Mokdong (ji) Catholic Church

Overview

Mokdong Church is a parish belonging to Yangcheon District No. 18 in the West Seoul Region of the Seoul Archdiocese, located in Mokdong, Yangcheon District, Seoul. It was elevated to parish status on June 14, 1972, and its patron is St. Paul the Apostle. It traces its origins to a faith community that began in 1923 as the Mokdong-ri Majang Catholic mission chapel under Haengju (present-day Susaek) Parish, and in its early years the Columban Missionaries focused on ministry to the poor in a resettlement area for displaced residents.

History

[Mission Chapel Era] The local faith community began on October 31, 1923, as the Mokdong-ri Majang Catholic mission chapel under Haengju (present-day Susaek) Parish. In May 1936 it was changed to the Sinjeong-dong mission chapel under Yeongdeungpo (present-day Dorim-dong) Parish, and in June 1957 jurisdiction was transferred again to Dangsan-dong Parish. As unauthorized houses were demolished under the Seoul municipal development policy, displaced residents from the Yongsan Haebangchon area collectively relocated from October 1964 to the Anyangcheon embankment area in present-day Mok1-dong and Sinjeong2-dong, increasing the resident population. Accordingly, residents of the Mokdong area separated from the Sinjeong-dong mission chapel, and the Mokdong mission chapel was established in January 1965, with 506 faithful at the time. As displaced people from across Seoul continued to flock in and the number of faithful grew, it was elevated to a parish in June 1972.

[Establishment and Church Construction] The Columban Missionaries, entrusted with ministry in this area, purchased a church site at 408-90 Mok1-dong, Yangcheon-gu, lived briefly in a tent church, completed the church, and celebrated the first Mass on October 12 of that year. At the time, Mokdong was a chronically flood-prone area, so every rainy season the homes of the faithful and the church were submerged, and in 1973, less than 1 years after the church was completed, the church was flooded and its wall collapsed during the monsoon. The faithful voluntarily took part in restoration work, and when the church was repaired in 1974, the faithful performed all the work. As the church became too small, construction of a new church began in August 1980, and on March 1 of the following year a church with a total floor area of 327 pyeong, with 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors, was completed.

From the mid-1980s, as apartment complexes were built and the number of faithful surged, a church construction committee was formed on February 7, 1990, and plans for a new church moved forward in earnest. On March 8 of the same year, the present church site of 1,087 pyeong was purchased, and construction began on April 26, 1992; about 4 years later, on June 16, 1996, a church with 4 above-ground floors and 1 basement floors was completed. It was equipped with a small chapel, catechesis rooms, retreat rooms, a funeral hall, and a Eucharistic adoration chapel, along with a ‘Culture Center’ also available to local residents.

[Development and Activities] In the year after the parish was established, it spun off Deungchon-dong Parish on June 27, 1973, and Sinjeong-dong Parish on December 9, 1976. Because many faithful were so poor that they avoided attending Mass due to overdue church dues, the Columban missionary priests in the early years focused on ministry to the poor. After forced relocation in the 1960s, residents who were building a livelihood faced collective relocation again under the 1984 new-town development plan, and staged demonstrations for survival rights against the City of Seoul. About 2,000 Mokdong parishioners also formed the Mokdong Demolition Countermeasures Committee and opposed the City’s demolition plan, but many of them began leaving Mokdong from April of the following year, and apartment complexes were soon built, marking a new turning point for the parish.

In February 1988, after pastoral authority was transferred from the Columban Missionaries to the diocese, the 6th pastor, Father Joseph Kim Deok-geun, who took office, focused on fostering community spirit among the faithful and led their participation through the ‘One Heart, One Body Movement.’ In August 1991 it spun off Gochuk-dong Parish, and in July the following year opened ‘Emmanuel Daycare’ within the parish to care for children from extremely poor and broken families. In September 1995, it held a bazaar to help neighbors in need and rural and fishing villages, provided meals for children missing meals at nearby Sinmok, Yangdong, and Yangmok elementary schools, and also gave financial support to remote rural mission chapels and seminarians.

The jurisdiction listed in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia covers Mokdong Apartment Complexes 7–9 and 12–14. Successive pastors are: first Gregory Hughes (Yu) (June 1972–November), 2th Patrick Conway (Gu Sun-hyeok) (November 1972–February 1977), 3th Guglielmo Seper (Gi Yeong-su) (February 1977–September 1981), 4th Roberto Brennan (An Gwang-hun) (September 1981–June 1985), 5th Gerardo Dunn (Son) (June 1985–February 1988), 6th Joseph Kim Deok-geun (February 1988–October 1996), and 7th Paul Kim Cheol-ho (October 1996–). Parish statistics are 1972: 800 members, 1977: 1,954 members, 1985: 3,126 members, 1990: 8,378 members, and 1994: 9,523 members.

Architecture and Space

In 1972, the church was completed and the first Mass was celebrated on October 12, and on March 1, 1981, a church with a total floor area of 327 pyeong (1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors) was completed. The present church was begun on April 26, 1992, on a 1,087-pyeong site and completed on June 16, 1996, with 4 above-ground floors and 1 basement floors, equipped with a small chapel, catechesis rooms, retreat rooms, a funeral hall, and a Eucharistic adoration chapel, along with a culture center available to local residents.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

According to the Korean Catholic Directory, the parish’s religious community is the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Related Places and People

• Haengju (Susaek) Parish, Yeongdeungpo (Dorim-dong) Parish, and Dangsan-dong Parish: the parishes through which jurisdiction over the Mokdong-area mission chapels passed.
• Deungchon-dong Parish (June 27, 1973), Sinjeong-dong Parish (December 9, 1976), and Gochuk-dong Parish (August 1991): the parishes separated and spun off from Mokdong Parish.
• Columban Missionaries: the missionary society entrusted with parish ministry from its founding until pastoral authority was transferred to the diocese in February 1988.

References and Sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Mokdong Parish (Yangcheon)”. Confirmed elevation to parish status in June 1972, patron St. Paul the Apostle, mission-chapel history since 1923, church construction, relocation and demonstrations of displaced residents, separated parishes, and successive priests and parish statistics.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2054
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Mokdong”. Confirmed affiliated district (Yangcheon District No. 18 in the West Seoul Region), establishment date 1972.6.14., patron St. Paul the Apostle, and the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000098&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011