Mia-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Miadong Church is a parish in Dobong-Gangbuk District No. 6 in the Jung Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, established as Samyang-dong Parish on September 23, 1968 after separation from Miadong (now Gireum-dong) Parish. On August 26, 1982, it separated Mia 5-dong Parish and changed its parish name to Mia 3-dong. Its patron saint is John Nam Jongsam, and the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the saint's grandson donated the church site.

History

[Samyang-dong Catholic Mission Chapel Period] According to the 'Mia 3-dong Parish' entry in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in the early 1960s, believers in Samyang-dong under Miadong Parish (now Mia 1, 2, 6, and 7-dong) gathered at the house of Nam Sang-cheol (Francis), grandson of Saint John Nam Jongsam, to hold Catholic mission chapel services, thereby establishing the Samyang-dong Catholic mission chapel. As the number of believers steadily grew and pastoral difficulties increased, division of the parish was sought, but as most believers were farmers, disaster victims, and displaced persons with difficult financial circumstances, pushing ahead with church construction was reportedly not easy.

[Establishment] The same entry states that in early 1968, chairman Nam Sang-cheol donated a site of 323.5 pyeong in the Samyang-dong area, the present parish location, as church land, Mass was celebrated in a temporary tent church, and Samyang-dong Parish was established as of September 23 of the same year, with Father Jo Sun-chang appointed as the first pastor. Parish information from the Archdiocese of Seoul and the directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea also list the establishment date as September 23, 1968. According to the encyclopedia, on August 26, 1982, while separating Mia 5-dong Parish, the parish name was changed from Samyang-dong Parish to Mia 3-dong.

[Church Construction and Dedication] Immediately after taking office, Father Jo Sun-chang focused on church construction, launching the 'Church Construction Preparation Committee' on November 3, 1968 and publishing the parish bulletin, and held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new church on April 12, 1970. On October 13 of the following year, a church with a total area of 330.57 pyeong was completed and dedicated in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop No Gi-nam (Paul), and to honor the intention of the donor of the church site, a statue of Saint Nam Jongsam was erected in the churchyard, the encyclopedia records.

[Early Facilities and Social Ministry] According to the encyclopedia, during the time of the 2 pastor, Father Kim Taek-gu, there was a blessing ceremony for a statue of the Virgin Mary on May 26, 1973, a branch of the Busan St. Benedict Convent was opened on September 20, and 6 Sunday school catechism rooms (88.5 pyeong) were newly built in October 1975. On April 6, 1976, the night school 'John Educational Center' for working youth was established to teach middle school courses free of charge. During the time of the 3 pastor, Father Yeo Hyeong-gu, the discontinued parish bulletin was resumed on April 7, 1978, and a rectory, office, meeting rooms, and other facilities were newly built on October 30, and a parish preparation committee was formed on March 31, 1980, with convent renovation work carried out in July. The parish collected and delivered monetary offerings and rice every year during Lent after 1979, and paid grain and living subsidies to extremely poor families starting in 1981, and the John Educational Center, operated with scholarships from the scholarship support group 'Milal Association,' added a high school course in February 1981.

[New Construction Promotion and Site Acquisition] The encyclopedia states that, by the end of 1980, the number of believers had reached more than 5,600, leading to the formation of the 'New Church Construction Preparation Committee' in January 1981. During the time of the 4 pastor, Father Park Yong-il, between August 1984 and October 1987, a site in Mia 3-dong, the present parish location, of 237.5 pyeong was purchased, and in February 1988, a 2-story hall and 3-story catechism classrooms of more than 40 pyeong were added. On August 30, 1991, in Mia 3-dong, lot 301-7, a site of 55.5 pyeong was purchased as the site for a new education hall, and 25.5 pyeong was purchased on October 8, 1992, and during the time of the 7 pastor, Father Lee Gang-gu, in 1994, parish registers were organized.

[Transfer of Parish Registers and Parish Statistics] Mia 3-dong Parish transferred parish registers to Mia 5-dong Parish — 2,830 members in September 1982 — and to Suyu 1-dong Parish — 416 members in August 1983. The encyclopedia's parish statistics are in 1970 2,300 members, in 1973 2,835 members, in 1978 5,105 members, in 1983 3,800 members, in 1988 5,608 members, in 1991 6,140 members, and in 1995 5,393 members, and it states that as of 1997, with more than 5,400 believers, building a new church remained a task. The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea lists the current number of believers as 3,526 and the number of Catholic mission chapels as 0.

[Successive Pastors (Based on the Encyclopedia)] The first, Jo Sun-chang Casimir (1968.10–1973.5), the 2 pastor, Kim Taek-gu Ludovico (1973.5–1978.3), the 3 pastor, Yeo Hyeong-gu Michael (1978.3–1983.8), the 4 pastor, Park Yong-il Thaddeus (1983.9–1989.10), the 5 pastor, Im Tae-gyeong Luke (1989.10–1990.2), the 6 pastor, So Yun-seop Joseph (1990.2–1992.10), and the 7 pastor, Lee Gang-gu Mark (1992.10–). The current pastor is listed in the Archdiocese of Seoul parish information and the directory as Father Seong Ji-un Ignatius.

[Devotional Groups] The encyclopedia states that the lay apostolate groups in the parish included 2 curiae and 33 praesidia of the Legion of Mary, as well as the Association for the Deceased, Holy Spirit Prayer Group, Madonna Group, Milal Association, Parents' Choir, Ultreya, Blue Army, Banseok Group, St. Joseph Association, Marian Association, Seongu Association, Seongeun Association, St. Peter Association, St. John Association, Blessed Association, Daegon Association, M.E., and others, along with altar servers, the Sunday School Teachers' Group, Youth Group, Youth Choir, and Youth Bible Group (described as of 1997).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

Parish information from the Archdiocese of Seoul lists the region as Jung Seoul Region, the district as Dobong-Gangbuk District No. 06, the establishment date as 1968-09-23, the parish patron as Saint John Nam Jongsam, and the convent as the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters. The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea also carries the same district, establishment date, patron, and convent. The encyclopedia gives the patron as 'Saint John the Baptist Nam Jongsam,' and at the time of the encyclopedia, the jurisdiction covered Mia 2, 3, 8, and 9-dong.

Related Places and People

• John Nam Jongsam: the parish patron saint, whose grandson Nam Sang-cheol (Francis) donated the church site.
• Miadong (now Gireum-dong) Parish: the mother parish from which the parish was separated in 1968.
• Mia 5-dong Parish and Suyu 1-dong Parish: the parishes that received parish registers in 1982 and 1983.
• Archbishop No Gi-nam (Paul): presided over the church dedication ceremony on October 13, 1971.

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, "Mia 3-dong Parish." Samyang-dong Catholic mission chapel period, parish establishment in 1968, church construction and dedication, site purchases, parish statistics, successive priests, devotional groups.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2215
2. Archdiocese of Seoul, "Miadong" parish information. District, establishment date, parish patron, pastor, convent.
   https://aos.catholic.or.kr/aboutInfo/677
3. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea online directory, "Miadong." Affiliated diocese and district, establishment date, religious order, patron, number of believers.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000108&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011