Beobwonri Church

Overview

Beobwon-ri Church is a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu located in Beobwon-eup, Paju, Gyeonggi-do. It began in 1958 as the Beobwon-ri Catholic mission chapel under Uijeongbu Church and was separated and erected as a parish on July 4, 1963, with Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon as its patron. Its jurisdiction covers Beobwon-eup and Paju-eup.

History

According to the church history on the parish website, the Beobwon-ri Catholic mission chapel of Uijeongbu Church was established on January 1, 1958, during the ministry of Father John Yi Gye-gwang, and the site for the present parish and kindergarten was purchased on June 1, 1959. Construction of the church began on June 3, 1962, and with its completion the church was elevated to a parish on July 4, 1963 (officiated by Archbishop Noh Gi-nam). The first pastor was Father Ambrose Kim Byeong-gi. The directory of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea also lists July 4, 1963 as the date of establishment.

On April 1, 1966, the parish-affiliated Sohwa Kindergarten opened, and in 1967 additional church land was purchased. The new construction of the present main church building was completed on September 4, 1989. On June 24, 2004, when the Diocese of Uijeongbu was separated from the Archdiocese of Seoul and newly established, the parish came to belong to the Diocese of Uijeongbu.

On September 8, 2009, Gwangtan Church separated from Beobwon-ri Parish. In 2013, the main church building was rebuilt from April to November and completed, and on October 20 of the same year the 50th anniversary Mass for the founding of the church was celebrated with Diocesan Bishop Yi Ki-heon presiding. On September 4, 2018, the Galgok-ri mission chapel was elevated to a quasi-parish and separated.

Faith Significance and Visiting Context

According to the parish introduction, Beobwon-ri Parish was erected with Uijeongbu-dong Parish as its mother parish, and it is a parish with a long history, counted among the first five parishes founded in the Diocese of Uijeongbu. The mission chapels it administered were Galgok-ri Chapel and Junae Chapel, and after Galgok-ri Chapel was elevated to a parish, it administers only Junae Chapel. The affiliated Sohwa Kindergarten is located within the parish.

Related Places and People

• Uijeongbu Church (Uijeongbu Cathedral): mother parish of Beobwon-ri Parish
• Galgok-ri Church (Galgok-ri mission chapel): quasi-parish separated from Beobwon-ri Parish in 2018
• Gwangtan Church: parish separated from Beobwon-ri Parish in 2009
• Junae mission chapel: mission chapel currently administered by Beobwon-ri Parish

References and Sources

1. Beobwon-ri Church, Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, Church Introduction and Church History. Confirms the chronology including the establishment of the mission chapel in 1958, elevation to parish on July 4, 1963, completion of the present main church building in 1989, separation of Gwangtan in 2009, reconstruction in 2013, and elevation of Galgok-ri to quasi-parish in 2018, as well as jurisdiction, mission chapels, and patron saint.
   https://sd.uca.or.kr/bw1963/default.aspx?mnucd=20001596
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Directory of the Catholic Church in Korea (parish search ‘Beobwon-ri’). Confirms July 4, 1963 as the establishment date of Beobwon-ri Parish in the Diocese of Uijeongbu.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/SearchList.aspx