Majang-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Majang-dong Church is a parish belonging to the 8 Seongdong-Gwangjin District of the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Majang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Opened in 1992 as the Sageun-dong Catholic mission chapel, it was elevated to a parish on September 24, 1996, and its patron is St. Paul Chong Hasang. The church building was completed on May 4, 2000 and dedicated on May 13, 2001.

History

〔From Mission Chapel to Parish〕 According to the parish history, approval to establish the Sageun-dong Catholic mission chapel was granted on April 29, 1992, and the Sageun-dong Catholic mission chapel was opened on November 15. It was elevated to Majang-dong Church on September 24, 1996, and Father Peter Song Gyeong-seop took office as the 1 parish priest on October 11. The 1 pastoral visit (Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan) took place on November 7, 1997.

〔Church Building〕 On February 15, 1998, the parish purchased the church site (Majang-dong 772-1), and on March 5 the Congregation of Our Lady of Perpetual Help entered the parish. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new church construction was held on October 3, 1999, the completion ceremony for the new church construction was held on May 4, 2000, and the dedication ceremony was held on May 13, 2001.

〔Vocations and Priestly Ordinations〕 The first diaconal ordination from the parish (Deacon Lawrence Cho Seong-ho) took place on July 6, 1999, and the first priestly ordination from the parish (Father Lawrence Cho Seong-ho) took place on December 18, 2000. Deacon Simon Lee Geun-seong (Society of Jesus) was ordained on November 25, 2006, and seminarian John the Apostle Park U-jun received diaconal ordination on February 4, 2016 and priestly ordination on February 3, 2017.

〔Later History〕 A diocesan administrative inspection was held on September 25, 2014, and a pastoral visit (including a priests’ meeting schedule) took place on April 17, 2018. The blessing ceremony for the Statue of Our Lady of Grace was held on March 31, 2019.

〔Successive Parish Priests〕 The parish priests listed in the history are the 1 parish priest Peter Song Gyeong-seop (took office on October 11, 1996), the 2 Joseph Lee Yeong-u (September 19, 2000), the 3 Clement Park Myeong-geun (October 4, 2005), the 4 Andrew Lee Sang-cheol (September 1, 2009), the 5 John the Baptist Park Jong-cheol (September 2, 2014), the 6 Joseph Lee Hyeon-seok (February 12, 2019), and the 7 Francis Jeong Yeon-seop (February 14, 2024).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

In the online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, it is listed with affiliated diocese the Archdiocese of Seoul, region and district the 8 Seongdong-Gwangjin District of the East Seoul Region, date of establishment 1996.09.24, patron St. Paul Chong Hasang, number of faithful 1,857, and number of mission chapels 0.

Related Places and People

• Sageun-dong Catholic mission chapel: the mission chapel opened in 1992 as the predecessor of Majang-dong Parish.
• Congregation of Our Lady of Perpetual Help: the religious congregation that entered the parish on March 5, 1998.
• Father Peter Song Gyeong-seop: the first parish priest.
• Father Lawrence Cho Seong-ho: the first person from the parish to receive diaconal and priestly ordination.

References and Sources

1. Majang-dong Church, “Parish Introduction and History.” Opening of the Sageun-dong Catholic mission chapel and elevation to parish, new church construction and dedication, ordination history, and successive parish priests.
   http://www.mjsd.co.kr/21
2. Online Directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Majang-dong.” Affiliated diocese and district, date of establishment 1996.09.24, patron, and number of faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000090&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011