Yangpyeong Church

Overview

Yangpyeong church is a church in Yangpyeong-eup, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Suwon Diocese. It was established in 1943 when Father O Yeonhui of Yongmun parish moved to Yangpyeong, and its patron saint is St. Jeong Hasang Paul.

History

[Catholic villages and mission chapels in the Yangpyeong area] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, a faith community was formed in this area when believers who had migrated to escape persecution established Catholic villages in Dogok-ri, Yangpyeong-eup and Munho-ri, Seojong-myeon after 1880. The Neungmal Catholic mission chapel and the Muneomi Catholic mission chapel were later established in these Catholic villages; the two mission chapels were under the jurisdiction of Pungsuwon parish, then transferred to Wonju (now Wondong) parish in 1896, and came under the jurisdiction of Yongmun parish when Yongmun parish was established in 1908.

[Parish establishment] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in 1943 Father O Yeonhui, the 7 pastor of Yongmun parish, purchased two thatched houses in Yangpyeong-myeon (the site of the present church) and moved here from Yongmun, thereby establishing Yangpyeong parish, while Yongmun parish was demoted to a mission chapel because no priest was assigned. The establishment date in the Korean Catholic Directory is January 1, 1943. After the first pastor O Yeonhui, the 2 Lee Wanseong and the 3 Im Hwagil served, followed by Father Lee Gyejung as the 4 pastor, but the following year the Korean War broke out and he fled to Daegu, leaving Yangpyeong parish vacant.

[Postwar rebuilding] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in December 1952 Father Kim Jeongjin took office as the 5 pastor, residing in a believer's house, celebrating Mass and gathering the scattered believers. At the same time, he began work to build a church to replace the one burned down in the flames of war, and in March of the following year newly built a temporary church and rectory. After the armistice, the number of believers approached 1,100, making the temporary church too small, so in 1954 a church with a scale of 85 pyeong was newly built, and on November 16 the dedication ceremony was held with Bishop Noh Ginam (Paul) officiating. In October 1955, a hall was newly built at the Yongmun mission chapel. The Yongmun mission chapel was restored as a parish in April 1958 when Father Kim Yeonggeun (Peter) took office, then became a mission chapel of Yangpyeong parish again in June 1964 when Father Kim Yeonggeun moved to Hauhyeon parish for rest.

[After the 1960s] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in May 1965, when Father Kang Hyeonhong, the 6 pastor, was in office, the “Queen of Heaven” Praesidium was organized. Father Song Byeongsu, the 10 pastor, newly built the rectory. On September 5, 1980, a fire caused by an electrical short circuit completely destroyed the church, so Mass was offered at the rectory, and in June of the following year the present church was completed. In the same month, halls were newly built at the Yangsu mission chapel and the Goksu mission chapel, and in 1981 a branch of the Seongga Sobi Sisters was established. Father Choe Chungyeol, the 11 pastor, built a tennis court inside the church grounds and devoted himself to local evangelization. Father Hwang Seongi, the 13 pastor, completed an education hall in June 1992, and in December 1996, when Father Kim Seongbae, the 14 pastor, was in office, the Munho mission chapel hall was completed and blessed. Father Kim Yeongjang, who took office as the 15 pastor in August 1998, newly built the Goksu mission chapel hall and conducted a 100-week Bible course, devoting himself to the re-education of believers, as the encyclopedia notes.

[Jurisdiction and church statistics] The jurisdiction recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia covers Gaegun-myeon, Gangsang-myeon, Okcheon-myeon, Yangseo-myeon, Seojong-myeon, all of Yanggeun-ri in Yangpyeong-eup, and parts of Jije-myeon and Gangha-myeon, with 3 mission chapels under its jurisdiction, including the Yangsu, Munho, and Goksu mission chapels. Church membership was 1,131 in 1964, 924 in 1970, 974 in 1976, 1,445 in 1982, 1,931 in 1988, 2,453 in 1992, and 4,036 in 1999. The Korean Catholic Directory lists 3,606 believers, 1 mission chapels, the Seongga Sobi Sisters convent, and affiliation with the Hanam-Yangpyeong District of the 2 Vicariate.

