Godeung-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Godung-dong Church is a church in Godung-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Diocese of Suwon. It was separated and established from Suwon Parish (now Buksudong Parish) on November 25, 1959, and when the Diocese of Suwon was erected in 1963, it became the cathedral by papal decree and served as the diocese's first cathedral until 1977. Its patron is St. Joseph the Worker.

History

[Preparation for Establishment] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, at the time of liberation there was only one parish in Suwon, while the number of the faithful was growing. Fr. Polly (Sim Eung-yeong), the 4 pastor of Suwon Parish, promoted the separation and establishment of the 2 parish immediately after liberation and saved funds for it, but he was transferred to Cheonan Parish (now Oryong-dong Parish) in 1948, and his successor Fr. Lee Bok-yeong (Joseph) took over the project. Fr. Lee worked on it, including signing a lease for land and a building at No. 40, Maesan-ro, in the year after his arrival, but the plan came to nothing because of the 6·25 War. Suwon Parish resumed the project in 1954 and purchased land several times, but repeated sales and purchases because the locations were unsuitable, until it finally purchased the present church site and its annex buildings in October 1959 during the tenure of Fr. Lim Jong-gu (Paul), the 6 pastor.

[Establishment of the Parish] According to the encyclopedia, once the site and a temporary church building were secured, the Diocese of Seoul announced the establishment of ‘Godung-dong Parish’ on November 25, 1959, and appointed Fr. Lee Jong-cheol (Stephen) as its first pastor. At that time the parish had 2,099 faithful, and its jurisdiction covered all of Maesan-ro, Godung-dong, Seodun-dong, Seryu-dong and Pyeong-dong in Suwon-si and part of Hwaseo-dong, as well as part of Anryong-myeon (Taean-myeon) and Banwol-myeon in Hwaseong-gun. Fr. Lee Jong-cheol and the faithful carried out the church construction plan immediately after the establishment, breaking ground in March 1960 and completing a church with a size of 121 pyeong on November 5 of the same year.

[Erection of the Diocese and the Cathedral] According to the encyclopedia, when the Diocese of Suwon was separated and made independent from the Archdiocese of Seoul on October 7, 1963, Bishop Yun Gong-hui (Victorinus), appointed as its first bishop, designated Godung-dong Church as the cathedral. The Catholic Newspaper (2023) reports that below the cornerstone on the left side of the entrance to this church are the original text and translation of the decree “Supreme Shepherd” by Pope St. Paul 6. The decree stated that the area including Suwon-si and Bucheon-gun, Siheung-gun, Hwaseong-gun, Pyeongtaek-gun, Gwangju-gun, Yongin-gun, Anseong-gun, Icheon-gun, Yangpyeong-gun and Yeoju-gun in Gyeonggi-do was separated from the Archdiocese of Seoul to erect the ‘Diocese of Suwon,’ with the episcopal see placed at St. Joseph Church in Suwon-si and this church raised to a cathedral, and St. Joseph Church here refers to Godung-dong Church, whose patron is ‘St. Joseph, Model of Workers.’ According to the newspaper, Fr. Yun Gong-hui, who had been secretary general of the Central Council of the Catholic Church in Korea, was appointed as the first bishop, received episcopal ordination at St. Peter’s Basilica on October 20, 1963, and celebrated his installation at Godung-dong Church on December 21. Bishop Yun kept his residence across from Godung-dong Church and used it as the temporary diocesan office for more than 4 years until a diocesan office building was prepared in Hwaseo-dong.

