Songpa-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Songpadong Church is a parish belonging to Songpa District No. 10 in the East Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, and its patron is Saint Joseph. In 2000, it was founded with Sincheon-dong Parish and Garak-dong Parish as its mother parishes, and in the same year, with the appointment of its first pastor, Father Kwon Tae-hyeong Rino, on September 19, the establishment of the parish was approved. On May 2005, the church dedication ceremony was celebrated, officiated by Archbishop Jeong Jin-seok.

History

[Founding background] The parish homepage (Good News Club) notice titled “Founding of Songpadong Parish” records that in 1993, Cardinal Kim Su-hwan, then Archbishop of Seoul, said that the average number of faithful per parish in the diocese had reached 7,000, far exceeding a size in which community could be experienced, and that small-scale small communities had to be built, and he stressed that parishes with more than 7,000 faithful should be divided before the Great Jubilee in 2000 to establish new parishes. In accordance with this parish small-community policy, on February 2000, by a meeting of priests of District 10 and a decision of the diocesan curia, it was decided to found Songpadong Parish with Sincheon-dong Parish and Garak-dong Parish as mother parishes, and to separate 3,159 faithful in 1,063 households in the Songpa-1-dong and Bangi-2-dong areas from the two parishes.

[Building purchase and approval of establishment (2000)] The same notice states that that year, on March, it purchased a building at 134-2, Songpa-dong, near Songpa Elementary School (land 394.5 pyeong, 4 stories above ground and 1 story underground, total floor area 954 pyeong), and that with the appointment of Father Kwon Tae-hyeong Rino on September 19, establishment as Songpadong Church was approved. The 2 floor of the building was renovated as the church, and on November 5 the parish move-in Mass was celebrated. Chronological materials describe the building as a reinforced-concrete rigid-frame structure (1 basement story, 4 stories above ground), with a land area of 394.5 pyeong (1,292.7 sq m) and a total floor area of 954.0 pyeong (3,145.3 sq m), noting that a building newly built in 1983 was purchased. Its jurisdiction covers all of Songpa-1-dong and all of Bangi-2-dong, incorporated from Songpa-1-dong (Songpa district) and Bangi-2-dong Church (Bangi 1, 2 and 3 districts) of Sincheon-dong Church, and from Songpa-1-dong (9, 10 and 11 districts) of Garak-dong Church. On November 5 the first Mass was celebrated and parish bulletin No. 1 was published, and on December 3 the 1th pastoral council (10 committees, 7 men’s and women’s districts, 50 ban communities) was formed, and the first president was Joseph Yi Pil-bong.

[First pastor’s term (2001–2005)] According to the chronology, on August 26, 2001 the church building committee was launched, and on October 1 the church development committee was launched. On November 5, at Confirmation officiated by Monsignor Kim Byeong-do, 80 people received Confirmation, and on November 12 the 1th building advisory committee was launched. On December 7, Doseong Architecture, a general architecture office, was selected as the design firm, completing the basic design and bird’s-eye view of the church. Sister Lucia Jang Ok-ja arrived on January 20, 2002 and Sister Clara Park Mi-ae arrived on April 15 from the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, and on October 1 the 2th pastoral council was formed (10 committees, 8 men’s and women’s districts; 3rd president Gregory Gang Su-gil). A bazaar to promote church construction on May 25, 2003, the launch of the 2th building advisory committee on July 13, a pilgrimage to the Seonggeo Mountain Martyrs’ Shrine in Seonghwan, South Chungcheong, on October 3, and Confirmation officiated by Archbishop Jeong Jin-seok (140 people) on October 12 followed. A groundbreaking Mass was held on February 8, 2004 (the founding notice records it as presided over by Monsignor Hwang In-guk), and a pastoral visit by Monsignor Hwang In-guk and the opening of the parish homepage are recorded on November 25. On September 26 the parish first published and began using its self-produced logo in the bulletin, and on October 10 the 3th pastoral council was formed (4th president Stephen Ho Han-jong).

