Sujindong Catholic Church

Overview

Sujin-dong Church is a church in Sujin-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Diocese of Suwon. As the successor of Dunjeon-ri Parish, which was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under Baek-dong Parish in Seoul (now Hyehwa-dong Parish) to a parish on April 22, 1950, it is the first parish in the Seongnam area, and its patron is Saint Joseph.

History

[Dunjeonmal Catholic mission chapel and Dunjeon-ri Parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Sujin-dong Parish, first established in the Gwangju-gun area (now Seongnam-si), is the successor of Dunjeon-ri Parish in Dunjeon-ri, Daewang-myeon, Gwangju-gun. Dunjeon-ri Parish was elevated from the Dunjeonmal Catholic mission chapel, which began under Hauhyeon Parish with 23 believers in 1902 and reached 64 believers in 1921. After Baek-dong Parish was established on April 29, 1927, it was incorporated as its Catholic mission chapel, and on April 22, 1950 it was elevated to Dunjeon-ri Parish. The first pastor, Father Park Jihwan, tried to lay the foundation by converting the building used as the mission chapel hall into a church and newly building a rectory, but before completion the Korean War broke out and in 1951 he joined the army as a military chaplain. The Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia also records that on April 22, 1950 it was elevated from a Catholic mission chapel under Hyehwa-dong Parish to a parish, Father Park Jihwan (John) took office as the first priest, and about a month after the new parish was established the parish was abolished when the first pastor joined the army as a military chaplain because of the 6·25 War.

[Mission chapel period and re-elevation] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Dunjeon-ri Parish became again a Catholic mission chapel under Hyehwa-dong Parish, and after the war it was transferred to Sindang-dong Parish in 1954 and to Cheonho-dong Parish in 1959. After becoming a mission chapel, the believers of Dunjeonmal collected relief supplies and private funds to rebuild the church of which only the foundation stones remained, and with the arrival of Father Yu Jinseon as the 2 pastor in September 1962, it was re-elevated to Dunjeon-ri Parish. At that time the number of believers was about 1,200, and Father Yu Jinseon devoted himself to poor relief and rural development (Encyclopedia). The Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia records that when it was revived as a parish in 1962, its jurisdiction was Daewang-myeon, Naksaeng-myeon, Dolma-myeon and part of Opo-myeon with 1,000 believers. In October 1963, with the establishment of the Diocese of Suwon, it was transferred from the Archdiocese of Seoul to the Diocese of Suwon.

[Move to the Seongnam area] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, at the time of the 3 pastor, Father Lee Myeonggi, in March 1971, when the Daewang-myeon area where the church stood was designated as a military base and the parish was about to be closed, it was decided to move the parish to the Seongnam area (then Jungbu-myeon, Gwangju-gun), and as Father Lee Myeonggi obtained a rectory and moved, the parish name was also changed to Seongnam Parish. When the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (now Inbo Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament), which ran a daycare center, suggested building a church next to the daycare center, the priest used a detached house near the daycare center as a rectory, celebrating weekday Masses there and Sunday Masses in the borrowed daycare center. The Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1971 most of the church and nearby village and farmland were expropriated for the Seongnam Air Base, so the move was decided and a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the Sujin-dong site next to the Inbo Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, and in 1973 the parish name was changed to Seongnam Church.

[New construction and dedication] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, 4 months after beginning construction, on August 15, 1971, the 1 story (basement) was completed and the first Mass was celebrated. The church was planned with 3 stories, but because of lack of funds only 1 story was built and work stopped; in the autumn of 1974 the 2 story was completed with difficulty but work stopped again, and in 1977 with the help of one believer and fundraising by parishioners, the 3 story and ancillary facilities were completed. 7 years after the groundbreaking, on May 1, 1978, the dedication was celebrated by Bishop Kim Namsu (Angelo) (the Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia also records the dedication on May 1, 1978).

[Renaming and divisions] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in 1973 the Jungbu-myeon area was elevated to Seongnam-si and believers surged, and on October 5, 1976 Dandae-dong Parish was established, transferring the registers of 1,300 believers in Dandae-dong, Sangdaewon-dong, Eunhaeng-dong, Jung-dong and part of Sinheung-dong, and at this time the parish name was changed to Sujin-dong Parish (the Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1976 Dandae-dong Church was newly established and separated, and from 1977 the name was changed to Sujin-dong Church). The 4 pastor, Father Hwang Ikseong, divided Seongnam-dong Parish on February 8, 1982, transferring 2,014 believers in the Seongnam-dong area (now Moran), and on September 16, 1984 divided Sinheung-dong Parish, transferring the registers of 1,230 believers in the Taepyeong 2-dong area, part of Bokjeong-dong and the Sinheung 2-dong area. When Taepyeong-dong Parish was divided on January 26, 1999, the registers of 2,285 believers in part of Taepyeong 1-3-dong, Bokjeong-dong, and Sinchon-dong, Oya-dong and Simgok-dong, which had been the old Dunjeon-ri area, were transferred.

