Ogeum-dong (ji) Catholic Church

Overview

Ogeum-dong Church is a parish belonging to Songpa District No. 10 in the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Ogeum-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. It was separated and established from Sincheon-dong Parish on October 13, 1989, and its patron is the Nativity of Mary. Following development of the Ogeum-dong area on the occasion of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the number of faithful increased and it was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel to a parish, and the present church was dedicated with Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan presiding on September 8, 1996. Since September 17, 1998, it has been the seat parish of the Dean of District 10 of the Archdiocese of Seoul.

History

[Establishment] On the occasion of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, as the Ogeum-dong area was developed and the number of faithful in the area grew, on October 13, 1989 the Ogeum-dong Catholic mission chapel was separated from Sincheon-dong Parish and elevated to a parish, receiving 2,650 faithful. The first parish priest was Father Yeo Hyeong-gu. The jurisdiction recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia covers part of Ogeum-dong, Bangi 1-dong, and the entire Oryun-dong area.

[Construction of the new church] During the tenure of the first parish priest, Father Yeo Hyeong-gu, the rectory was completed on August 13, 1993. On December 1 of the same year, the mission hall that had been used as the church was demolished and the church was moved to a commercial building, and on December 26 construction of the new church began. The construction was completed on September 8, 1996, 2 years and 9 months later, and the dedication ceremony was held with Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan presiding.

[Late 1990s] The 2 parish priest, Father Kim Yeong-il, opened a senior citizens’ college on June 8, 1998 and held the Ogeum-dong Church concert on September 19 of the same year to promote fellowship among the faithful. After a new diocesan bishop took office on May 29, 1998 and pastoral policies were established, on September 17 of the same year Ogeum-dong Parish became the seat parish of the Dean of District 10 of the Archdiocese of Seoul, and on October 9 Father Park Jun-yeong took office as the 3 parish priest. Father Park Jun-yeong opened a special catechism class for faithful with non-believing spouses, carried out a movement to dedicate 1 faithful and 1 catechumens, and a movement to offer 1 hundred million rosary prayers for the Great Jubilee, establishing and implementing pastoral plans to strengthen the parish’s interior life, and taking advantage of the parish area’s characteristic of having more middle and high schools than other areas, in December 1999 he launched a meeting of middle and high school teachers in the Ogeum-dong Church area.

Parish statistics were in 1995, 8,143 faithful, in 1996, 8,571 faithful, and in 1999, 9,310 faithful. The Korean Catholic Directory lists the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters as the parish’s congregation of sisters.

The successive parish priests are the first, Michael Yeo Hyeong-gu (1989.10–1997.10), the 2, Balthasar Kim Yeong-il (1997.10–1998.10), and the 3, Ludovico Park Jun-yeong (1998.10– ).

Architecture and Space

At the time of its establishment, the mission hall was used as the church. The rectory was completed on August 13, 1993, and on December 1 of the same year the mission hall was demolished and the church was moved to a commercial building, and on December 26 new construction began, and 2 years and 9 months later, on September 8, 1996, the present church was completed and dedicated.

Related Places and People

• Sincheon-dong Parish: the parish from which Ogeum-dong Parish was separated on October 13, 1989.
• Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan: he presided at the church dedication ceremony on September 8, 1996.
• Father Yeo Hyeong-gu: the first parish priest of Ogeum-dong Parish (1989.10–1997.10).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Ogeum-dong Parish”. The separation and establishment from Sincheon-dong Parish on October 13, 1989, the patron Nativity of Mary, the jurisdiction, parish statistics, successive priests, construction and dedication of the church, designation as the seat parish of the Dean of District 10, and pastoral activities were confirmed.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4592
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory, “Ogeum-dong”. The affiliated district (Songpa District No. 10 in the East Seoul Region), the establishment date 1989.10.13, the patron Nativity of Mary, and the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters were confirmed.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000191&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011