[Church dedication (2005)] The founding notice states that after remodeling the existing building, the church dedication ceremony was held on May 2005, officiated by Cardinal Jeong Jin-seok, while the chronology records it as the church dedication on May 8 officiated by Archbishop Jeong Jin-seok. On March 13, 2005 the parish day 5th-anniversary yutnori was held. A performance of the play “In the Name of the Mother” on June 26 and the founding of the Holy Spirit Prayer Group on July 27 are listed in the chronology. On October 4 the first pastor, Father Kwon Tae-hyeong Rino, left, and the 2th pastor, Father Andrea Han Jae-seok, arrived.

[2th Pastor Han Jae-seok’s term (2005–2010)] On November 6, 2005 the 4th pastoral council was formed, with new culture and sports committees, and on March 26, 2006, at the parish day event, the blessing of the Saint Joseph statue was held, officiated by Bishop Kim Un-hoe. On March 29 posting of the parish bulletin on the homepage began. From August 3, 2007 to the 5th, a family camp (390 people) was held at Dream Island in Gapyeong, and a pilgrimage to holy sites in 6 Eastern European countries including Czechia, Hungary and Poland from October 16 to the 28th, and the appointment of Assistant Pastor Father Luca Kim Gi-hwan on November 20 are recorded. There was Confirmation (124 people, officiated by Bishop Kim Un-hoe) on March 29, 2008 and a pilgrimage to holy sites in Egypt, Israel and Jordan from November 5 to the 14th. On February 5, 2009 part of Bangi-dong was divided to Bangi-dong Church, transferring the parish registers of 1,100 faithful. In the same year, Catholic church logos and fonts were applied to the parish bulletin on August 16, and there were Confirmation officiated by Cardinal Nicolaus Jeong Jin-seok on October 17 and the appointment of Assistant Pastor Father Philippo Choe U-ju on December 1. A pilgrimage to Marian shrines in Europe was made from May 12, 2010 to the 22nd, and Father Han Jae-seok left on August 17.

[3th Pastor Song Yeong-ho’s term (2010–2015)] Father Antonio Song Yeong-ho arrived on August 17, 2010. On October 30, at the Night of the Rosary, the blessing of the statue of the Virgin Mary in the 4-floor church was held, and on November 28 the 6th pastoral council was formed. Interior remodeling of the parish was carried out from March 28, 2011 to April 16, and there was Confirmation (103 people, officiated by Monsignor Hwang In-guk) on June 19. Assistant Pastor Father Thomas Aquinas Kim Hyeon-jin arrived on February 21, 2012, operation of Café Amor began on October 21, and Confirmation (67 people) was celebrated on November 18. On May 25, 2013, at the Night of Mary, the blessing of the statue of Our Lady of Listening was held, and on December 1 the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul was re-established. There was the priestly ordination of Yi Hyeon-gyu (Andrew Kim Dae-geon) on February 7, 2014 (diaconal ordination on January 31, 2013), and Assistant Pastor Father Carlo Borromeo Yi Gyu-dong arrived on February 16. On March 20 Songpa Senior Academy was founded and its entrance ceremony and opening Mass were held, and there were a diocesan pastoral visit by Bishop Yu Gyeong-chon on May 8 and an overseas pilgrimage to 4 countries in the Balkan Peninsula from October 15 to the 24th. Father Song Yeong-ho left on September 2, 2015.

[4th–5th pastors’ terms (2015–2023)] On September 2, 2015 Father John the Apostle Kim Hyeon-deok arrived as the 4th pastor, and there was Confirmation (110 people, officiated by Cardinal Nicolaus Jeong Jin-seok) on October 25. Assistant Pastor Father Elijah Kim Jong-u arrived on February 16, 2016, and on November 15 the 10 District counseling center of the Archdiocese of Seoul Catholic Counseling Center was opened. From April 24, 2017 to the 28th, an overseas pilgrimage to China, “Following in the Footsteps of Priest Kim Dae-geon,” was made. On July 15, 2018 the 25th-anniversary celebration of Father Kim Hyeon-deok’s ordination was held, and there was Confirmation (37 people, officiated by Bishop Benedict Son Hui-song) on November 4. On September 1, 2020 Father Kim Hyeon-deok left and Father Stefano Nam Hak-hyeon arrived as the 5th pastor. The chronology records for this period bulletin postings under COVID-19 quarantine rules and phased social-distancing measures, Bible transcription by all parishioners (2021.3.1–4.17), and the start of the offering of 500 ten thousand Rosaries by all parishioners (2020.11.29). A rectory fire occurred on November 29, 2021, and donations for fire restoration and church repair were collected from December 4 to February 5, 2023, and on February 3, 2022, with completion of restoration work, the community moved into the rectory. There was Confirmation (80 people, officiated by Archbishop Peter Jeong Sun-taek) on October 2, 2022, and on May 21, 2023 a train trip for all parishioners commemorating the 23th anniversary of the parish founding and the dedication of the collaborative painting “A World Living Together” were held. Father Nam Hak-hyeon left on September 5.

