Irwon-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Ilwon-dong Church is a parish in Gangnam District No. 11, East Seoul Region, Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On February 22, 1994, it was separated from Gaepo-dong Church and Suseo-dong Church and established, and its patron saint is St. Joseph. The Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs maintain a branch house in the parish.

History

[Parish Establishment] According to the parish introduction, Ilwon-dong Church is located between Gaepo-dong Parish and Suseo-dong Parish, and on February 22, 1994, on the recommendation of the Archdiocese of Seoul, 1,235 households and 3,784 persons were separated from Gaepo-dong Church and Suseo-dong Church to establish it. It was made up of faithful from part of Gaepo-dong, part of Ilwon-dong, and part of Suseo-dong, and at first it rented 80 pyeong in the basement of the ‘Hasang Welfare Center’ and used it as a temporary church. On March 10, 1994, the first pastor, Father Paul Kim Yong-hwa, took office, and on March 13 the first Mass was offered in the basement chapel of the Hasang Welfare Center.

[Early History] The chronology lists the first parish ME couples’ meeting on May 8, 1994, the establishment of the pastoral council and the appointment of the general president, Stephen Go Jae-yong, and pastoral committee members on May 22, the founding general meeting of the Association for the Deceased on July 1, and the first Mass with the parish’s first newly baptized (130 women) on July 23. On March 18, 1995, Michaela Choe Seon-a from the parish entered the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, and on November 15 there was a pastoral visit by Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan.

[Construction of the Church Building] On April 13, 1995, with the help of the diocese, 500 pyeong of land for a church building was purchased at 14-3, Ilwon 2-dong. Construction of the new church building began on March 20, 1996, and on October 26 the church was moved from the Hasang Welfare Center to the basement of the new church building. The first Christmas Mass was celebrated in the new church on December 24, 1997, and the dedication ceremony for the new church building, dedicated to the patron St. Joseph, was held on March 14, 1999, when Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, then diocesan Archbishop, consecrated it. The parish homepage records March 14 every year as ‘Ilwon-dong Church Dedication Anniversary Day.’

[Late 1990s to 2000s] On December 3, 1997, Assistant Priest No. 1, Silvanus Yong Ha-jin, took office. On March 17, 1998, a branch house of the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs was established and Sister Sophia Park Jeong-ok took office, and on June 28 the Society for Fostering Vocations was formed. On July 7, 1999, the parish’s first priest, Father Antonio Kim Se-hun, was ordained. On March 11, 2001 it entered into a sisterhood affiliation with Jeokseong Catholic Church in Paju, and on April 19 Joseph Senior University opened. On November 16, 2003 the religious book library ‘Myeongnyebang’ was opened. On February 22, 2004 there was a commemorative Mass and celebration for the 10th anniversary of the parish’s establishment.

[Church Facilities from the Mid-2000s Onward] On December 9, 2006 there was a blessing ceremony for the Marian grotto, and on November 18, 2007 a blessing and dedication ceremony for the new small chapel, catechism classrooms, and meeting rooms was held. On January 6, 2013 there was a dedication ceremony for the draft edition of the 20-year history compilation. On August 21, 2022 statues of Our Lady and St. Joseph were enshrined on either side of the altar and blessed, and on January 1, 2023 the Marian small chapel was dedicated and began to be kept always open as an adoration chapel with Our Lady. On March 1, 2023 the confessionals in the main church were opened, and on October 8 the pipe organ and religious articles in the Marian small chapel were blessed. From July 29, 2024 to August 14, lighting work and removal of sprayed coating in the main church proceeded.

[The 30th Anniversary of Establishment] In 2024, starting with a workshop to prepare for the 30th anniversary (January 18-19), a commemorative photo exhibition was held from April 3 to the 21st, a commemorative Mass celebrated by Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taek and priests on April 6, a concert on April 12, a bazaar on April 13, and a ‘Chin-Chin Sports Day’ on September 28. From December 15, 2024 to February 6, 2025, 54 days of prayer for ordinands continued, and on February 7, 2025 Paul Lee Do-young was ordained a priest.

[Successive Pastors] The pastors listed in the chronology are the 1th, Paul Kim Yong-hwa (took office on March 10, 1994), the 2th, Peter Lee Byeong-mun (took office on October 1, 1999, farewell ceremony on September 2004), the 3th, Luke Ahn Chung-seok (took office on September 26, 2004, thanksgiving Mass for retirement as senior priest on August 15, 2010), the 4th, Barnabas Kim Jeong-nam (took office on August 17, 2010, retirement as senior priest on February 11, 2013), the 5th, Matthias Hong In-sik (took office on February 13, 2013, transfer on August 29, 2017), the 6th, Peter Lee Seong-won (took office on August 29, 2017, transfer on August 30, 2022), and the 7th, Joseph Park Won-ju (took office on August 30, 2022).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the affiliated diocese as the Archdiocese of Seoul, region and district as East Seoul Region, Gangnam District No. 11, date of establishment as 1994.02.22, religious congregation as the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs, patron saint as St. Joseph, number of faithful as 5,535, and number of Catholic mission chapels as 0.

Related Places and People

• Gaepo-dong Church and Suseo-dong Church: the parishes from which Ilwon-dong Church was separated in 1994.
• Hasang Welfare Center: the site of the temporary church where the parish’s first Mass was offered in 1994.
• Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs: the congregation that established a branch house in the parish on March 17, 1998.
• Father Paul Kim Yong-hwa: the first pastor.
• Father Antonio Kim Se-hun: the first priest from the parish, ordained in 1999.

References and Sources

1. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish Introduction”. Background of the separation and establishment in 1994, temporary church, purchase of land and construction and dedication of the church building.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_01_1
2. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish History 1994–1999”. Early history of the establishment, start of church construction and move to the basement church, assistant priest and convent, ordination of the first priest.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_02_1
3. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish History 1999–2004”. The 2th pastor, sisterhood affiliation, senior university, 10th anniversary of establishment.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_02_2
4. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish History 2004–2010”. The 3th pastor, blessing of the Marian grotto and small chapel.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_02_3
5. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish History 2010–2013”. The 4th pastor, compilation of the 20-year history.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_02_4
6. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish History 2013–2017”. The 5th pastor.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_02_5
7. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish History 2017–2022”. The 6th pastor.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_02_6
8. Ilwon-dong Church, “Parish History 2022–present”. The 7th pastor, Marian small chapel and pipe organ, 30th anniversary events of establishment.
   http://www.myilwon.com/bbs/page.php?hid=sub1_02_7
9. Online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Ilwon-dong”. Affiliated diocese and district, date of establishment, congregation, patron saint, number of faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000205&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011