Pyeongseong Catholic Church

Overview

Paengseong Church is a church in Songhwa-ri, Paengseong-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Suwon Diocese. It was separated from Pyeongtaek Parish and established on August 1, 1983, and was completed and blessed on November 23, 1984 as a memorial church for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Catholic Church. Its patron is Saint Paul Jeong Hasang (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).

History

[Anjeong-ri mission chapel] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, as a U.S. military unit was stationed in Anjeong-ri in the 1960s, believers working there and local residents established the Anjeong-ri mission chapel in 1969. Led by its first president Kim Sang-yong (Conrado), the mission faithful collected donations to buy land in Anjeong 1-ri and build a hall, but could not achieve their aim for lack of funds. The Pyeongtaek City History mission list also records that the Anjeong-ri mission chapel began around 1969 as a small community of over 20 households in the U.S. base village and, centered on Kim Sang-yong, pursued construction of a mission hall. In 1978 the faithful established the women’s Legion of Mary ‘Mother of Good Counsel’ at the house of president Kim Pil-mo (John) and began organized apostolic activity, and in 1979, with the permission of Yang Byeong-muk (Luke), priest of Pyeongtaek Parish, they offered Sunday Mass for about 1 years in the annex of the foreigners’ apartments, celebrated by the American chaplain Father Quinn. In September of the same year they held a district general meeting at the house of Kim Yeong-bae (Thomas) to raise funds for hall construction, and from October they rented the annex of the foreigners’ apartments and used it as a temporary hall (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).

[Preparation for parish establishment] The Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism records that in 1979 Pyeongtaek Parish promoted a plan to establish a new parish in the middle of its jurisdiction as a project commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Church, and confirmed the Paengseong area, then elevated to a town, as the new parish candidate site. In February 1980, Anjeong-ri mission faithful, seeking to present a plaque of gratitude to the departing Father Quinn, asked Bishop Kim Nam-su (Angelo) of the Suwon Diocese, who was visiting the Paengseong area, for permission to purchase a church site, received permission, and bought 1,200 pyeong at No. 24-7, Songhwa-ri, Paengseong-eup. In August of the same year Anjeong-ri and Gaeksari were united, Kim Yeong-bae was elected district president, and a 2-story house was rented for Mass and liturgies. In May 1981 the Paengseong church construction committee was formed and raised funds, and in August 1982, judging that the land bought in 1980 was unsuitable for church construction, it sold that land and bought 1,000 pyeong at Nos. 12-2, 3 and 5, Songhwa-ri, Paengseong-eup. In September 1982 the groundbreaking ceremony for the new church was held in the presence of Bishop Kim Nam-su and Yang Byeong-muk, priest of Pyeongtaek Parish.

[Parish establishment and church blessing] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, in July 1983 Father Park Cheol (Paul) arrived as the first pastor, and on August 1 Paengseong Parish was separated from Pyeongtaek Parish. When Father Park arrived, church construction was under way and no rectory had been prepared, so he lived temporarily in a rented house. After 2 year of construction, on November 23, 1984 Paengseong Church was completed as a memorial church for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Catholic Church and its blessing was celebrated by Bishop Kim Nam-su, and in December of the same year a branch of the Mirinae Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary was installed. The Pyeongtaek City History records that in 1983 Paengseong Church was separated from Pyeongtaek Church and the church was completed the following year, with Father Park Cheol arriving as the first priest, and that the Bonjeong-ri mission chapel (which developed into a model mission chapel after Peter Bang Seon-jae was first baptized around 1938 through the evangelization of Daechu-ri mission faithful) and the Duri mission chapel (established as a Pyeongtaek Parish mission chapel in the early 1950-1960s) were incorporated into Paengseong Parish on August 1, 1983. The Pyeongtaek City History mission list records that the Anjeong-ri mission chapel was elevated to a parish on August 1, 1983.