[Extension and the 50 anniversary of foundation] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, fundraising for extension began at the time of the 7 pastor, Father Seo Jongseon, and on July 7, 1989 100 pyeong of land was purchased from the Inbo Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for the extension. The 9 pastor, Father Yun Mingu, held the groundbreaking ceremony on May 5, 1995 and the following year completed the 3-story building for the small chapel, rectory and offices. As the first parish in the Seongnam area, in the Great Jubilee year of 2000, marking the 50 anniversary of parish foundation, various events were held, including compiling the parish history Sujin-dong Church Fifty-Year History in May.

[Present condition and activities] According to the Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia, the Vincent Volunteer Group, composed of believers of Sujin-dong Church, provides weekly side-dish service for elderly people living alone, and the basement space was linked to Tanri-ro with an entrance to create a cafe named Angels and educational space freely available to local residents. On July 17, 2009, a joint ceremony for the 7 Sarangbang was held with the Sarangbang Culture Club so that local culture and arts groups in the Seongnam area could use the space, and education was provided in hanji crafts, newspaper crafts, bands and video. Its jurisdiction covers Sujin 1-dong and Sujin 2-dong, part of Taepyeong-dong and part of Sinheung-dong, and as of 2024 the number of believers is 1,260.

[Church statistics and successive priests (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia)] Membership was 1,205 in 1963, 1,311 in 1967, 2,596 in 1971, 3,216 in 1976, 5,945 in 1980, 4,203 in 1985, 5,925 in 1990, 6,447 in 1995, and 6,831 in 1997. Successive priests were the first Park Jihwan John (1950.4-1951), the 2 Yu Jinseon Leo (1962.9-1968.10), the 3 Lee Myeonggi Bernardo (1968.10-1981.6), the 4 Hwang Ikseong Augustine (1981.6-1982.3), the 5 Jeong Jiung Joseph (1982.3-1983.2), the 6 Jeong Juseong Joseph (1983.2-1987.2), the 7 Seo Jongseon Thomas (1987.2-1990.11), the 8 Yun Yongbae Lazarus (1990.11-1994.2), the 9 Yun Mingu Dominic (1994.2-1997.2), and the 10 Lee Chanjong Joseph (1997.2-).

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the church of Sujin-dong Parish completed the basement (1 story) on August 15, 1971 and celebrated the first Mass, then completed the 2 story in the autumn of 1974 and the 3 story with ancillary facilities in 1977, and was dedicated on May 1, 1978. On May 5, 1995 a groundbreaking ceremony for extension was held and the following year the 3-story building for the small chapel, rectory and offices was completed. The Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia records that an entrance linked to Tanri-ro was made in the basement space to create a cafe and educational space.

Related Places and People

• Dunjeon-ri Parish (Dunjeon-ri, Daewang-myeon): the predecessor of Sujin-dong Parish, which moved to the Seongnam area in 1971 as the church site was expropriated for the Seongnam Air Base (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia).
• Baek-dong (Hyehwa-dong) Parish: the mother parish when the Dunjeonmal Catholic mission chapel was incorporated in 1927 under its jurisdiction and elevated to Dunjeon-ri Parish in 1950 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Dandae-dong Parish (1976.10), Seongnam-dong Parish (1982.2), Sinheung-dong Parish (1984.9), Taepyeong-dong Parish (1999.1): parishes divided from Sujin-dong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Inbo Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (formerly Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament): the congregation that ran the daycare center, related to the parish move and the sites for new construction and extension (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Sujin-dong Parish”. Dunjeonmal Catholic mission chapel and Dunjeon-ri Parish, move to the Seongnam area in 1971, church construction and dedication from 1971 to 1978, parish divisions, extension, church statistics, successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/3743
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Seongnam Culture Encyclopedia “Sujin-dong Church” (written by Yun Yongbok and Jo Namdu). Successor of Dunjeon-ri Parish, move in 1971, renaming to Seongnam Church in 1973, separation of Dandae-dong Church and renaming to Sujin-dong Church from 1976 to 1977, dedication in 1978, activities.
   https://seongnam.grandculture.net/seongnam/toc/GC00101359