Seonghyeon-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Seonghyeon-dong Church is a parish in Gwanak District No. 13 in the West Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, whose patron is the ‘Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.’ It was established on October 5, 2001 by separating from Jungang-dong Church (formerly Bongcheon-dong Church), celebrated its first entrance Mass in the new church building on October 16, 2011, and completed remodeling of the new church building in April 2013.

History

[Establishment (2001)] The parish website’s “Introduction to the Church” explains that Seonghyeon-dong Church was established on October 5, 2001 by separating from Jungang-dong Church. At that time, districts and small groups were organized on the basis of the entire Bongcheon 5-dong area (Gwanak Dream Town with 5,378 households and detached housing areas), Bongcheonbon-dong (Dusan Apartments with 256 households and detached housing areas), and Bongcheon 9-dong (Byeoksan Blooming with 2,904 households). The website states that as of 2019, 11 districts and 45 small groups are in operation. The chronology records the separation from Jungang-dong Church (formerly Bongcheon-dong Church) in 2001, the appointment of the first pastor, Father Benedict Kang Jeong-ui, the formation of the Curia, and the holding of the first monthly meeting of district and group leaders. In 2002, the Association for the Deceased was launched and the pastoral council was constituted, and in 2005 there was a family camp for all parishioners.

[Move to the new church building (2009–2013)] According to the website, after the parish was established, occupancy of Gwanak Dream Town and Byeoksan Blooming began in earnest from 2003, so the number of the faithful grew rapidly, and as of the end of 2011, the number of the faithful was 3,238, about 3 times more than at the time of the original separation. In 2009, the parish priest and parishioners began preparations to build a new church. The chronology states that in 2006, the 2th pastor, Father Alberto Han Seong-ho, took office and leased a building near the parish to operate it as an education hall. In 2010, there was a special homily on the building-fund pledge and a pledge offering by all households. In 2011, the contract for the new church site and building and the transfer of ownership were completed and remodeling work began, and on October 16, 2011, the first entrance Mass was celebrated in the new church building. In 2012, Café Chant was opened, and in 2013, the 3th pastor, Father Joseph Oh Chang-seok, took office, and in April of the same year the remodeling of the new church building was completed, giving it its present form.

[After 2018] According to the chronology, in 2018 the 4th pastor, Father Nicolaus Lee Cheol, took office, and Father John the Apostle Kim Cheol-hui took office as the parish’s first assistant priest. In 2019, tasting the Bible began, Father Theodore Park Jae-deuk took office as the 2nd associate pastor, a cultural festival commemorating Parish Day was held, and the church mountaineering club was launched. The parish pastoral guidelines for 2025 state that 2025 is the 25th anniversary year of the parish’s establishment, and introduce the parish as having grown into a young and dynamic youth parish within the district.

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists its affiliation as Gwanak District No. 13 in the West Seoul Region, its date of establishment as 2001.10.05, its patron as the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, its number of the faithful as 3,425, and its number of Catholic mission chapels as 0. The same directory lists the current pastor as Father Justin Ha Seong-yong and the associate pastor as Father Abraham Choe Myeong-geun.

Related Places and People

• Jungang-dong Church (formerly Bongcheon-dong Church): the mother parish from which Seonghyeon-dong Church separated on October 5, 2001.
• Successive pastors (parish website’s “Introduction to the Church”): 1st, Benedict Kang Jeong-ui (2001.10.5–2006.9.5), 2th, Alberto Han Seong-ho (2006.9.5–2013.8.27), 3th, Joseph Oh Chang-seok (2013.8.27–2018.8.28), 4th, Nicolaus Lee Cheol (2018.8.28–2023.9.5). The website introduces Father John the Baptist Ha Sang-jin, who took office on September 5, 2023 (ordained in 1997.07.05), as the pastor in the pastoral guidelines for 2025.
• Successive assistant and associate priests (parish website): Assistant Priest John the Apostle Kim Cheol-hui (2018.2.13–2019.2.12), Associate Pastor Theodore Park Jae-deuk (2019.8.27–2020.9.1), Associate Pastor John the Apostle Kim Su-gyu (2020.9.1–2023.2.14), Assistant Priest John the Baptist Jeon Seung-hwan (2023.2.14–2025.2). The priest who took office as associate pastor of Seonghyeon-dong Parish on February 18, 2025 is introduced as having been ordained on February 7, 2014.

References and Sources

1. Seonghyeon-dong Church website, “Introduction to the Church”. Beginning of parish history, move to the new church building, major chronology (2001–2019), successive pastoral ministers, pastoral guidelines for 2025.
   https://www.shcatholic.or.kr/about
2. Online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Seonghyeon-dong”. District affiliation, date of establishment, patron, number of the faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000148&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011