Dongducheon Catholic Church

Overview

Dongducheon Church is a parish in Dongducheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the 4 district of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu. Its patron is Saint John the Baptist. It was established when the Dongducheon Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of the Uijeongbu parish was separated as a parish in 1959, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea address book records that it was established on February 24, 1959. The present church building was begun in 1987 and dedicated on October 18, 1992, and in 2007 a church building was dedicated in the Songnae area, and Songnae-dong Church started through the cooperation of the priests and faithful of Dongducheon Church.

History

According to the Deokjeong-ri parish entry in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Deokjeong-ri parish founded in 1930 in Deokjeong-ri, Idam-myeon, Yangju-gun, Gyeonggi-do governed 5 counties south of the Imjin River, including Yeoncheon, Gapyeong, Pocheon, Paju and Yangju counties, and maintained Catholic mission chapels in Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Sinam-ri and other places. In 1946 the parish moved to Uijeongbu and its name was changed to Uijeongbu Parish.

The Dongducheon Catholic mission chapel was separated from Uijeongbu Parish and became a parish. The Uijeongbu 2-dong Parish entry in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that by the end of 1955 the number of faithful of Uijeongbu Parish had reached more than 1,000 and that the Dongducheon Catholic mission chapel was separated in February 1959. The church history of Cathedral Uijeongbu Church records that on June 1, 1959 the Dongducheon Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish and separated, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea address book records the date of establishment of Dongducheon Parish as February 24, 1959.

According to the parish introduction on the parish website, the site for the establishment of the parish was purchased in 1956 and construction of the parish church was begun in 1958. In March 1960 the first pastor, Father Lee Yong-seon (Peter), took office and concentrated his pastoral care on completing the construction, and the church was completed on September 30, 1961 and on October 28 of the same year was blessed and dedicated in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Noh Gi-nam of the Archdiocese of Seoul.

In August 1964 the 2th pastor, Father Kim Hui-seon (Joseph), began construction of a Marian garden in the form of the Lourdes grotto of Our Lady with vehicle support from a nearby military unit. Under Father Baek Il-seong (Dominic), the 3th pastor who took office in 1965, the construction was continued together with the faithful, and in November 1966 the Marian garden was blessed in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Noh Gi-nam. Afterwards, during the terms of the 4th pastor Father Kim Seung-hun (Matthias), the 5th pastor Father Lee Chang-suk (Gregory), the 6th pastor Father Han Hui-dong (Gregory), and the 7th pastor Father An Sang-in (Joseph), pastoral activities continued, including the spiritual renewal of the faithful and the establishment of various service and devotional groups.

Father Han Jeong-gwan (Paul), the 8th pastor who took office in 1973, partially repaired the old parish building. The site purchased in 1956 for the establishment of the parish had not been registered because of frequent transfers of pastors, and the certificate of registration rights was obtained on May 10, 1975. Father Im Deok-il (Amatus), the 9th pastor who took office in 1976, revitalized devotional groups and introduced the Legion of Mary to the parish for the first time, establishing the Queen of Peace Praesidium on December 2, 1978.

Father Jeong Mu-ung (Emmanuel), the 10th pastor who took office on December 31, 1979, stressed the need to rebuild the deteriorated parish building and launched the “one pyeong per generation” campaign. Father Yeom Su-wan (James), the 11th pastor who took office in September 1982, formed a church-building promotion committee and raised a building fund, purchasing 3 detached houses. Father Lee Jae-ryong (Simon), the 12th pastor who took office in August 1985, left to study abroad immediately after taking office, and Father Lee Cheol-ho (Ambrose), the 13th pastor who took office in March 1986, promoted the construction of the church building in earnest.

On August 30, 1987 the last Mass was celebrated in the old church and the building was demolished, and then a groundbreaking ceremony and groundbreaking Mass for the new church building were held with Bishop Kim Ok-gyun presiding. When the building fund ran short, the pastor and members of parish groups visited other parishes to ask for help and continued the construction by holding repeated charity bazaars. In February 1991 Father Im Byeong-heon (Peter), the 14th pastor, took office, and in February 1992 Father Gu Bon-yeong (Paul), the 15th pastor, took office and carried out finishing work and landscaping. The construction of the church building begun in 1979 under Father Jeong Mu-ung was completed in 13 years and dedicated on October 18, 1992 in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Kim Su-hwan.

Father Kim Chang-su (Martin), the 16th pastor who took office in 1997, promoted evangelization projects and the revitalization of small Christian communities in preparation for the Great Jubilee in 2000. When the entire Dongducheon area was flooded and damaged by torrential rain and typhoons during this period, the parish set up an emergency flood-relief headquarters, providing lodging to flood victims and supplying flood-relief funds and goods. The parish introduction states that, as a result of providing multifaceted support over 2 to victims who suffered severe typhoon damage, the Dongducheon Catholic Church came to be loved by local citizens, and many people entered the catechumenate as prospective faithful and received baptism.

Father Kim Seok-won (Patrizio), the 17th pastor who took office in March 2002, carried out the expansion of barrier-free facilities for the disabled and the elderly and of the basement catechism classrooms, which the previous pastor had been promoting. Construction began in July 2002 and was finished in about 9 months, and in March 2003 a blessing ceremony was held presided over by Monsignor Kim Byeong-do.

