Hyehwa-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Hyehwa-dong Church is a parish belonging to Jongno District No. 4 in the Jung Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Established on April 29, 1927, it was the third parish of the Seoul Vicariate and was first called Baek-dong Parish. Its patrons are Saint Benedict and Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. It is notable for having started by purchasing a Benedictine monastery building, and it is a mother parish that successively divided off Jegi-dong, Gireum-dong, Donam-dong, and Seongbuk-dong Parishes.

History

[Before establishment] Before the parish was established, Catholics in the Dongso-mun area either attended Sunday Mass at the monastery church of the Benedictine monastery that had settled in Baek-dong, now Hyehwa-dong, in 1909, or took part in the services of the Catholic mission chapel outside Dongso-mun established around 1918. In 1927, when the Benedictine monastery was to relocate to Deokwon in South Hamgyong Province, Bishop Mutel, head of the Seoul Vicariate, purchased the monastery buildings in Baek-dong with money donated by Father Le Couvreur of the Diocese of Cochinchina, the Vietnam region, and promoted the establishment of a parish.

[Establishment and early years] On April 29, 1927, with the appointment of Father Chizallet (P. Chizallet) as first pastor, Baek-dong Parish was established as the third parish of the Seoul Vicariate. Because the Benedictines had not yet fully withdrawn, Father Chizallet stayed at the episcopal residence of the Seoul Vicariate and took up his post at the parish only on October 18. No separate church was built, and the old monastery church was used, while for the rectory a living room formerly used by Bishop Sauer was utilized. In early 1929, about 20 male Catholics founded the Hyehwa-dong Youth Friendship Association and carried out charitable and evangelization work.

Under the No. 2 pastor, Father Seo Gi-chang, in 1929, the old monastery church was handed over to the minor seminary relocated to Baek-dong, and a woodworking shop that had been an annex of the monastery was remodeled into a church; in September the dedication ceremony was held by Bishop Larribeau and the patron was fixed as Saint Benedict. In September 1932, a bell was procured with funds raised by the faithful, and in 1929 to 1933 the St. Anne Association, the women's choir, the Hyehwa-dong Boys Association, and other groups were organized. Under the No. 3 pastor, Father O Gi-seon, around 1937, through a boundary adjustment with Hyeon-dong Parish, now Myeong-dong Parish, the jurisdiction was extended to Jongno 3-ga, and with the aim of teaching Korean language and writing to children to instill national spirit, Hyehwa Kindergarten was founded and opened in April 1937. Sisters of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres were dispatched and took part in educating the children and in evangelization, and in March 1938 the Catholic Young Women's Association and in December the Secular Franciscan Fraternity of St. Francis were launched.

[Division of the parish] Under the No. 4 pastor, Father Saengje, in May 1942 the first daughter parish, Jegi-dong Parish, was established and divided off. In December 1943 the Sacred Music Women's Association was founded, and in May 1945 the second daughter parish, Mia-ri Parish, now Gireum-dong Parish, was divided off. In June 1946 the No. 1 Eucharistic procession was held, and in December of the same year Assistant Father Jo Chang-hui compiled Youth Mass for young people. Around 1947, an advisory body, the Parish Maintenance Committee, was organized and the Catholic Medical Association, a fellowship group of Catholic doctors, was launched. In June 1948, as Father Saengje was transferred, Maryknoll missionaries took over pastoral responsibility in place of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. The No. 5 pastor, Father Craig, returned to the United States after a traffic accident immediately after taking office, and Father Duffy, who took office as No. 6 pastor in August 1948, also returned home in June 1950 immediately after the outbreak of the Korean War.

After the recapture of Seoul in September 1950, Father Jeong Won-jin took office as No. 7 pastor in November, and Korean priests began to take charge of the parish. In April 1952 Hyehwa Kindergarten, closed by the war, was reopened and the silver jubilee marking the 25 anniversary of the parish foundation was celebrated. As the church became old and cramped, in March 1954 the New Church Building Committee was organized. In April 1955 Jongno Parish was established and the Jongno 3-ga area was transferred to it, and in October the third daughter parish, Donam-dong Parish, was divided off. In June 1956 forest land at mountain 66, lot No. 1, in Dobong-ri, Nohae-myeon, Yangju-gun, Gyeonggi-do was purchased and developed as the parish cemetery, and in February 1959 land at mountain 65, lot No. 1, in Banghak-ri of the same myeon was purchased and permission for cemetery use was received. In June 1958 the groundbreaking ceremony for a new church was held, and the patron was fixed as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus along with the existing Saint Benedict.