[Early pastoral care] During the tenure of the 2th pastor, Father Jeong Ji-ung (Joseph), a rectory and an education hall were newly built and blessed on September 19, 1987, and on September 20 ‘Saint Paul Jeong Hasang’ was proclaimed as parish patron. In December 1988 a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was enshrined, and in May 1990 a statue of Christ Blessing was enshrined. In the time of the 3th pastor, Father Park Jong-man (John the Baptist), a library was opened in the parish in August 1991 and computerized equipment was introduced in February 1992. In the time of the 4th pastor, Father Han Bong-ju (Cletus), the church roof and exterior walls and the rectory were repaired in May 1994. In the time of the 5th pastor, Father Choi Gyu-myeong (Andrew), in February 1996 under a plan to operate a kindergarten the meeting room was converted into a kindergarten, the parish office into a kindergarten teachers’ room, and the religious-goods shop into a kindergarten cafeteria, and Saint Paul Kindergarten was opened in March (all from the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).

[After the late 1990s] According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, during the tenure of the 6th pastor, Father Mun Hui-jong (John the Baptist), the interior facilities of the rectory, convent, office and kindergarten were remodeled in 1997, food was delivered to elderly people living alone and low-income residents in November 1998, and from 1998 a campaign to send慰問 goods to soldiers was carried out. During the tenure of the 7th pastor, Father Kang Jeong-geun (Matthias), the kindergarten was expanded in January 2000, and from May district Masses were offered in rotation through 23 districts and mission teams of 2 to 3 members each were organized to visit prospective catechumen families, so that by August baptism applicants reached over 550 people. Through these efforts, in October 2002 Paengseong Parish was selected as the best mission parish of the Suwon Diocese, and Sunday Mass was offered presided over by Bishop Choi Deok-gi (Paul) of the Suwon Diocese. During the tenure of the 8th pastor, Father Lee Jae-ung (Damian), the convent and infant room were repaired in July 2003, and parish day was fixed in September. From January 2004 Twelve Apostles were chosen in each district for local evangelization, morning and afternoon Masses on the first Friday of each month were offered as Twelve Apostles’ day with spiritual lectures, and in April of the same year regular meetings were held with the newly baptized and feasts celebrating the 100th day of baptism and the 1th anniversary.

[Jurisdiction, statistics and successive priests] The jurisdiction recorded by the Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism is Paengseong-eup, Pyeongtaek-si. Membership was 1,267 people in 1984, 1,966 people in 1990, 2,228 people in 1995, 2,398 people in 2000, and 2,521 people in 2004. Successive priests are the first, Park Cheol, Paul (1983.7-1987.2), the 2th, Jeong Ji-ung, Joseph (1987.2-1990.11), the 3th, Park Jong-man, John the Baptist (1990.11-1994.1), the 4th, Han Bong-ju, Cletus (1994.1-1995.8), the 5th, Choi Gyu-myeong, Andrew (1995.8-1997.2), the 6th, Mun Hui-jong, John the Baptist (1997.2-1999.7), the 7th, Kang Jeong-geun, Matthias (1999.7-2002.1), and the 8th, Lee Jae-ung, Damian (2002.1-).

Related places and people

• Pyeongtaek Parish: the mother parish from which Paengseong Parish was separated; Yang Byeong-muk (Luke), priest, permitted Mass at the Anjeong-ri mission chapel in 1979 and attended the groundbreaking ceremony in 1982 (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).
• Anjeong-ri mission chapel: the mission chapel established in 1969 around the U.S. military unit; in 1980 its faithful asked Bishop Kim Nam-su for purchase of a church site (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, Pyeongtaek City History).
• Bonjeong-ri and Duri mission chapels: mission chapels incorporated into Paengseong Parish on August 1, 1983 (Pyeongtaek City History).
• Bishop Kim Nam-su (Angelo): the diocesan bishop who permitted site purchase in 1980, attended the groundbreaking ceremony in 1982, and celebrated the church blessing on November 23, 1984 (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).
• Mirinae Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary: the congregation that installed a branch in Paengseong Parish in December 1984 (Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism).

References and sources

1. Encyclopedia of Korean Catholicism, “Paengseong Parish” (vol. 11). Separation from Pyeongtaek Parish on August 1, 1983, patron, jurisdiction, statistics, successive priests, the process from Anjeong-ri mission chapel to parish establishment, church blessing in 1984, and later pastoral activities.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/6452
2. Pyeongtaek City, Pyeongtaek City History “Catholicism in Pyeongtaek”. History of the Anjeong-ri, Bonjeong-ri and Duri mission chapels and separation of Paengseong Church in 1983, completion of the church the following year, and the first Father Park Cheol.
   https://sisa.pyeongtaek.go.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=ca17&wr_id=12