Yangcheon Catholic Church

Overview

Yangcheon Church is a parish belonging to Yangcheon District No. 18 in the West Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, and was established on September 7, 2000. It is located in the center of the Gocheok-dong, Mok-dong and Sinjeong-dong parishes, and its patron is Saint John Chrysostom.

History

[Establishment] According to the parish introduction on the parish website, Yangcheon Church was established on September 7, 2000 and is located in the center of Gocheok-dong Parish, Mok-dong Parish and Sinjeong-dong Parish. The initial number of transferred faithful was about 2,100 from Sinjeong-dong Church, about 2,000 from Mok-dong Church and about 500 from Gocheok-dong Church, and by the end of January 2022 the number of faithful was 5,709 (2,209 households). According to its history, it celebrated its first Mass on September 24, 2000, began construction of a temporary church building on October 6, and its Marian garden was completed on December 1.

[Patron Saint] The history states that on November 5, 2000 Saint John Chrysostom was confirmed as the parish patron. The parish website’s introduction to the patron explains that the saint was born in Antioch in Syria in 354, on February, rose to become Patriarch of Constantinople in 397, was later exiled and died in 407, on September 14 during exile. It also notes that the saint was declared a Doctor of the Church at the Council of Chalcedon and was proclaimed Patron Saint of preachers by Pius 10.

[Early History (2000~2003)] On December 3, 2000 Raphael Kim Jae-sil was appointed as pastoral council president and Christmas Eve Mass was celebrated on December 24. On January 7, 2001 the parish pastoral council was launched, and on February 13, during a parish pastoral visit by Father Yeom Su-jeong, head of District No. 15, 1 hundred million and 3 ten million won in parish building funds were delivered from District No. 15. On December 15, 2001 Sister Regina Choe took office. On June 24, 2002 there was the parish’s first adult baptism (catechism class for spouses of non-believers), on July 21 Shin Cheol (Simon) was appointed president of the No. 2 pastoral council, on September 29 Confirmation was celebrated, on December 3 Assistant Priest Joseph Lee Hyeon-seok took office, and on December 15 the No. 2 pastoral council was launched. On January 2003 Sister Agnes Choe Eun-dong left and Sister Columba Kim Jin-yeong (Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs) took office.

[Construction of the New Church Building] According to the history, altar candles were blessed on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord February 2, 2004, and a groundbreaking Mass for the new church building was celebrated on May 8, 2005. There was a ridge-beam Mass on June 18, 2006, and an entrance Mass was celebrated on May 6, 2007. From August 7, 2007 to September 13, the ‘thanksgiving prayer for the church dedication offered with the Korean Martyr Saints’ was held, followed by a vigil celebration for the church dedication (Polyphony Ensemble concert) on September 15 and the church dedication ceremony on September 16.

[Arrival of Priests and Sisters] Priest transfers listed in the history are as follows. Father James Lee Chan-hong took office on September 21, 2004, Assistant Priest Philip Kang Sang-su took office on November 27, Assistant Priest James Lee Dong-won took office on November 21, 2006, Father Lee Dong-won left and Fathers Peter Lee Eung-je and Thomas Aquinas Jang U-geon took office on December 9, 2008, Father Lee Chan-hong left and Father John the Apostle Seo Yu-seok took office on February 17, 2009, Associate Pastor Peter Lee Eung-je and Assistant Thomas Aquinas Jang U-geon left and Associate Pastor Michael Jeong Dae-won and Assistant Methodius Kim Jin-ha took office on February 22, 2011, Father Jeong Dae-won left on August 29 of the same year, Associate Pastor John the Apostle Na U-jin took office on February 21, 2012, and there was a welcome ceremony for Assistant Priest Casimir Kim Hyeon-jun on February 17, 2013. Among sisters, the departure of Sisters Julia Gil Jeong-sun and Martina Yun Ji-yeong and the arrival of Sisters Maria Bae Mi-ja and Regina Choe Gyeong-hui on February 2007, the departure of Sister Regina Choe and the arrival of Sister Juliana Go on January 27, 2010, the arrival of Sister Anna Oh on January 28, 2011, and a welcome ceremony for Sister Magdalena Ham on February 3, 2013 are recorded.

[The 10th Anniversary of Establishment and After] From July 19, 2010 to September 11, a 54-day itinerant prayer was held for the 10th anniversary of the parish establishment, with an Angelus Choir concert on September 11, a thanksgiving Mass for the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Yangcheon Church on September 12, and a commemorative event on September 16. On February 18, 2013, a ‘3060 Concert’ was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the pastor’s ordination.

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The online directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea lists the affiliated diocese as the Archdiocese of Seoul, the region and district as West Seoul Region, Yangcheon District No. 18, the establishment date as 2000.09.07, the religious congregation as the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs, the patron as Saint John Chrysostom, the number of faithful as 5,582, and the number of mission chapels as 0.

Related Places and Figures

• Gocheok-dong Church, Mok-dong Church and Sinjeong-dong Church: neighboring parishes from which faithful transferred at the time of the establishment of Yangcheon Church.
• Saint John Chrysostom: the parish patron saint.
• Father Yeom Su-jeong: made a parish pastoral visit as head of District No. 15 on February 13, 2001.

References and Sources

1. Yangcheon Church, “Parish Introduction.” Establishment date, location, number of transferred faithful and current number of faithful.
   http://yangchun.or.kr/technote7/board.php?board=intro1&command=body&no=1
2. Yangcheon Church, “Parish History.” Major annual history from 2000 to 2013 (first Mass, construction and dedication of the church building, appointments of priests and sisters).
   http://yangchun.or.kr/technote7/board.php?board=intro1&command=body&no=5
3. Yangcheon Church, “Patron Saint.” Introduction to the life of Saint John Chrysostom.
   http://yangchun.or.kr/technote7/board.php?board=intro1&command=body&no=3
4. Online Directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, “Yangcheon.” Affiliated diocese and district, establishment date, religious congregation, patron and number of faithful.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000183&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011