[Successive pastors] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the first O Yeonhui Matthias (1943–1947.9), the 2 Lee Wanseong John (1947.9–1948.2), the 3 Im Hwagil Andrea (1948.2–1949.9), the 4 Lee Gyejung John (1949.9–1950.6), the 5 Kim Jeongjin Paul (1952.12–1957.3), the 6 Kang Hyeonhong John (1957.3–1969.12), the 7 Lee Junghyeon John (1969.12–1973.6), the 8 Kim Yeongok Gabriel (1973.6–1975.4), the 9 Jeong Juseong Joseph (1975.4–1979.1), the 10 Song Byeongsu Simon (1979.1–1983.2), the 11 Choe Chungyeol Matthew (1983.2–1985.7), the 12 Seo Jongmin Paul (1985.7–1989.10), the 13 Hwang Seongi Matthias (1989.10–1993.2), the 14 Kim Seongbae Joseph (1993.2–1998.8), and the 15 Kim Yeongjang Benedict (1998.8–) took office.

Architecture and Space

According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Yangpyeong parish settled by purchasing two thatched houses in Yangpyeong-myeon (the site of the present church) in 1943, built a temporary church and rectory in March 1953 to replace the church burned down during the Korean War, and newly built a church with a scale of 85 pyeong in 1954, dedicating it on November 16. After the church was completely destroyed by fire on September 5, 1980, the present church was completed in June 1981. The Catholic Newspaper (2023) writes that a statue of St. Jeong Hasang (Paul) stands in the churchyard.

Related Places and People

• St. Jeong Hasang Paul: He is the patron saint of the parish. The Catholic Newspaper (2023) writes that Jeong Hasang was born in the Yanggeun area, that his father, Blessed Jeong Yakjong (Augustine), left relatives who forced ancestral rites and moved with his family to Bunwon in Yanggeun, and that Yanggeun is where Jo Dongseom (Justino), who taught catechism to Jeong Hasang, lived and made retreats. Yanggeun-gun and Jipyeong-gun were merged to form present-day Yangpyeong-gun. The same article writes that Jeong Hasang was imprisoned with his mother, St. Yu Cecilia, during the Sinyu Persecution in 1801 and then released, visited China 16 times from 1816 to 1835 to request the dispatch of clergy, and that these efforts led to the establishment of the Joseon Vicariate in 1831.
• Yongmun parish: After Yangpyeong parish was established, it was demoted to a mission chapel, restored as a parish in 1958, and became a mission chapel of Yangpyeong parish again in 1964 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Yangsu, Munho, and Goksu mission chapels: The mission chapels of Yangpyeong parish as recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia. It records that the Yangsu and Goksu mission chapel halls were newly built in June 1981, the Munho mission chapel hall was completed in December 1996, and the Goksu mission chapel hall was newly built after 1998.

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Yangpyeong Parish.” Changes in jurisdiction of Catholic villages and mission chapels, parish establishment in 1943, church dedication in 1954, fire in 1980 and church completion in 1981, jurisdiction, church statistics, successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4302
2. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Yangpyeong” (mobile). Affiliated with the Hanam-Yangpyeong District of the 2 Vicariate of the Suwon Diocese, established on January 1, 1943, patron saint St. Jeong Hasang Paul, religious community, numbers of believers and mission chapels.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/m/catholicInfo.asp?code=201000570&gubun=4
3. Catholic Newspaper, “[Korean Church History Encountered in the Diocese] (12) Yangpyeong Church: Establishment of the Joseon Vicariate” (2023-11-19, No. 3368). Statue of Jeong Hasang in the churchyard, Jeong Hasang's ties to the Yanggeun area, the process of establishing the Joseon Vicariate.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/202311140220032