Sanbon Church

Overview

Sanbon Church is a church in Sanbon-dong, Gunpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Diocese of Suwon. It was separated and established from Myeonghak Parish on January 20, 1995, and its first pastor was Father Seo Jongsun. On June 6, 1998, it dedicated a church-rectory-convent building with 2 basement floors and 4 above-ground floors. In 2003, Suridong Parish was separated from this parish.

History

〔Background of establishment〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as a new town was built in the Sanbon area and the number of faithful increased greatly, Myeonghak Parish, which administered the area, planned to divide the parish. On January 8, 1992, with the help of the diocese and the nearby Gunpo Parish, it purchased 648 pyeong of land at the present parish site, and held the groundbreaking ceremony for the church on February 27, 1994. The Myeonghak Parish entry states that Myeonghak Parish promoted the construction of a new education hall around the time the establishment of Sanbon Parish was raised, and that in January 1995, with the establishment of Sanbon Parish, 5,913 faithful from Sanbon-dong and New Town Apartment Complexes 5–14 were transferred to Sanbon Parish.

〔Establishment of the parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, about 1 years after construction began, Sanbon Parish was separated and established on January 20, 1995, and Father Seo Jongsun (Thomas), who had been pastor of Myeonghak Parish, was appointed as its first pastor. In February of the same year, a branch convent of the Sisters of Divine Providence was established. The number of faithful at the time of establishment was 6,302, and it had grown to 9,651 as of the end of December 1996. The jurisdiction recorded in the encyclopedia covers all of Gwangjeong-dong, Gungnae-dong and Suri-dong and parts of Sanbon 1 and 2-dong. The Suwon Diocese parish information also lists the date of establishment as January 20, 1995. The patron is recorded as the Holy Trinity in the encyclopedia, while the Suwon Diocese parish information lists Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary (patronal feast on October 7), differing by source.

〔Construction and dedication of the church〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in May 1996 it additionally purchased 68.1 pyeong of land for the convent, and on November 18 of the following year completed a church-rectory-convent (total floor area 2,146 pyeong) with 2 basement floors and 4 above-ground floors on a site of 716 pyeong, and held the dedication ceremony on June 6, 1998. The encyclopedia notes that the number of faithful was steadily increasing at the time and that the parish was soon to be divided.

〔Parish divided from it〕 According to the brief parish history of Suridong Church, the faith community in the Suri-dong area began when Bishop Choi Deok-gi (Paul), the 3 diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Suwon, ordered the division of the parish as the number of faithful of its mother parish, Sanbon Parish, surged and its jurisdiction became vast. Father Choi Jae-yong (Bartholomew), the 2 pastor of Sanbon Parish, searched for a site for several years and purchased the present Suridong parish site in November 2001, and Suridong Parish was established with the appointment of its first pastor, Father Hwang Seon-gi (Matthias), on January 28, 2003. Immediately after its establishment, Suridong Parish had no facilities, so it prepared for the separation by celebrating weekday Masses in the small chapel and Sunday Masses at different times in the large chapel at Sanbon Church. According to the same brief history, Suridong Parish celebrated its first Sunday Mass in a temporary prefabricated church on May 25, 2003, completing its separation from Sanbon Parish.

Related Places and People

• Myeonghak Church: In January 1995, Sanbon Parish was separated and established from this parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Myeonghak Parish,” “Sanbon Parish”).
• Suridong Church: It is a parish separated and established from Sanbon Parish on January 28, 2003 (Brief parish history of Suridong Church).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Sanbon Parish” (Vol. 6). Background of establishment, establishment in 1995, first pastor, number of faithful, dedication of the church.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3003
2. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Myeonghak Parish” (Vol. 4). Number of faithful transferred when Sanbon Parish was newly established, timing of education hall construction.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2002
3. Diocese of Suwon, Parish Information “Sanbon”. Date of establishment January 20, 1995.
   https://www.casuwon.or.kr/parish/parish/2?church=%EC%82%B0%EB%B3%B8&serial=13024
4. Suridong Catholic Church, Brief Parish History. Circumstances of separation and establishment from Sanbon Parish and the establishment process in 2003.
   http://srcc.or.kr/index.php?category=1&tpf=sub%2Fsub01_02_01