Shindang-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Sindang-dong Church is a church in Sindang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, belonging to the Archdiocese of Seoul. It began as a Catholic mission chapel under Myeongdong Parish and was separated as a parish in the late 1940s, with St. Therese of the Child Jesus as patron. The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea records it as belonging to Junggu-Yongsan District No. 1 in the Central Seoul Region, and the supervising congregation is the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres.

History

According to the parish history on the Sindang-dong Church website, on August 27, 1948, a Catholic mission chapel under Myeongdong Parish was opened in the house of parishioner Oh Gyu-hwan (John) in Sindang-dong, and on March 2, 1949, Sindang-dong Parish was officially separated and established from Myeongdong Parish. The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea gives the establishment date as December 22, 1948, which differs from the separation and establishment date on the parish website. The parish celebrated a Mass commemorating the 40th anniversary of the parish founding on October 2, 1988, a commemorative event for the 50th anniversary of its founding on October 17, 1998, and a Mass commemorating the 70th anniversary of the parish establishment on October 7, 2018.

The parish history states that on February 2, 1953, it began using the laundry building at the present site as a church. On April 5, 1954, it established Geunhwa Kindergarten, and in December 1956, sisters of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres arrived and the Sindang-dong branch convent was opened. Construction of a new church began on May 30, 1970 and was completed on September 12, 1971, and in March 1974 it was designated as a Holy Year pilgrimage church of the Seoul Diocese. In 1963, it purchased 8man pyeong of cemetery land for the faithful and developed what is now Sohwa Park Cemetery.

Sindang-dong Parish divided its jurisdiction to create several parishes. On July 14, 1958, the Cheonho-dong area and the mission chapels in Gwangju County were divided as Cheonho-dong Parish, on July 26, 1959, the Wangsimni and Ttukseom areas were divided as Wangsimni Parish, and on November 18, 1962, the Geumho-dong and Oksu-dong areas were divided as Geumho-dong Parish. On September 16, 2003, part of Sindang 4-dong and Sindang 5-dong and Sindang 6-dong were divided as Sindang 6-dong Parish (now Cheonggu Church).

In 2014, according to the parish history, it purchased the site for the Martyrdom Memorial Hall at Gwanghuimun Shrine (on May 1) and held the blessing and opening ceremony of the Martyrdom Memorial Hall on August 3.

Religious Meaning and Visiting Context

The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea records St. Therese of the Child Jesus as the patron of Sindang-dong Church. The history states that the parish changed the name of Paldang Cemetery to Sohwa Cemetery on April 1, 1999, and has operated parish-affiliated projects including Geunhwa Senior College (2006) and the Sindang-dong Church Day Care Center (2010).

Related Places and People

• Myeongdong Cathedral: the mother parish from which the Sindang-dong mission chapel and parish were separated (the parish history writes it as Myeongdong Parish)
• Cheonho-dong Church, Wangsimni Church, Geumho-dong Church and Cheonggu Church: parishes divided from the jurisdiction of Sindang-dong Parish
• Gwanghuimun Shrine: the shrine where the parish purchased the site for the Martyrdom Memorial Hall in 2014 and held the blessing ceremony

References and Sources

1. Sindang-dong Church, Parish History. Confirms the opening of the mission chapel in 1948, the separation and establishment of the parish in 1949, use of the laundry building, completion of the new church in 1971, Sohwa Park Cemetery, the divided parishes, the Martyrdom Memorial Hall at Gwanghuimun Shrine, and the 40th, 50th and 70st anniversary events.
   http://sohwateresia.or.kr/theme/basic/html/about_2.php
2. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, Catholic Directory of Korea (Sindang-dong). Confirms belonging to Junggu-Yongsan District No. 1 in the Central Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, establishment date of December 22, 1948, patron St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000163&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011