Shiheung St. Paul Catholic Church

Overview

Sihwa St. Paul Church is a church on Jeongwangsingil-ro, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Siheung District of the 2 Vicariate of the Suwon Diocese. It was established on February 14, 1997 by division from Gunja Church, its patron is St. Paul the Apostle, and the dedication of the church was held on December 9, 2001 officiated by Bishop Choi Deok-gi (Paul).

History

[Establishment and Dedication] The parish introduction on the Sihwa St. Paul Church website records the parish’s date of establishment as February 14, 1997 and its mother parish as Gunja Church in the Siheung District of the 2 Vicariate. The establishment date in the address directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea is also 1997.02.14. The same guide states that the dedication took place on December 9, 2001 and that the officiant was Bishop Choi Deok-gi (Paul). The tenure of the first pastor, Father Min Yeong-gi (Joseph), was from February 14, 1997 to January 29, 2002.

[Priests and Religious] According to the list of successive priests on the website, the pastors were the first, Min Yeong-gi (Joseph), 1997.2.14–2002.1.29; the 2 pastor, Ju In-bae (Peter), 2002.1.29–2005.9.23; the 3 pastor, Song Byeong-seon (Joseph), 2005.9.23–2010.8.31; the 4 pastor, Mun Byeong-hak (Joseph), 2010.8.31–2015.6.23; the 5 pastor, Bae Yong-u (Paul), 2015.6.23–2018.6.26; the 6 pastor, Kim Gi-won (John the Apostle), 2018.6.26–2023.6.20; and the 7 pastor, Choi Gyeong-nam (Benedict), 2023.6.20 to the present. As for religious, it records that sisters of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres served from October 3, 1998 to February 5, 2001, and that sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary have served from March 1, 2008, with the 6 sister currently serving.

[Relics of St. Kim Dae-geon Andrea] The parish introduction on the website states, under its relics holdings, that the relics of Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea were distributed from the Secretariat on December 29, 2007 and enshrined in the church. The guide to sacred art also contains an entry for the “sacred relics of Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea.”

[Current Status] The website records the number of the faithful as 4,060 (1,689 households), while the address directory records 4,428 faithful and 0 Catholic mission chapels, with “district-center parish” entered in the remarks.

Architecture and Space

The website’s guide to sacred art introduces, as the sacred art inside the church, the tabernacle, the statue of Jesus on the cross, the statue of Jesus at the sanctuary altar, the statue of Jesus in the garden, the 14 Stations of Jesus, the tile painting of the Madonna and Child, the statues of Our Lady in the garden (large and small), the tile painting of St. Paul, the statues of St. Paul (large and small), the sacred relics of Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea, the tile painting of 103 saints, the sanctuary-altar ceiling and the sanctuary ceiling, the stained glass on the side and rear walls of the sanctuary, the central altar and ambo of the church, the holy water fonts (1 floor and 2 floor), and the cross in the Marian garden.

Related Places and People

• Gunja Church: the mother parish of Sihwa St. Paul Church (parish introduction on the website).
• St. Paul the Apostle: the patron saint. The parish introduction on the website gives the feast day as June 29, and the patron-saint page introduces the life of the Apostle Paul (birth and persecution of the Church, conversion, and related events), his journeys, his martyrdom in Rome, his thought and achievements, his letters, and his three missionary journeys.
• Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea: his relics (sacred relics) were distributed on December 29, 2007 and enshrined in the church (parish introduction on the website).

References and Sources

1. Sihwa St. Paul Church website, Parish Introduction. Establishment February 14, 1997, dedication December 9, 2001 (Bishop Choi Deok-gi Paul), patron saint and feast day, mother parish, enshrinement of Father Kim Dae-geon’s relics, number of the faithful.
   http://www.shpaul.or.kr/sub/s1_1.php
2. Sihwa St. Paul Church website, Church Priests/Religious. Tenures of successive pastors and religious.
   http://www.shpaul.or.kr/sub/s1_5.php
3. Sihwa St. Paul Church website, Guide to Sacred Art. List of sacred art inside the church.
   http://www.shpaul.or.kr/sub/s4_2_2.php
4. Sihwa St. Paul Church website, Patron Saint. Introduction to the life and missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul.
   http://www.shpaul.or.kr/sub/s1_4_1.php
5. Address Directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Sihwa St. Paul. Establishment date 1997.02.14., affiliation Siheung District of the 2 Vicariate of the Suwon Diocese, patron saint, number of the faithful, number of Catholic mission chapels.
   http://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201000550&gubun=4