Imundong Catholic Church

Overview

Imun-dong Church is a parish belonging to the 7 Dongdaemun-Jungnang District of the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Imun-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. It was separated from Cheongnyangni Parish and established on December 27, 1962, and its patron is Saint Andrew Kim Taegon. Its first pastor was Father Andrew Choi Seok-woo.

History

Cheongnyangni Parish, established in October 1955, grew rapidly in faithful, and by 1961 the number of faithful exceeded 5,000. As discussion of parish division arose among the faithful in surrounding areas far from the church, such as Dapsimni and Imun-dong, Father John Yi Sam-bok of Cheongnyangni Parish accepted the opinion of the faithful in the Imun-dong area and, in March 1962, purchased 430 pyeong at Imun-dong 321-31, the site of a former village shrine, in his own name as the site for a new church. Imun-dong Parish was separated from Cheongnyangni Parish and established on December 27, 1962, and Father Choi Seok-woo took office as its first pastor.

In April 1963, Quonset huts left by American soldiers at Myeongdong Church were obtained and a Quonset temporary church of 31 pyeong, a rectory (18 pyeong) and a warehouse (10 pyeong) were built. However, the Quonset church was narrow, so faithful who could not enter had to offer Mass in the yard following the liturgical directions coming from loudspeakers, in poor conditions.

The 3 pastor, Father Balthasar Kim Yeong-il, put emphasis on new church construction and increased church strength through reorganization of parish bodies and reinforcement of evangelization work. New church construction began in March 1969 and the dedication ceremony was held on October 24 with Cardinal Kim Su-hwan officiating. At that time the jurisdiction of Imun-dong Parish was so wide as to reach mission chapels in 17 dongs in 3 gus and 4 myeons of Yangju County, so Father Kim reduced the jurisdiction by supporting newly established daughter parishes. Accordingly, in September 1969 Jangwi-dong Parish, and in November 1970 Sangbong-dong Parish, were branched off. In April 1971 the rectory was demolished to expand the rectory and to create a space of 90 pyeong in total with basement 1 floor and ground 2 floors on land of 30 pyeong, for use as a meeting place for various groups.

The 4 pastor, Father Joachim Choe Chang-jeong, completed the rectory and newly built the Sunday school, and carried out projects such as establishing a kindergarten for the local community and a credit union for mutual aid among the faithful. During the term of the 6 pastor, Father Luke Ahn Chung-seok, Seokgwan-dong Parish was separated in April 1978, and in November 1981 land of 95 pyeong (including 25 pyeong) was purchased and an education hall (building 144 pyeong, basement 1 floor, ground 2 floors) was completed. The 8 pastor, Father Paul Kim Dae-seong, carried out a major repair of the education hall changing rooftop waterproofing and the structure of the 1 floor in August 1987, and parish repainting and electrical wiring replacement in February 1988. The 9 pastor, Father Barnabas Son Yeong-il, conducted education for all the faithful on the “Evangelization of the 2000” in August 1996 in preparation for the Great Jubilee. The 10 pastor, Father Andrew Lee Won-yong, produced and distributed mission pamphlets in February 1998 and conducted street evangelization by all the faithful in September, the “Lost Sheep Finding Movement” in October, the month of evangelization, and the “Name Tag Wearing and Greeting Exchange Movement” in November.

The jurisdiction recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is Imun 1–3-dong, Hwigyeong 1–2-dong and Hoegi-dong in Dongdaemun-gu. The successive pastors are the first Andrew Choi Seok-woo (December 1962–August 1963), the 2 Benedict Choe Ik-cheol (August 1963–November 1967), the 3 Balthasar Kim Yeong-il (November 1967–May 1971), the 4 Joachim Choe Chang-jeong (May 1971–May 1976), the 5 James Kim Su-chang (May 1976–May 1977), the 6 Luke Ahn Chung-seok (May 1977–September 1982), the 7 Cyril Kim Deok-je (September 1982–February 1986), the 8 Paul Kim Dae-seong (February 1986–August 1991), the 9 Barnabas Son Yeong-il (August 1991–September 1997), the 10 Andrew Lee Won-yong (September 1997–September 2001), and the 11 Gabriel Jeon Chang-mun (September 2001–). The numbers of faithful are 2,695 in 1966, 3,305 in 1973, 6,053 in 1977, 6,120 in 1984, 5,848 in 1990, 5,740 in 1995, and 5,776 in 2000.

Architecture and Space

The church site is 430 pyeong at Imun-dong 321-31, the site of a former village shrine. In April 1963 a Quonset temporary church of 31 pyeong scale was built, and after new construction begun in March 1969, the dedication ceremony was held on October 24 of the same year. In November 1981 an education hall (building 144 pyeong, basement 1 floor, ground 2 floors) was completed.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

According to the Korean Catholic Directory, the convent of the parish is the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs, and its district is the 7 Dongdaemun-Jungnang District of the East Seoul Region.

Related Places and People

• Cheongnyangni Parish: the parish from which Imun-dong Parish was separated.
• Jangwi-dong Parish (September 1969), Sangbong-dong Parish (November 1970), Seokgwan-dong Parish (April 1978): parishes branched off from Imun-dong Parish.
• Hwayang-dong Parish: the parish established in 1970 in the Hwayang-dong area that had been under the jurisdiction of Imun-dong Parish.

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Imun-dong Parish”. The separation and establishment from Cheongnyangni Parish on December 27, 1962, the patron Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, the land purchase and temporary church, the church dedication in 1969, the branched-off parishes, and the successive priests and numbers of faithful were confirmed.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5053
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Imun-dong”. The belonging district (7 Dongdaemun-Jungnang District of the East Seoul Region), the establishment date 1962.12.27, the patron Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, and the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs were confirmed.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000202&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011