang Deokbeom, the 6th pastor, built an education hall on the purchased land, completing construction on December 8, 1986. Father Bonaventura Tak Heonsang, the 7th pastor, launched the Flower Offering Association on March 17, 1992, moved the convent to a prefabricated building on the rooftop of the education hall on July 10, 1993, opened a senior citizens’ college on October 6, and prepared a rectory on April 20, 1994. Father John the Baptist Han Sangmun, the 8th pastor, founded the St. Monica Association in 1998 and carried out renovation of the education hall in 1999. Father Alberto Han Seongho, the 9st pastor, carried out overall parish renovation from July 2002, and held the inauguration of the parish Catholic Scouts for boys and girls (in September 2003), an Emmaus Youth Choir concert (in November 2003), and a Day for Single Parishioners (in September 2004), and in April 2005 conducted the retreat program “The Way to Become a True Couple” and a Life in the Spirit Seminar.

The successive pastors are the founding pastor Mauricio O’Connor (August 1969~September 1972), John Bergin, the 2nd pastor (September 1972~September 1975), Hugo McMahon, the 3rd pastor (September 1975~January 1978), John Oh Jiyoung, the 4th pastor (January 1978~May 1980), Gregorio Han Huidong, the 5th pastor (May 1980~August 1985), Paul Jang Deokbeom, the 6th pastor (August 1985~August 1991), Bonaventura Tak Heonsang, the 7th pastor (August 1991~September 1996), John the Baptist Han Sangmun, the 8th pastor (September 1996~September 2001), and Alberto Han Seongho, the 9th pastor (September 2001~). According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the jurisdiction covers Haengdang 1·2-dong and all of Eungbong-dong. The number of faithful was 1,315 in 1970, 2,134 in 1975, 2,687 in 1980, 3,474 in 1985, 3,564 in 1990, 3,550 in 1995, 4,253 in 2000, and 4,861 in 2003.

Architecture and Space

On May 30, 1969, 284 pyeong of field was purchased to build the church, which was dedicated on August 31. Expansion work begun in October 1975 was completed on May 29, 1976, with a dedication ceremony, and the education hall was completed on December 8, 1986, and the rectory was prepared on April 20, 1994.

Related Places and People

• Wangsimni Parish: the parish from which Haengdang-dong Parish was separated.
• Missionary Society of St. Columban: the missionary society in charge of parish ministry from its foundation until 1978.
• Father Mauricio M. O’Connor (Go): the first pastor.

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Haengdang-dong Parish”. The separation and establishment from Wangsimni Parish on August 10, 1969, the patron St. Stephen, the founding process, the church dedication and expansion, and activities by successive pastors and membership statistics were verified.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/6860
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory, “Haengdang-dong”. The affiliated district (East Seoul Region, Seongdong-Gwangjin District No. 8), the establishment date 1969.08.10, and the patron St. Stephen were verified.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000243&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011