Daehak-dong Church

Overview

Daehak-dong Church is a church in Sadong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Ansan Vicariate of the Suwon Diocese and is the vicariate seat church of the Ansan Vicariate. Beginning as the Sari Catholic mission chapel, it became a parish in 1984, with St. Paul Chong Hasang as its patron. Sangnoksu Church was separated from this parish in 1995.

History

[Sari mission chapel] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, around 1957, refugees from North Korea settled at San 234, Sari, supporting themselves with Catholic relief supplies while working on land reclamation, and among them 20 households of more than 100 faithful formed the Sari mission chapel around 1958. In 1959, with the establishment of Godeung-dong Parish, it became a mission chapel under its jurisdiction, and as parishes continued to be newly established in the Suwon Diocese, it came to belong to Seryu-dong Parish (1968), Gosaek-dong Parish (1970) and Suam Parish (1981). In August 1976, as the Ansan New Town construction project began under the plan to develop the Banwol Industrial Complex, it was granted 872.9 pyeong at 1178 and 1180, Sadong, Ansan-si, as a relocation measure for the original residents.

[Elevation to parish] According to the encyclopedia, Fr. Song Yeong-gyu, who took office in August 1981 as the first pastor of Suam Parish, while building Suam Church, learned that a heavy tax would have to be paid if no building were erected on the land granted to the Sari mission chapel, and planned to build a church here at the same time as Suam Church, breaking ground from 1983. On February 21, 1984, taking parts of the jurisdictions of Suam Parish and Seodun-dong Parish respectively, and with Fr. Song Yeong-gyu taking office as the first pastor, it was elevated to a parish. The Digital Ansan Culture Encyclopedia gives August 1984 as the founding year and records the founder as Song Yeong-gyu, stating that Daehak-dong Church separated from Suam Church (now Wadong Church) in August 1984, built a church building on the present site, celebrated a dedication Mass, and began parish activities.

[Church construction] According to the encyclopedia, after the elevation, Mass was celebrated in a commercial building at 1152, Sadong, then on August 15, 1984 a church building committee was formed, and on December 24 of that year the basement of the church and the rectory were completed and Christmas Mass was celebrated. Construction was halted for financial reasons but regained momentum with the arrival of the 2 pastor, Fr. Park Jong-man, and in March 1988 a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the expansion of the church and rectory; in September of that year the new rectory was completed and the old rectory was converted into a convent, and on December 20 the church was completed. In January 1989, a branch of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Suwon was established and began cooperating in pastoral ministry.

[Education center and separation of Sangnoksu Church] According to the encyclopedia, judging that the church site was expected to prosper as the center of Ansan-si, an education center was planned on the land at 1180, Sadong, Ansan-si, then used as a parking lot. Construction began in March 1991, the 1 phase was completed in December and named the ‘House of the Word,’ and it was finally completed in June of the following year and has been used as a space for the re-education of the faithful. From January 1995, outside lecturers were invited to train district and group leaders twice a month. As the number of the faithful continued to grow, the parish jurisdiction was divided into the Daehak-dong area, the Bono-dong area and the Banwol area, and it was decided to build new churches in Bono-dong and Banwol, purchasing land at 789-1 and 789-3, Bono-dong, Ansan-si. Temporary church, office and convent buildings were built on the premise of future reconstruction, completed in February 1994, named Sangnoksu Area Church on March 4 with the first Mass celebrated, and elevated to a parish on January 20, 1995. Accordingly, Ildong, Idong, Bono-dong and Palgok-dong in Ansan-si, the former Banwol area and Won-ri in Hwaseong-gun, which had been under Daehak-dong Parish, were incorporated into Sangnoksu Parish, sharply reducing the number of the faithful.

[Church statistics and present status] The statistics in the encyclopedia are 924 in 1984, 1,196 in 1989, 7,221 in 1994, and 2,170 as of June 1995. According to the Culture Encyclopedia, the church, as the vicariate seat church of the Ansan Vicariate, oversees the vicariate’s administration, including establishing policies on all vicariate administrative matters, document management and statistics, with the Evangelization Bureau and the Youth Bureau handling related work under the vicar. The Evangelization Bureau is in charge of evangelization and revitalizing small Christian communities in the Gwangmyeong, Siheung and Ansan districts. September 20 is commemorated each year as Parish Day, and as of 2016, the number of the faithful is 2,122. Active organizations include the pastoral council, liturgy committee, Association for the Deceased, Marian Association, choir, elementary and middle school teachers’ group, youth group, Legion of Mary, missionary soccer team and M·E.

[Past pastors] The pastors listed in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the 1st, Paul Song Yeong-gyu (1984.2–1986.12), the 2, John the Baptist Park Jong-man (1986.12–1990.12), and the 3, Francis Xavier Sim Yeong-taek (1990.12–). The Culture Encyclopedia states that as of 2016, the pastor is Fr. Alberto Kang Hong-muk.

Related places and figures

• Suam Parish: the parish to which the Sari mission chapel belonged from 1981 and which contributed part of its jurisdiction in 1984. The Culture Encyclopedia states that Suam Church is now Wadong Church (Encyclopedia, Culture Encyclopedia).
• Seodun-dong Parish: the parish which contributed part of its jurisdiction when Daehak-dong Parish was elevated in 1984 (Encyclopedia).
• Sangnoksu Parish: the church that began as the Sangnoksu Area Church in 1994 and was elevated to a parish on January 20, 1995 (Encyclopedia).

References and sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Daehak-dong Parish”. Sari mission chapel, elevation to parish, church construction, separation of Sangnoksu Church, statistics and past pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1322
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Ansan Culture Encyclopedia “Daehak-dong Church” (written by Yi Seong-hak). Founding period and changes, function as vicariate seat church, present status.
   https://ansan.grandculture.net/ansan/toc/GC02501141