[Construction of the church and expansion of facilities] Under the No. 8 pastor, Father Jang Geum-gu, in May 1960 the church and the 1-story rectory were completed and the dedication was celebrated by Bishop Noh Gi-nam. In March 1961 the first issue of the Hyehwa-dong Church Bulletin was published, and in October the kindergarten annex building of 141 pyeong was newly built. Under the No. 9 pastor, Father Ryu Su-cheol, in August 1965 a cemetery was developed on a hill at mountain 14-1 in Idonggyo-ri, Sohul-myeon, Pocheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, and in October of the same year the kindergarten main building of 3 stories was newly built, in November the 2-story convent was completed, and the rectory was also expanded to 2 stories.

Under the No. 10 pastor, Father Lee Gye-jung, in 1970 the 2-story auditorium was expanded, and in 1972 the erection of a statue of Our Lady and landscaping work were completed. Under the No. 11 pastor, Father Park Gwi-hun, in August 1973 the operating committee was reorganized as the pastoral council, and in May 1975 the fourth daughter parish, Seongbuk-dong Parish, was established and divided off. Under the No. 12 pastor, Father Park Hui-bong, in December 1975 the blessing ceremony for the new 2-story rectory was held and it was named the Rectory Commemorating the 50 Anniversary of the Beatification of the 79 Martyr Blesseds. In November 1976 a concert celebrating the 50 anniversary of the parish foundation was held, in January 1977 Half a Century of Baek-dong, containing the parish history, was published, and in July the Holy Image of the 103 Martyr Blesseds was produced. In July 1979 the wall behind the altar of the church was decorated with ceramics, and in March 1980 the right-side windows of the church were decorated with stained glass.

Under the No. 13 pastor, Father Lee Gi-myeong, on July 13, 1980 parish bulletin Hyehwa No. 1000 was issued, and from No. 1001 it was merged into the Seoul Bulletin published by the public relations office of the Archdiocese of Seoul. In August of the same year the Lay Apostolate Council was formed, in March 1981 the 3-story convent was completed, and in September the Marian Association donated a statue of Blessed Father Kim Dae-geon. In May 1982 the Marian garden was newly laid out. In the same year, as part of the parish land was expropriated under the Seoul city plan for Subway Line No. 4 and the Bible and religious goods shop, night-duty room, and other facilities were demolished, it was decided to build an education hall; with part of the needed land secured from Dongsung Middle and High School, groundbreaking was held in September and in May 1983 a thanksgiving Mass for completion was celebrated by Cardinal Kim Su-hwan.

Under the No. 14 pastor, Father Lee Sang-hun, in October 1985 the Baekdong Festival, combining an athletic meet and a writing contest, was held on the field of Dongsung Middle and High School, and the No. 1 Baekdong Culture Festival was held under the auspices of the youth federation. In 1987, marking the 60 anniversary of the parish foundation, the blessing ceremony and commemorative Mass for the pipe organ installed in June were held in October and the Baek-dong 60-Year History was published. In November 1989 the basement chapel for small liturgical events and catechism classes, now So-hwa Chapel, was completed, and in 1991 the left-side windows of the church were decorated with stained glass.

Under the No. 15 pastor, Father Park Sun-jae, in October 1991 the statue of Our Lady in the Marian garden was moved to the left of the church steps and a statue of St. Joseph was enshrined on the right, the Way of the Cross was laid out inside the roadside wall and the Rosary Path was laid out on the right church wall. In 1992, to revitalize the small-community movement, the parish territory was reorganized into 4 districts and 8 zones. In March 1993 a large bronze cross was made and installed on the bell tower, and in May the basement chapel was repaired and named So-hwa Chapel. In September the No. 1 Parish Community Day was held, and in October 1994 the auditorium was expanded from 2 stories to 4 stories, named Baekdong Hall, and a new Eucharistic adoration chapel was prepared. In May 1995 the meeting place Saemteo was created and blessed.

