Soha-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Sohadong Church is a church in Soha-dong, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Suwon Diocese. It was elevated from the Sohadong Catholic mission chapel under Cheolsan Parish to a parish on December 20, 1989, and its patron is Saint Peter Yu Daecheol.

History

〔Before the establishment of the mission chapel〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, large-scale apartment complexes began to be built in the Gwangmyeong area from the early 1970s, causing a sharp population increase, and on July 1, 1981, Gwangmyeong-ri, Cheolsan-ri and Soha-eup were separated from Siheung-gun and elevated to Gwangmyeong-si. Believers in the Soha-eup area, who belonged to Siheung-dong Parish of the Archdiocese of Seoul, had difficulty living their faith because of the long distance to the church, and when Soha-eup was incorporated into Gwangmyeong-si and came under the Suwon Diocese, Jang Deok-ho (Callistus), the first pastor of Cheolsan Parish, promoted a plan to establish a mission chapel. The Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia also states that in the 1970s, believers who had belonged to the 11 area of Siheung-dong Church in Seoul felt the need for an independent faith community, requested cooperation from nearby Cheolsan Church of the Suwon Diocese, and the establishment of a mission chapel was pursued from 1983 onward.

〔Sohadong mission chapel〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Sohadong mission chapel was established on July 5, 1986, and in September a mission chapel was prepared on the 2 floor of a commercial building at No. 320-4, Soha-dong, and priests of the Society of the Divine Word were sent to celebrate Sunday Mass. The Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia states that on July 5, 1986, the first Sunday Mass was celebrated by Jang Deok-ho, then pastor of Cheolsan Church, with 186 faithful in attendance at the temporarily prepared 2 floor of Seomyeon Supermarket at No. 320-4, Soha-dong, and on September 27 the 2 floor of the Seomyeon Supermarket building was leased to use as a hall. According to the Culture Encyclopedia, in 1987 pastoral council members and district group leaders were appointed, and the Legion of Mary, the Marian Association, the Association for the Deceased, the choir, the Sunday school and others were founded, beginning apostolic activities and catechetical education.

〔Purchase of the site and elevation to a parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in June 1987 1,111 pyeong of the present church site was purchased in preparation for elevation to a parish, and from April 2, 1989 the mission chapel itself began to publish its own bulletin. The Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia states that on June 14, 1987 3,672 square meters of church land was purchased, in January 1988 a vinyl greenhouse was installed on 100.9 square meters of church land and began to be used as a catechism room for the Sunday school, and on March 12, 1989 the hall was moved to the basement and, with the permission of the then diocesan bishop Kim Nam-su, a tabernacle was installed and the Blessed Sacrament was enshrined. On December 20, 1989, with elevation to a parish, pastoral care was entrusted to the Society of the Divine Word and Father J. Peis (Bae Hyeong-jin) took office as the first pastor (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia), and in February of the following year a branch house of the Caritas Sisters was established. The Culture Encyclopedia states that Sohadong Church was separated from Cheolsan Church and founded as the 67 parish of the Suwon Diocese amid population growth and Church expansion in Gwangmyeong-si.

〔Construction of the new church〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Peis formed a “Church Construction Preparatory Committee” in June 1992 and began construction of a new church that July, as Masses and meetings in the commercial building had become difficult with the growing number of faithful. In February 1993 pastoral authority over the parish was returned to the diocese, and Father Kim Hwa-tae of the Suwon Diocese took office as the 2 pastor and resolved various problems connected with the church construction, and under the 3 pastor, Father Park Tae-ung, on October 19, 1997 a church of 202 pyeong, together with the rectory and the convent, was completed and the dedication ceremony was held. Father Ryu Chun-ho, who took office as the 4 pastor in January 1998, devoted himself to strengthening the inner life of the parish, which had been neglected during the prolonged church construction, the Encyclopedia states.

〔Jurisdiction, statistics and successive pastors〕 The jurisdiction recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is the entire area of Soha 1-dong and 2-dong. Church statistics are 655 faithful in 1989, 1,560 faithful in 1992, and 2,179 faithful in 1997. Successive pastors are the first, James J. Peis (Bae Hyeong-jin) (1989.12–1993.1), the 2, Gervasio Kim Hwa-tae (1993.2–1995.8), the 3, Thomas Park Tae-ung (1995.8–1998.1), and the 4, Vincentio Ryu Chun-ho (1998.1–). The Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia states that Sohadong Church belongs to the Gwangmyeong District of the Ansan Vicariate in the Suwon Diocese, that its jurisdiction covers Soha 1-dong and Soha 2-dong in Gwangmyeong-si, part of Iljik-dong, and part of Doksan 1-dong in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, that its patron is Saint Peter Yu Daecheol, that the number of faithful is 3,872, and that the pastor is Father Daniel Kim Dong-jin.

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, construction of the Sohadong parish church began in July 1992, and on October 19, 1997 a church of 202 pyeong, together with the rectory and convent, was completed and the dedication ceremony was held. Before that, Mass had been celebrated on the 2 floor of a commercial building (the 2 floor of Seomyeon Supermarket), and the Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia states that it went through a period with a vinyl-greenhouse catechism room in January 1988 and a basement hall in March 1989.

Related Places and People

• Cheolsan Parish: the mother parish that supervised the Sohadong mission chapel and then separated and elevated it to a parish. Its first pastor, Father Jang Deok-ho, promoted the establishment of the mission chapel (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia).
• Siheung-dong Parish of the Archdiocese of Seoul: the parish to which believers in the Soha-eup area belonged in the 1970s (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia).
• Society of the Divine Word: the religious congregation that was entrusted with pastoral care at the elevation to a parish and served the parish until it was returned to the diocese in February 1993 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Sohadong Parish”. Background of the mission chapel foundation, elevation to a parish in 1989 and pastoral care by the Society of the Divine Word, construction of the church and dedication in 1997, church statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3627
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Gwangmyeong Culture Encyclopedia “Sohadong Church” (written by Choe Pan-hong). Promotion of the mission chapel foundation and first Mass, purchase of the site, elevation to a parish, the 67 parish of the Suwon Diocese, jurisdiction and patron.
   https://gwangmyeong.grandculture.net/gwangmyeong/toc/GC03100930