Hannam-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Hannam-dong Church is a parish belonging to Jung-gu–Yongsan District No. 1 in the Central Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Its patron is Our Lady, Queen of the Rosary, and its establishment was approved at the Itaewon Parish pastoral council in 1996, leading to its foundation in 1997. The building is a red-brick structure with a copper roof, with 3 stories above ground and 2 stories below ground.

History

〔Establishment process〕 According to the parish website history, on November 6, 1996, the November pastoral council of Itaewon Parish approved the plan to establish Hannam-dong Parish, and the Committee for the Establishment of Hannam-dong Parish (chair: Michael Kim Geon-seong) was formed. On March 16, 1997, it submitted the parish establishment plan to the diocesan administration office and received notice of approval for the new establishment on April 22. On May 15, it signed a lease with the Conventual Franciscans (deposit 4 ten million won), followed on July 5 by the reception of pledges for the church building fund and the preparation of subscription offering envelopes, and on September 21 by a bazaar for church construction (Jeongsu Vocational School).

The website history records that on September 26, 1997, Hannam-dong Church was newly established and Father Michael Choe Won-il was appointed as the first pastor, with 586 households and 1,630 parishioners at the time. The first pastor took office on October 7 and the first Mass was celebrated on October 12. On October 19, the establishment committee was reorganized into a provisional pastoral council (first president: Michael Kim Geon-seong), and on December 7, two sisters of the Daegu Missionary Benedictine Sisters, Sister Simon Yi and Sister Josepha Kim, 2 in number, took up their posts. The foundation date is given as September 26, 1997 in the online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea and as October 7, 1997 in the parish website status table, so both are recorded together.

〔Early activities〕 On February 9, 1998, the patronal feast and Parish Day (Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7) were instituted, with 560 households and 1,630 parishioners at the time. In the same year, records note on March 1 a welcome ceremony for solitary believers, Bible reading and writing (274 days from March 1 to November 29), and the first meeting for the foundation of the parish St. Vincent de Paul Society, and in May, pledge cards for the new building fund were offered. On October 7, the 1 anniversary of the parish foundation was observed.

〔Church construction〕 In February 1999, with diocesan support, the 1 purchase of land was made (200 pyeong, 11 hundred million 8 thousand 3 hundred ten-thousand won), and on October 10 a grand bazaar of love and sharing for church construction (Dankook University) was held. In June 2000, a 2 purchase of land was made (100 pyeong, 7 hundred million 3 thousand 5 hundred ten-thousand won), followed in August by the formation of the construction promotion committee (first chair: Clara Yi Won-seon), in September by the finalization of the design for the church and rectory and the selection of the church construction contractor, on October 1 by the groundbreaking for the rectory and convent, and on December 10 by the ridge-beam ceremony for the rectory and convent.

On February 4, 2001, pledge cards for the new church building fund (2 round) were received, followed on April 20 by the move into the convent and rectory, on April 29 by the Mass for the new Hannam-dong Church and the groundbreaking ceremony, and on November 25 by the move into the basement of the new church under construction. On December 1, a bankbook system for building offerings was begun so that all parishioners would join in offering for church construction (campaign for 1 persons to hold 1 bankbooks). On April 1, 2002, the offering of 100 ten-thousand decades of the rosary for the dedication of the new church began its 2 stage, and on August 15 the entrance ceremony and entrance Mass (officiated by Msgr. Ahn Gyeong-ryeol) were celebrated. On September 21, 2003, 3 million decades of the rosary were offered, and on October 5 the dedication of the church was celebrated with Archbishop Nicholas Cheong Jin-seok officiating. On October 3, 2004, there were a Mass for the 1 anniversary of the parish dedication and a ceremony for the conferral of a papal blessing (Bishop Andrew Yeom Su-jeong).

〔Later history〕 On October 7, 2007, a Mass and events for the 10 anniversary of the parish foundation were held. Confirmations are recorded on November 6, 2002 (Msgr. Kim Byeong-do), on October 27, 2005 (Bishop Lucas Kim Un-hoe), on October 11, 2008 (Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-seok, 110 persons), on November 13, 2011 (Bishop Andrew Yeom Su-jeong, 78 persons), and others. On August 25, 2011, Sister Bane Yi took up her post in charge of social ministry, and on December 11 of the same year a ceremony for the agreement as a model parish for parish social ministry was held at the Advent charity market.

