Maegok Catholic Church

Overview

Maegok Church is a church on Ungok-ro, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Anyang 2 District of the 2 Vicariate of the Suwon Diocese. It was separated and established from Bisandong Church on September 30, 2003, and held its church dedication ceremony officiated by Bishop Matthias Lee Yong-hun on November 7, 2010. Its patron saint is St. Anthony of Padua.

History

[Establishment] According to the parish history on the Maegok Church website, it was separated and established from Bisandong Church on September 30, 2003, and more than 3,800 faithful transferred to Maegok Church at the time of its establishment. In the same year, on September, Fr. Vincent Lee Kang-geon took office as the 1th pastor. The parish and local information page identifies Bisandong Church as the mother parish and gives the establishment date as September 30, 2003. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory also lists the establishment date as September 30, 2003, affiliation as the Anyang 2 District of the 2 Vicariate of the Suwon Diocese, and patron saint as St. Anthony of Padua.

[Major years in its history] The main entries recorded in the parish history on the website are as follows. On September 2, 2008, the 2th Fr. Joseph Kang Hui-jae took office; on November 7, 2010, the dedication of Maegok Church; on June 25, 2013, the 3th Fr. Joseph Lee Cheol-gu took office; on June 2, 2015, remodeling of Maegok Church; on June 21, 2016, the 4th Fr. Paul Kim Tae-wan took office; on September 30, 2018, the 15th anniversary of the founding of Maegok Church; and on June 15, 2021, the 5th Fr. Michael Lee Gwang-hwi took office.

[Dedication] The parish and local information page records the dedication as “Bishop Matthias Lee Yong-hun / November 7, 2010.”

[Former priests] According to the former priests page on the website, the 1th Fr. Vincent Lee Kang-geon served from September 2003 to September 2008, and his ordination date was January 21, 1994. The 2th Fr. Joseph Kang Hui-jae (September 2, 2008–June 25, 2013, ordained September 19, 2003) is marked as deceased. The 3th Fr. Joseph Lee Cheol-gu served from June 25, 2013 to June 21, 2016, the 4th Fr. Paul Kim Tae-wan served from June 21, 2016 to June 15, 2021, and the 5th Fr. Michael Lee Gwang-hwi served from June 15, 2021 to June 16, 2026. The parish priest page introduces Fr. James Lee Byeong-mun (ordained January 21, 1994) as serving as pastor of Maegok Church since June 16, 2026.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

The patron saint page on the website introduces St. Anthony of Padua. His feast day is June 13, and he is listed as a priest-scholar, Doctor of the Church and preacher, with Padua as his area of activity and 1195 to 1231 as his years of activity. His titles are introduced as ‘Evangelical Doctor’ (Pope Pius 12) and ‘Ark of the New Testament’ (Pope Gregory 9), and the hammer that crushes heretics, and he is called the patron saint who finds poor people and lost objects. The guide explains that the saint is depicted holding a cross in his right hand and the Scriptures in his left hand, with the Child Jesus standing on the Scriptures, dressed in the habit of the Order of Friars Minor.

Related Places and People

• Bisandong Church: the mother parish from which Maegok Church was separated and established in 2003 (Maegok Church website).
• Anyang 2 District of the 2 Vicariate of the Suwon Diocese: the district listed as the affiliation of this church in the Bishops’ Conference directory.
• Bishop Matthias Lee Yong-hun: listed on the website as the officiant of the church dedication ceremony on November 7, 2010.

References and Sources

1. Maegok Church website, Parish and Local Information. Affiliated vicariate and district, establishment date September 30, 2003, dedication (Bishop Matthias Lee Yong-hun, November 7, 2010), mother parish Bisandong Church.
   http://www.maegok.or.kr/info1
2. Maegok Church website, Parish History. Founding in 2003 and number of transferred faithful, date of pastor’s appointment, dedication ceremony in 2010, remodeling in 2015, 15th anniversary of founding in 2018.
   http://www.maegok.or.kr/info3
3. Maegok Church website, Former Priests. Tenures and ordination dates of the 1th to 5th pastors.
   http://www.maegok.or.kr/info2
4. Maegok Church website, Patron Saint. Feast day, identity and titles of St. Anthony of Padua.
   http://www.maegok.or.kr/info4
5. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory, Maegok. Affiliated diocese, vicariate and district, founding date 2003.09.30, patron saint.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201000488&gubun=4