[6th Pastor Yi Jeong-jun’s term and the 25th anniversary of founding (2023–)] On September 5, 2023 Father Sixtus Yi Jeong-jun arrived as the 6th pastor, and on November 5 the 13th pastoral council was formed. On October 13, 2024 a pilgrimage for all parishioners to Solmoe Shrine was made, and there was Confirmation (35 people, officiated by Father Simon Ha Hyeong-min, district dean) on December 1. On January 26, 2025 a committee (6 members) for compiling the parish 25-year history was launched, and on March 7 an invitational Mass for past pastors from the first pastor, Father Rino Kwon Tae-hyeong, to the 5th pastor, Father Stefano Nam Hak-hyeon, was held, and on September 14 the 25th-anniversary parish day event, and on November 23 the dedication of the parish 25-year history e-book and 500 ten thousand Rosaries were held. In 2026, a pilgrimage to Da Nang, Vietnam, for women’s district and ban leaders from April 14 to the 17th, Confirmation (68 people, officiated by Bishop Job Gu Yo-bi) on July 18, and an Italy pilgrimage itinerary from September 7 to the 17th are listed in the chronology.

[Patron Saint Joseph] The parish homepage’s introduction to its patron saint explains Saint Joseph as the foster father of Jesus and spouse of the Virgin Mary, chosen by God with a humble and gentle character, the fulfillment of the Old Testament who played a great role in forming the Holy Family of Nazareth, and says that in him the promises received by the prophets and the patriarchs of the Old Testament bore fruit. It says that the parish came to honor Saint Joseph as its patron in the hope that all parishioners of Songpadong Church will resemble Saint Joseph’s humility and gentleness, and that Songpadong Church will become one large family like the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Jurisdiction and affiliation

The online address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the affiliated diocese as the Archdiocese of Seoul, the region and district as East Seoul Region, Songpa District No. 10, the English name as Songpadong Catholic Church, the founding date as 2000.09.07, the patron as Saint Joseph, the number of faithful as 2,996, and the number of mission chapels as 0. The parish chronology records September 19, 2000 as the parish establishment approval date.

Related places and people

• Sincheon-dong Church and Garak-dong Church: They are the mother parishes of Songpadong Church. In 2000, 3,159 faithful in 1,063 households in the Songpa-1-dong and Bangi-2-dong areas were separated from the two parishes.
• Bangi-dong Church: On February 5, 2009, it was founded by dividing part of Bangi-dong (parish registers of 1,100 faithful) from Songpadong Church.
• Past pastors (parish chronology): First Kwon Tae-hyeong Rino (2000.09.19–2005.10.04), 2th Andrea Han Jae-seok (2005.10.04–2010.08.17), 3th Antonio Song Yeong-ho (2010.08.17–2015.09.02), 4th John the Apostle Kim Hyeon-deok (2015.09.02–2020.09.01), 5th Stefano Nam Hak-hyeon (2020.09.01–2023.09.05), 6th Sixtus Yi Jeong-jun (2023.09.05–).
• Doseong Architecture (general architecture office): It was selected as the design firm on December 7, 2001.

References and sources

1. Songpadong Church homepage (Good News Club “Parish Introduction” board), “Founding of Songpadong Parish,” “Main Chronology (2000–present),” “Patron Saint” (posted August 2024). Founding background, building purchase and establishment approval, construction and dedication, arrival of pastors and assistant pastors, Confirmation, rectory fire, 25th anniversary of founding.
   https://club.catholic.or.kr/songpadong
2. Online address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Songpadong.” Affiliated district, founding date, patron, number of faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000152&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011