[Installation of the 2 Bishop and Transfer of the Cathedral] According to the Catholic Newspaper, when Bishop Yun was appointed Archbishop of Gwangju in October 1973, Bishop Kim Nam-su (Angelo) was appointed on October 5, 1974, and Bishop Kim’s episcopal ordination and installation were celebrated at Godung-dong Church on November 21, presided over by Archbishop Yun (the encyclopedia records this day as the consecration and installation of Bishop Kim Nam-su as the 2 bishop on November 21, 1974). At the time of the erection of the diocese, Godung-dong Church was the largest church in Suwon, but with a capacity of only about 500 people it was too small for the diocese’s large and small events, and when the Jowon-dong Cathedral was completed on May 18, 1977, ‘Queen of Peace’ was officially proclaimed as the patron of the diocese and Godung-dong Parish became a pro-cathedral parish (the encyclopedia records that on the same date Jowon-dong Church was designated as the cathedral and Godung-dong Church remained as a pro-cathedral). The newspaper writes that as the first cathedral of the diocese, Godung-dong Church was the place where, for 13 years and 7 months, the installations of the first and 2 bishops, priestly ordinations and major diocesan events were held.

[Growth and Separation] According to the encyclopedia, a branch house of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres was established on July 21, 1961, and ‘Sohwa Kindergarten’ opened in April of the following year. During the tenure of Fr. Jang Geum-gu (John Chrysostom), the 2 pastor, Seodun-dong Parish and Seryu-dong Parish were separated and newly established in 1968, and he also worked to vitalize devotional associations, producing the parish’s first Curia in 1978 and separating Hwaseo-dong Parish in November of that year. During the tenure of Fr. Kim Jeong-won, the 7 pastor, an education hall and a convent were newly built in 1982, and after the arrival of Fr. Choe Gyeong-hwan, the 8 pastor, a plan for a new church was drawn up and the dedication of the new church was celebrated on October 3, 1992. The Catholic Newspaper writes that as the old church was demolished and a new church was built in 1992, it was no longer a cathedral and the appearance of the diocese’s first cathedral can no longer be found, and reports that the size of Godung-dong Church, which had been the first cathedral, was 400 square meters.

[Successive Pastors and Church Statistics] The successive pastors recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are the first Fr. Lee Jong-cheol, Stephen (1959.11–1967.1), the 2 Fr. Jang Geum-gu, Chrysostom (1967.1–1968.12), the 3 Fr. Kim Jong-jin, Damian (1968.12–1969.12), the 4 Fr. Jeong Deok-jin, Luke (1969.12–1970.7), the 5 Fr. Park Ji-hwan, John (1970.7–1975.4), the 6 Fr. Hwang Ik-seong, Augustine (1975.4–1981.6), the 7 Fr. Kim Jeong-won, Francis Xavier (1981.6–1987.9), and the 8 Fr. Choe Gyeong-hwan, Matthias (1987.9–). Church statistics are 2,023 in 1959, 4,114 in 1966, 1,191 in 1968, 2,989 in 1978, 3,254 in 1983, and 4,297 in 1993. At that time its jurisdiction was all of Godung-dong and Maesan 1·2·3-ga and part of Gyodong.

Related Places and People

• Suwon Parish (now Buksudong Parish): the mother parish from which Godung-dong Parish was separated (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Seodun-dong, Seryu-dong and Hwaseo-dong Parishes: parishes separated from Godung-dong Parish in 1968, 1968 and 1978 respectively (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Jowon-dong Cathedral: completed on May 18, 1977, it replaced Godung-dong Church as the cathedral, and its design was undertaken by Fr. Nam Do-gwang (Honoratus Millemann) of Waegwan Abbey of the Order of St. Benedict (Catholic Newspaper, 2023).
• Bishop Yun Gong-hui (Victorinus) and Bishop Kim Nam-su (Angelo): the first and 2 bishops of the Diocese of Suwon, installed at Godung-dong Church (Catholic Newspaper, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Godung-dong Parish.” Preparation and establishment of the parish, completion of the church in 1960, designation as cathedral and transition to pro-cathedral, separations, dedication of the new church in 1992, successive pastors, church statistics.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/329
2. Catholic Newspaper, “[Founding 16 Anniversary Special - From Yesterday’s Diocese to Tomorrow’s Diocese] Seeing Diocesan History from the Cathedral” (2023.10.29). Decree erecting the diocese and designation of Godung-dong Church as cathedral, installations in 1963 and 1974, completion of the Jowon-dong Cathedral, new church in 1992.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/202310240215837