Yeouido-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Yeouidodong Church is a parish belonging to the 15 Yeongdeungpo-Geumcheon District of the West Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Its patron is Our Lady of Fatima, and on September 17, 1974 it was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under Yeongdeungpo Parish to a parish.

History

In 1970, the City of Seoul built pilot apartments in Yeouido, and from October of the following year tenants began moving in, creating a new residential area. Believers who had moved in sought out fellow faithful and formed a community of 19 households with over 30 people, and in March 1972 they requested the diocese to establish a Catholic mission chapel. On December 19 of that year, the first Mass was celebrated by Father Kim Dae-seong, pastor of Dangsandong Parish, at the Seongmo Hospital clinic (on the present church site).

On May 18, 1973 it was approved as a Catholic mission chapel belonging to Yeongdeungpo Parish, and on September 17, 1974 it was elevated to a parish, with Father Choe Yong-rok taking office as the first parish priest. In 1995, marking the 20th anniversary of the parish founding, the book “20-Year History of Yeouido Church” was published.

Architecture and Space

During the mission-chapel period, in August 1973 a rented apartment was used as a temporary mission chapel, and later pilot apartment building 6, unit 26 was purchased. After elevation to a parish, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 23, 1975 on a 250-pyeong site (then the site of the Yeouido Seongmo Hospital morgue), and the church was completed on January 25, 1976 with a dedication ceremony.

As parishioners grew, in December 1977 the very site where the first Mass had been celebrated, namely the present church grounds, was purchased, and the Yeouido Kindergarten building was used as the church. Under the 2 parish priest, Father Kim Taek-am, the ‘New Church Construction Committee’ was launched on October 11, 1981, the new church was completed in December 1983, and the dedication Mass was celebrated on April 28, 1984, presided over by Cardinal Kim Su-hwan.

Related Places and People

• Yeongdeungpo Church: It is the parish to which the Yeouido mission chapel belonged.
• Father Kim Dae-seong: He is the pastor of Dangsandong Parish who celebrated the first Mass in December 1972.

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Yeouidodong Parish”. The establishment of the mission chapel (May 18, 1973) and elevation to parish (September 17, 1974), the patron Our Lady of Fatima, and the history of the construction and dedication of the church were confirmed.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4416
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Yeouidodong”. The affiliated district (15 Yeongdeungpo-Geumcheon District), founding date 1974.09.17, and patron Our Lady of Fatima were confirmed.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000184&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011