Janghowon Church

Overview

Janghowon Church is a church in Janghowon-eup, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Diocese of Suwon. On March 19, 1960, the Janghowon Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish, marking its beginning, and its patron is St. Joseph the Worker. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, ‘Janghowon Parish’ is both the former name of Gamgok Parish in Gamgok-myeon, Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do and the present name of this parish.

History

〔Separation of Janghowon Parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in May 1896 Father C. Bouillon of the Paris Foreign Missions Society established Janghowon Parish in Wangjang-ri, Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. Although Janghowon originally belonged administratively to Gyeonggi-do, it bordered Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, so this church was called Janghowon Parish. The Catholic Newspaper writes that Father Bouillon, who was stationed in Bueonggol, moved the parish to this area in October 1896 and called it Janghowon Parish (the two sources give the founding date differently as May and October), and that the place was administratively Wangjang-ri, Gamgok-myeon, Eumseong-gun, Chungbuk, and even now the straight-line distance between Janghowon Church and Gamgok Parish of the Diocese of Cheongju is only 2 km. In November 1958, with the establishment of the Diocese of Cheongju, Janghowon Parish became Gamgok Parish belonging to the Diocese of Cheongju, while the Janghowon area of Icheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do was divided under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Seoul.

〔Elevation to Parish and the Early Period〕 In March 1960, the Catholic mission chapel in Janghowon was elevated to a parish, and the Catholic Newspaper records the date of elevation as March 19, with 19 affiliated Catholic mission chapels and over 1,200 faithful at the time. The first pastor, Father Joseph Jeong Juseong, began his ministry using part of a civic school in Jinam-ri as a temporary church (the encyclopedia identifies it as the present Jangho Technical High School, while the Catholic Newspaper identifies it as the present Buwon High School). The Catholic Newspaper writes that it started without either a church building or a rectory, and that the rectory was newly built only 2 years after the parish was established. The 2th pastor, Father Park Jihwan, in November 1961 purchased a lot of 1,764 pyeong in Notap 3-ri, Janghowon-eup, as the site for a new church, and the 3th pastor, Father Lee Junghyeon, in December 1962 built a rectory of 38 pyeong at San 29, Jinam-ri. During the tenure of the 5th pastor, Father Son Taeseop, in October 1963 the Diocese of Suwon was newly established and the parish came under the Diocese of Suwon.

〔Construction of the Church〕 The 6th pastor, Father Kim Jongjin, in May 1964 began the 1 construction phase for a new church with a building area of 156 pyeong (2 stories, 30 pyeong) on the site of the present church, built in September of the same year a warehouse of 28 pyeong and a dining hall of 18 pyeong within the grounds, and carried out the 2 construction phase in July of the following year. The 7th pastor, Father Bong Junseok, paved the front-gate access road in May 1967 and in July completed the registered transfer of 7,650 pyeong of church land at San 29, Jinam-ri. The 2 construction phase for the new parish church was completed in May 1969, followed by the blessing ceremony in May 1970, the following year (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Catholic Newspaper writes that financial difficulties kept construction from proceeding smoothly and that the faithful completed the church by molding bricks one by one by hand, and that in May 1970 the dedication ceremony was held for the 2-story church built of cement brick with a slate roof.

〔After the 1970s〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the 8th pastor, Father Ha Jaebyeol, carried out soundproofing work on the church and work on the Marian garden in the playground, and in March 1975, during the tenure of the 9th pastor, Father Choi Jaeyong, the Dangjin-ri Catholic mission chapel in Jeomdong-myeon, Yeoju-gun, which had been under its jurisdiction, was transferred to Yeoju Parish. In April 1977, work was done to reorganize the parish land parcels and install barbed-wire fencing along the boundaries, and the 11th pastor, Father Lee Jaeyun, in November 1978 completed an education hall with a building area of 75 pyeong (2 stories) and opened the Saessak Daycare Center (kindergarten) in March of the following year. The 13th pastor, Father Jo Gyusik, built the natural-stone Marian hill in November 1982, finished natural-stone work on the front wall of the church in May 1983, and completed natural-stone work on the eastern access road in August 1984. The 14th pastor, Father Park Mansang, in October 1986 newly built the rectory (54 pyeong) and the convent (46 pyeong).

〔After the 1990s〕 The 18th pastor, Father Min Gyeongguk, painted the interior walls of the church in November 1994 and carried out electrical work in June 1995. During the tenure of the 19th pastor, Father Choi Junghyeok, parish districts were readjusted in December 1996, creating Jinam Districts 6 and 7 and the Samseung-ri District, and in July 1997 a lot 51-22 in Jinam-ri was purchased and transferred to the Suwon Diocesan Office. The 20th pastor, Father Lee Seokjae, repaired the access road in September 1998 and held the ridge-raising ceremony for the education hall in July 2000, naming it the ‘New Millennium Education Hall,’ and in October of the same year completed repairs to the sanctuary, tidying of the playground, and the Marian hill (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Catholic Newspaper (2016) writes that, as the jurisdictional area is large and many of the faithful are elderly, the Catholic mission chapel halls in Narae-ri, Bangchu-ri and Geumho-ri are used for small Christian community gatherings and weekly Legion of Mary meetings, and that the pastor is Father Han Taemun.

〔Church Statistics and Successive Pastors〕 The church statistics recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 1,976 faithful in 1968, 1,675 faithful in 1974, 1,955 faithful in 1980, 2,019 faithful in 1985, 1,884 faithful in 1990, 2,133 faithful in 1995, and 2,331 faithful in 2001. The jurisdictional area is the entire Janghowon-eup area (excluding Daeseo-ri), and the affiliated Catholic mission chapels are listed as Nare-ri and Geumho-ri. The successive pastors are the first, Joseph Jeong Juseong (1960.3–1961.3), the 2th, John Park Jihwan, the 3th, John Lee Junghyeon, the 4th, Joseph Kim Jaeyong, the 5th, Mark Son Taeseop, the 6th, Damian Kim Jongjin, the 7th, Mauricio Bong Junseok, the 8th, Michael Ha Jaebyeol, the 9th, Bartholomew Choi Jaeyong, the 10th, John Kim Yeongbae, the 11th, Francis Xavier Lee Jaeyun, the 12th, Callistus Jang Deokho, the 13th, Joseph Jo Gyusik, the 14th, Stephen Park Mansang, the 15th, Joseph Flanagan (J. Flanagan), the 16th, Daniel O’Gorman (D. O'Gorman), the 17th, Mauricio O’Connor (M. O'Connor), the 18th, Andrew Min Gyeongguk, the 19th, Matthias Choi Junghyeok, the 20th, Paul Lee Seokjae, and the 21th, Alberto Ryu Deokhyeon (2002.1–).

Related Places and People

• Gamgok Church (Diocese of Cheongju, former Janghowon Parish): Janghowon Parish, which Father Bouillon established in Wangjang-ri, Eumseong-gun, Chungbuk in 1896, became Gamgok Parish with the establishment of the Diocese of Cheongju in 1958 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Yeoju Church: It is the parish to which the Dangjin-ri Catholic mission chapel under Janghowon’s jurisdiction was transferred in March 1975 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Janghowon Parish” (Vol. 10). Background of foundation and separation, construction process, church statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5379
2. Catholic Newspaper, “[Tracing the History of Parishes in the Diocese] Janghowon Parish of the Yongin Vicariate” (2016-03-23). Father Bouillon’s relocation of the parish, elevation in 1960 and the temporary church, dedication ceremony in 1970, use of Catholic mission chapel halls.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/201603230153246