Maegyo-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Maegyodong Church is a church in Maegyo-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Diocese of Suwon. It was established in August 1981 by separation from the territories of existing parishes such as Buksu-dong, Seryu-dong and Godeung-dong, and its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

History

[Discussion and preparation for foundation] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the establishment of Maegyodong Parish was discussed in concrete terms at the pastoral council presided over by Father Choe Gyeong-hwan (Matthias), parish priest of Buksu-dong Parish, on January 15, 1981. Buksu-dong Parish had grown rapidly in church strength and had a wide jurisdiction, making division unavoidable, and a proposal to establish a daughter parish was adopted, submitted to the diocesan council on February 3, and its jurisdiction was publicly announced on April 1. The Catholic Newspaper also writes that in January 1981 the pastoral council of Buksu-dong Parish discussed the need for division, and that Bishop Kim Nam-su, then diocesan bishop, directed by an official letter dated April 1 that the new foundation be promoted, and writes that only 7 months elapsed from preparation to foundation. The newspaper writes that the parish was incorporated from 3 parish territories in Buksu-dong, Godeung-dong and Seryu-dong and that Buksu-dong Parish was the main pillar of the foundation (the encyclopedia writes that it was separated from 4 parishes in Buksu-dong, Seryu-dong, Jidong and Godeung-dong).

[Parish foundation] According to the encyclopedia, a church construction preparatory committee (chairman Park Min-hwa, Joachim) was formed, construction began on June 12, and formal establishment as a parish was announced on August 1. On August 21, a rectory with a site of 405 pyeong, a total floor area of 82 pyeong, 1 basement floor and 1 above-ground floors was completed and its dedication and blessing ceremony was held, and the basement of the rectory was used as a temporary church. The Catholic Newspaper writes that on August 1 of the same year Maegyodong Parish was established together with Wari Parish, and that it started with 4 districts, 9 groups, 2 Catholic mission chapels and about 1500 faithful. The encyclopedia writes that the first parish priest, Father Go Geon-seon, Paul, who had served as a military chaplain and had been discharged from the army, reorganized the districts and groups and increased them to 4 districts, 9 groups and 2 Catholic mission chapels, and that on October 25 the preparatory committee was dissolved and a parish pastoral council (chairman Kim Dong-su, Benedict) was formed. Regarding parish organizations, the Catholic Newspaper writes that in October 1981 a “Sacred Heart of Mary” curia was established.

[Church construction and dedication] According to the encyclopedia, starting with the 1 construction phase in November 1981, through the 2 phase in May 1982, the 3 phase in October 1982, and the 4 phase in November 1983, a church with a total area of 636 pyeong, 1 basement floor and 2 above-ground floors was completed, and the dedication ceremony was held on June 14, 1985. The Catholic Newspaper writes that fundraising and construction were carried out in parallel without preparatory funds, construction was carried out in 4 stages, and the church was dedicated on June 14, 1985. The relics of saints enshrined in the altar are reported differently by the two sources: the encyclopedia identifies them as the relics of Saint Kim Dae-geon, while the Catholic Newspaper identifies them as the relics of Saint Chastan, one of 103 saints.

[Branching off] The encyclopedia writes that due to the increase in the number of faithful, Byeongjeom Parish was separated in December 1985 and Gwonseon-dong Parish in August 1987, and that for the “Beodeunae Parish” scheduled to be established in January 1997, it received a donation of a site of 352 pyeong in the Seryu-dong area from the Diocese of Suwon and began preparations such as design and formation of a construction promotion committee. The Catholic Newspaper writes that in the year 1985, the year of the dedication of the new church, Byeongjeom Parish was branched off but the number of faithful grew to about 4000, that in the year 1987 about 1300 faithful were transferred to Gwonseon-dong Parish but the total number of faithful increased to about 4500, and that in the year 1997 Beodeunae Parish was branched off.

[Successive parish priests] The successive parish priests listed in the encyclopedia are the first, Go Geon-seon, Paul (1981.8–1987.2), the 2 parish priest, Park Cheol, Paul (1987.2–1989.10), the 3 parish priest, Seo Gang-ha, Matthew (1989.10–1995.2), and the 4 parish priest, Jeong Un-taek, Andrew (1995.2–). According to the encyclopedia, Father Jeong Un-taek visited the homes of the faithful from immediately after taking office and participated in small community meetings, launched a prayer and fund-raising campaign in August 1995 to repair the aging building and resolve legal defects in ancillary facilities, began the 5 construction phase on March 9, 1996, purchased a site of 57 pyeong for ancillary facilities on April 16 and additionally purchased 51 pyeong to provide a parking lot.

[Church strength and activities] The encyclopedia records the church strength as 2,119 persons in the year 1981, 3,884 persons in the year 1984, 4,678 persons in the year 1988, 6,402 persons in the year 1992, and 6,594 persons in the year 1994, and introduces organizations such as 2 Legion of Mary curiae, 35 praesidia and the Hyangjuhoe. The Catholic Newspaper writes that in the year 1983 the 1 Holy Spirit Seminar was held, district competitions and choir competitions were conducted, that in the year 2002 the parish-affiliated Daegeon Senior College was opened and in the year 2010 the first Paldal district joint youth Mass was held in the parish. It is said that activities for local residents were also carried out, such as providing a recycling market and a venue for free medical treatment.

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The encyclopedia gives the parish jurisdiction as Maegyo-dong, Ingye-dong, Seryu 2 and 3-dong, Jung-dong, Gyo-dong, Gucheon-dong and Gwonseon-dong.

Related Places and People

• Buksu-dong Church: the parish that formed the main pillar of the establishment of Maegyodong Parish (Catholic Newspaper, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Byeongjeom, Gwonseon-dong and Beodeunae parishes: parishes branched off from Maegyodong Parish in the years 1985, 1987 and 1997 respectively (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Catholic Newspaper).

References and Sources

1. Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Maegyodong Parish” (Volume 4). Establishment on August 1, 1981, establishment process, church construction and dedication in the year 1985, successive parish priests, church strength.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1930
2. Catholic Newspaper, “[Following the History of Parishes in the Diocese] Maegyodong Parish of Suwon Vicariate” (October 2, 2016 issue, No. 3013). Establishment process, church dedication, branching off, devotional activities.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/201609280168171