When the Diocese of Uijeongbu was newly established from the Archdiocese of Seoul in July 2004, Father Lee Seong-man (Thomas), the 18th pastor, Father Lee Seok-jae (Paul), the first pastor of the planned Songnae Church, and Father Jeong Won-sik (Joseph), the associate pastor, took office together. Since the tenure of Father Kim Seok-won, the need to divide off a parish in the Songnae area had been recognized because of the growth of the church, and the division plan had been advanced, including the purchase of a site; however, the pastor and the faithful agreed together that the time had not yet come and reported this to the diocese, and from November 24, 2005 the division of Songnae Church was temporarily put on hold and Dongducheon Church and Songnae Church were placed under integrated pastoral care. Accordingly, Father Lee Seok-jae became the 19th pastor of Dongducheon Church, and Father Lee Seong-man concentrated on pastoral work as dean of the 4 district of the Diocese of Uijeongbu.

After grading work on the Songnae Church site in 2006, a groundbreaking Mass was celebrated on March 31, 2007. About 7 months after the start of construction, an 5-story building was completed and dedicated on October 21, 2007 in a ceremony presided over by the diocesan bishop, and the parish introduction states that thereby one parish came to have church buildings in two areas. The Songnae-dong Church website introduces that Songnae-dong Church started through the cooperation of the priests and faithful of Dongducheon Church.

Architecture and Space

The first church was begun in 1958 and completed on September 30, 1961, and was blessed and dedicated on October 28 of the same year. The Marian garden of the parish was created in the form of the Lourdes grotto of Our Lady and blessed in November 1966. The present church building was begun on August 30, 1987 after the old church was demolished, and dedicated on October 18, 1992; from July 2002 barrier-free facilities for the disabled and the elderly and basement catechism classrooms were added over about 9 months and blessed in March 2003.

The Songnae Church building, dedicated on October 21, 2007, is an 5-story building on a site of 9,865.5 square meters, with a building area of 473.02 square meters and a total floor area of 1,443.22 square meters.

Religious Meaning and Visiting Context

Concerning Saint John the Baptist, the patron of the parish, the parish website introduces him as the last prophet who proclaimed the coming of Christ and presided at the baptism of Jesus, explaining that he was called “the Baptist” because he baptized people in the Jordan River. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea address book lists, together with the parish, the Inbo Sisters of the Holy Eucharist.

Related Places and People

• Cathedral Uijeongbu Church (former Uijeongbu Parish, Uijeongbu 2-dong Parish): the mother parish from which the Dongducheon Catholic mission chapel was separated
• Deokjeong-ri Parish: the predecessor of Uijeongbu Parish, founded in 1930, which maintained Catholic mission chapels in Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Sinam-ri and other places
• Songnae-dong Church: a parish that started through the cooperation of the priests and faithful of Dongducheon Church. The Dongducheon Church parish introduction records the suspended division of Songnae Church in 2005 and the dedication of Songnae Church in 2007
• Archbishop Noh Gi-nam: blessed the first church in 1961 and the Marian garden in 1966
• Cardinal Kim Su-hwan: dedicated the present church building on October 18, 1992
• Father Lee Yong-seon (Peter): the first pastor who took office in March 1960

References and Sources

1. Dongducheon Church of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu (parish website), Parish Introduction. Confirmation of the purchase of the Catholic mission chapel site, the construction and dedication of the first church, pastoral work by successive pastors, the Marian garden, the construction and dedication of the present church building, flood-relief service, the expansion of barrier-free facilities, the suspended division and integrated pastoral care of Songnae Church, and the dedication and size of Songnae Church.
   https://m.cafe.daum.net/catholictdc/SNVn/5
2. Dongducheon Church of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu (parish website), Patron Saint. Confirmation of the introduction to Saint John the Baptist, the patron.
   https://m.cafe.daum.net/catholictdc/SNVn/6
3. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Catholic Address Book in Korea (Dongducheon Parish). Confirmation of belonging to the 4 district of the Diocese of Uijeongbu, establishment date of February 24, 1959, patron Saint John the Baptist, and the Inbo Sisters of the Holy Eucharist.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000273&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000020
4. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia ‘Uijeongbu 2-dong Parish’. Confirmation of the number of faithful of more than 1,000 by the end of 1955 and the separation of the Dongducheon Catholic mission chapel in February 1959.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4994
5. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia ‘Deokjeong-ri Parish’. Confirmation of the founding of Deokjeong-ri Parish in 1930, jurisdiction over 5 counties and Catholic mission chapels in Uijeongbu, Dongducheon and Sinam-ri, and the move to Uijeongbu and renaming in 1946.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1342
6. Cathedral Uijeongbu Church of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, Church History. Confirmation of the record that on June 1, 1959 the Dongducheon Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish and separated.
   https://sd.uca.or.kr/template1/history?mnucd=20001224
7. Songnae-dong Church of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, Introduction. Confirmation of the introduction that Songnae-dong Church started through the cooperation of the priests and faithful of Dongducheon Church.
   https://sd.uca.or.kr/dsndc/default.aspx?mnucd=20003238