Under the No. 16 pastor, Father Yeom Su-ui, in April 1996 the installation artwork entitled Prayer of Gethsemane was completed in the Blessed Sacrament repository of So-hwa Chapel, in November Korean statues of Our Lady and St. Joseph were made and enshrined on the steps in front of the church, and in December the parish collection of sacred art was compiled into the catalogue Abide with Us. In March 1997 the religious goods shop of 2 stories was completed to the right of the main gate and named House of Benedict, in September the Baek-dong 70-Year History was published, and in October the 70 anniversary celebration of the parish foundation was held. Under the No. 17 pastor, Father Na Won-gyun, in June 1999 an event commemorating the 60 anniversary of Hyehwa Kindergarten was held, and in October 2000 major repair work on the church was carried out. Under the No. 18 pastor, Father Kim Cheol-ho, in December 2004 the parish newsletter Baek-dong was launched.

Parish statistics recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are about 800 in 1927, 2,844 in 1937, 3,640 in 1955, 6,120 in 1970, 7,245 in 1990, 6,428 in 2000, and 5,681 in 2005. The jurisdiction is Hyehwa-dong, Myeongnyun-dong 1 to 4-ga, Dongsung-dong, Dongsomun-dong 1 to 2-ga, Yeongeon-dong, Ihwa-dong, Samseon-dong 1 to 2-ga, and part of Seongbuk-dong 1-ga. Successive pastors are the first Peter Chizallet (1927.4 to 1929.5), No. 2 Francis Seo Gi-chang (1929.5 to 1936.5), No. 3 Joseph O Gi-seon (1936.5 to 1939.7), No. 4 Peter Saengje (1939.7 to 1948.6), No. 5 Hugo Craig (1948.6 to 8), No. 6 Patricio Duffy (1948.8 to 1950.6), No. 7 Luke Jeong Won-jin (1950.11 to 1959.5), No. 8 Chrysostom Jang Geum-gu (1959.5 to 1962.9), No. 9 Dominic Ryu Su-cheol (1962.9 to 1968.6), No. 10 John the Baptist Lee Gye-jung (1968.6 to 1973.5), No. 11 John Park Gwi-hun (1973.5 to 1975.5), No. 12 Isidore Park Hui-bong (1975.5 to 1980.5), No. 13 Francis Xavier Lee Gi-myeong (1980.5 to 1985.8), No. 14 Lino Lee Sang-hun (1985.8 to 1991.8), No. 15 Raphael Park Sun-jae (1991.8 to 1995.9), No. 16 Joseph Yeom Su-ui (1995.9 to 1998.9), No. 17 Paul Na Won-gyun (1998.9 to 2003.9), and No. 18 Paul Kim Cheol-ho (2003.9 to the present).

Architecture and Space

At the time of foundation the old Benedictine monastery church was used as is, and in 1929 a monastery annex woodworking shop was remodeled and dedicated as a church. After a groundbreaking ceremony for new construction in June 1958, in May 1960 the church and the 1-story rectory were completed and dedicated. In 1979 the wall behind the altar was decorated with ceramics, and in 1980 and 1991 the right and left windows of the church were decorated with stained glass respectively. The basement chapel completed in 1989 was named So-hwa Chapel in 1993, and the auditorium was expanded to 4 stories in 1994 and is called Baekdong Hall.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

According to the Korean Catholic Directory, the convent serving the parish belongs to the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres.

Related Places and People

• Jegi-dong Parish in May 1942, Mia-ri Parish, now Gireum-dong Parish, in May 1945, Donam-dong Parish in October 1955, and Seongbuk-dong Parish in May 1975: daughter parishes divided off from Hyehwa-dong Parish.
• Jongno Parish: established in April 1955 and received the Jongno 3-ga area from Hyehwa-dong Parish.
• Benedictine monastery: settled in Baek-dong in 1909 and moved to Deokwon in 1927, and the parish purchased its buildings.
• Maryknoll Missionaries: the mission society that took over pastoral responsibility for the parish in June 1948 in place of the Paris Foreign Missions Society.

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Hyehwa-dong Parish (Jongno). The establishment on April 29, 1927, patron, jurisdiction, background of foundation, construction and expansion of the church, division of daughter parishes, successive pastors, and statistics were verified.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/6929
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory, Hyehwa-dong (Ji). The affiliated district, Jung Seoul Region Jongno District No. 4, foundation date 1927.04.29, patron, and Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres were verified.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000245&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011