In 2012, construction of a book café in the meeting room began in September, and on December 24 the blessing ceremony for the book café “Sarangbang” was held. On March 1, 2020, all Masses and meetings were fully suspended for COVID-19 social distancing, then resumed on a limited basis on May 3, and resumed normally on April 18, 2022 with the full lifting of social distancing. On April 21, 2021, replacement of the parish heating and cooling facilities and remodeling work began, and on September 15 there was work on the convent. On April 26, 2022, 4 zones and 6 groups (Nine One Hannam Apartments) were incorporated in the reorganization of districts and groups. In the same year, a nine-day prayer for the 25 anniversary of the parish foundation began on September 28 and concluded with the anniversary day on October 7, a music retreat Mass on October 11, and a thanksgiving Mass on October 16. On January 6, 2024, there were a Mass for the enshrinement of the relics of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, on March 2 a Mass for parishioners subject to relocation for redevelopment, and on April 12 work to replace the parish elevator.

〔Parish Day shrine pilgrimages〕 The website history records that all parishioners made pilgrimages to shrines on Parish Day. They are Baeron Shrine (235 persons) in 2004, Haemi Shrine in 2005, Mirinae Shrine in 2006, Galmaemot Shrine in 2008, Namyang Shrine of the Diocese of Suwon in 2010, Maegoe Marian Pilgrimage Shrine of the Diocese of Cheongju in 2011, Saenamteo Shrine (on foot) in 2012, Haemi Shrine in 2014, and Yeonpung Shrine in 2023. On March 16, 2002, a nighttime walking pilgrimage from the church to Saenamteo Shrine was made.

〔Successive pastors〕 According to the website history, the pastors are the first, Michael Choe Won-il (took office on October 7, 1997), the 2 Joseph Kim Sun-jin (took office on October 5, 2001), the 3 Thomas Aquinas Kim Hyeong-chan (took office on September 5, 2006), the 4 Michael Yi Chang-jun (took office on September 1, 2009), the 5 Luke Yi Hyeong-jeon (took office on September 1, 2014), the 6 Joseph Yi Jong-hwan (took office on August 28, 2018), and the 7 James Kim Jong-ho (took office on September 5, 2023). Pastoral visits are recorded by Bishop Ahn Gyeong-ryeol, Msgr., in 2004, Bishop Basil Cho Kyu-man, Vicar General, in 2015, Bishop Job Koo Yobi in 2019, and Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taek in 2023.

Architecture and Space

According to the parish website building guide, the site is at Hannam-2-dong 657-40, 41, with a site area of 984 square meters (297.7 pyeong), a building area of 586.04 square meters (177.27 pyeong), and a total floor area of 866.33 square meters, for religious use. The scale is 3 stories above ground and 2 stories below ground, with a red-brick exterior and copper roof, and the maximum height is 23.17 m. Parking is for 23 cars (indoor 17 cars, outdoor 6 cars), and the construction start date is given as September 26, 2000 and the basement completion date as October 1, 2001.

By floor, basement 2 has a parking lot (17 cars), machine room and electrical room (186 pyeong), basement 1 has a large meeting room (85 pyeong), catechesis rooms (9 rooms) and meeting hall (25 pyeong)(258 pyeong), ground 1 has offices, meeting room, multipurpose room, kitchen and sacristy (169 pyeong), ground 2 has the church, infant room and 235 seats for the faithful (177 pyeong), and ground 3 has 105 choir seats (75 pyeong).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The affiliation in the online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea is Jung-gu–Yongsan District No. 1 in the Central Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, and the sisters’ congregation is the Tutzing Missionary Benedictine Sisters, Daegu Priory, with patron Our Lady, Queen of the Rosary. The parish website status table gives the jurisdiction as Central Seoul 1 District, Hannam-dong, and posts the number of faithful as 1,969 persons (as of October 19, 2024), while the directory gives 1,660 persons.

Related Places and Persons

• Itaewon Parish: the parish where the plan to establish Hannam-dong Parish was approved.
• Conventual Franciscans: the party with which the lease was signed on May 15, 1997.
• Saenamteo Shrine: the destination of Parish Day and catechumen shrine pilgrimages and walking pilgrimages noted in the history.
• Father Michael Choe Won-il: the first pastor.
• Michael Kim Geon-seong: chair of the establishment committee and first president of the provisional pastoral council.

References and Sources

1. Hannam-dong Church, “Status and History”. Parish status, establishment process (1996–1997), first pastor and activities immediately after foundation, church construction process (1999–2004), successive pastors, parish events.
   http://www.hannamdong.or.kr/Infopage/history
2. Hannam-dong Church, “Building Guide”. Site and building outline, scale, exterior finish, use by floor, start date and basement completion date.
   https://www.hannamdong.or.kr/Infopage/facility
3. Online Directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Hannam-dong”. Affiliated diocese and district, foundation date 1997.09.26, sisters’ congregation, patron, number of faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000241&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011