Sanggye 2-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Sanggye 2-dong Church is a parish belonging to Nowon District No. 5 in the Central Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul. It was established on September 24, 1992, separated from Sanggye-dong Parish and Junggye-dong Parish, and its patron is St. Francis of Assisi.

History

[Establishment] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as large apartment complexes were built in the Sanggye-dong area, the membership of Sanggye-dong Parish and Junggye-dong Parish surged, making the establishment of a parish urgent. After purchasing 362 pyeong of the present church site on May 19, 1992, the archdiocese established “Sanggye 2-dong Parish” on September 24 and appointed Father Paul Hong Geun-pyo as the first pastor.

[Church construction and early activities] Father Hong Geun-pyo established a church construction preparatory committee on October 14, 1992, held the groundbreaking ceremony for a prefabricated church the next day, and on December 12 additionally purchased 27 pyeong of land at 185-3 in Sanggye 2-dong. In December of the same year, he formed brothers’ meetings in each district to vitalize small communities, founded the monthly magazine “Dure” on January 15 of the following year, and invited the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres on February 12, 1993. The prefabricated church was completed on May 27, 1993, 7 months after the groundbreaking, with a total floor area of 334 pyeong, including catechesis rooms and meeting rooms. On December 9, 1993, an additional 58 pyeong of land near the church was purchased, and on November 24 of the following year a rectory and convent with a scale of 100 pyeong were completed.

[Division of the parish] As the parish membership continued to grow, on February 19, 1998 the entire Junggyebon-dong area and part of Junggye 1-dong were divided to the newly established Junggyebon-dong Parish, transferring parish registers of 1,131 households and 3,350 persons.

[Membership and successive pastors] The number of believers was 2,756 in 1992, 4,721 in 1994, and 6,195 in 1996. The successive pastors listed in the encyclopedia are the first pastor Paul Hong Geun-pyo (1992. 9–1996. 9) and the 2 pastor Benedict Choe Jeong-jin (1996. 9–).

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The jurisdiction recorded in the encyclopedia is the entire Sanggye 2-dong area and parts of Sanggye 5-dong and Junggye 1- and 4-dong. The online address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the belonging diocese as the Archdiocese of Seoul, the region and district as Nowon District No. 5 in the Central Seoul Region, the establishment date as 1992.09.24, and the patron as St. Francis of Assisi.

Related Places and People

• Sanggye-dong Parish and Junggye-dong Parish: the mother parishes from which Sanggye 2-dong Parish was separated.
• Junggyebon-dong Parish: a parish established in 1998 after division from Sanggye 2-dong Parish.
• Father Paul Hong Geun-pyo: the first pastor.
• Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres: the congregation invited in February 1993.

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Sanggye 2-dong Parish.” Separated and established from Sanggye-dong and Junggye-dong Parishes on September 24, 1992, patron St. Francis of Assisi, jurisdiction, membership, successive priests, church construction and parish division.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3067
2. Online address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Sanggye 2-dong.” Belonging diocese and district (Nowon District No. 5 in the Central Seoul Region), establishment date 1992.09.24, patron.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000129&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011