Geumchon Catholic Church

Overview

Geumchon Church is a parish in District 8 of the Uijeongbu Diocese, located in Geumchon-dong, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Its patron is St. Paul. Beginning as a Catholic mission chapel belonging to Ilsan Parish and later under the jurisdiction of Munsan Parish, it was elevated to a parish in 1978, and when the Uijeongbu Diocese was separated from the Archdiocese of Seoul on June 24, 2004, it came to belong to the Uijeongbu Diocese. The parish establishment date is given as on September 7, 1978 on the parish homepage and in the directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, and as on August 18, 1978 in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia.

History

According to the Geumchon Parish entry in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in March 1955 about 30 faithful living in Geumchon started the Geumchon mission chapel belonging to Ilsan Parish. In October 1960, with the support of Fr. Yang Gi-seop (Peter) of Ilsan Parish, they purchased a wooden building (42.97㎡) at 74 Geumchon-ri and used it as a chapel. In order to build a church, additional land was purchased in May 1972, in August of the following year, and in April 1974, but the church construction was not realized.

The two entries in the encyclopedia give different accounts of when the Geumchon mission chapel came under the jurisdiction of Munsan Parish. The Geumchon Parish entry states that it came under Munsan Parish from April 1976, while the Munsan Parish entry states that in May 1974 the Geumchon and Wadong mission chapels under Ilsan Parish were incorporated into Munsan Parish. According to the Geumchon Parish entry, in April 1977 436 pyeong at the present location was purchased from the diocese, and from October of the same year, with 4,400 ten thousand won in donations from the faithful of Donam-dong Parish, construction of a new church (1,441.32㎡) and rectory (128.26㎡) began and was completed in June of the following year.

From July 1978, Fr. Im Sang-mu (Benedict), chaplain of the Army's 9 Division, temporarily took charge of the mission chapel ministry, and in August, with its elevation to a parish, it produced its first baptized person. The encyclopedia states that Geumchon Parish was separated and established from Munsan Parish on August 18, 1978, and the Munsan Parish entry likewise states that on the same day the Geumchon mission chapel was separated as the first child parish of Munsan Parish. The parish homepage states that it was elevated to Geumchon Parish of the Archdiocese of Seoul on September 7, 1978, and the establishment date in the directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea is also September 7, 1978.

In November 1985, land of 165.29㎡ and a ground building of 67.73㎡ were purchased, and in February of the following year it was remodeled into a convent and a branch of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established. In December 1992, remodeling of the old church began into a new church and education hall on a site of 508 pyeong with a total floor area of 271 pyeong, and the dedication ceremony was held in October 1993. On June 24, 2004, with the separation of the Uijeongbu Diocese from the Archdiocese of Seoul, Geumchon Church came to belong to the Uijeongbu Diocese.

The church membership recorded in the encyclopedia is in 1978 302 persons, in 1984 985 persons, in 1988 1,465 persons, and in 1993 1,952 persons. The successive pastors recorded in the same entry are the first Kim Dae-seong (Paul, September 1978–January 1981), the 2 Kim Sang-gyun (John, January 1981–August 1984), the 3 Hong In-sik (Matthias, August 1984–February 1987), the 4 Kim Yun-tae (John, February 1987–February 1990), the 5 Song Myeong-eun (Joseph, February 1990–October 1992), and the 6 Choe Won-il (Michael, October 1992–at the time of compilation). The jurisdiction at the time of compilation was Geumchon-eup, Tanhyeon-myeon, Gyoha-myeon, Jori-myeon and Wollong-myeon in Paju-gun.

Architecture and Space

During the mission chapel period, from October 1977 to June 1978 a church (1,441.32㎡) and a rectory (128.26㎡) were built, and in February 1986 a purchased building was remodeled and used as a convent. From December 1992 the old church was remodeled into a new church and education hall with a site of 508 pyeong and a total floor area of 271 pyeong, dedicated in October 1993. The parish homepage states that it now uses buildings such as the parish, education hall, rectory, convent and Paul Hall on a site of 625 pyeong.

Significance for Faith and Context for Visiting

The parish homepage introduces the patron St. Paul as the teacher of the Church and a pioneer of mission to the Gentiles, describing him as the most outstanding Christian writer who contributed to the universality of the Church of Christ and established stages of progress in the Church's system. The directory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea lists, together with the parish, the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

According to the parish homepage, Geumchon Church belongs to District 8 of the Uijeongbu Diocese, and neighbors the churches of Geumchon 2-dong, Bongilcheon, Munsan, Beobwon-ri, Jeokseong, Gwangtan, Unjeong, Yadang Clear Pond, Gyoha, the Church of Repentance and Atonement, Mokdong-dong, Galgok-ri and Dangha-dong in the same district.

Related Places and People

• Munsan Church: the mother parish that supervised the Geumchon mission chapel and separated Geumchon Parish as its first child parish in 1978
• Ilsan Church (Ilsan Parish): the parish to which the Geumchon mission chapel belonged when it started in 1955
• Donam-dong Church (Donam-dong Parish): helped build a new church and rectory in 1977–1978 with 4,400 ten thousand won in donations from its faithful
• Fr. Yang Gi-seop (Peter): supported the purchase of the chapel building for the Geumchon mission chapel in 1960 during the Ilsan Parish period
• Fr. Im Sang-mu (Benedict): chaplain of the Army's 9 Division who temporarily took charge of the mission chapel ministry from July 1978
• Fr. Kim Dae-seong (Paul): the first pastor who took office in September 1978

References and Sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia ‘Geumchon Parish’. Confirmation of the start of the mission chapel in 1955, purchase of the chapel, purchase of land, jurisdiction of Munsan Parish (April 1976), new construction of church and rectory, separation and establishment on August 18, 1978, establishment of convent, dedication of new church in 1993, church membership, successive priests, and jurisdiction at the time of compilation.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/802
2. Korean Church History Research Institute, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia ‘Munsan Parish’. Confirmation that the Geumchon and Wadong mission chapels were incorporated in May 1974 and that the Geumchon mission chapel was separated as the first child parish on August 18, 1978.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2143
3. Geumchon Church of the Uijeongbu Diocese, Introduction (Our Parish). Confirmation of elevation to Geumchon Parish of the Archdiocese of Seoul on September 7, 1978, buildings on a site of 625 pyeong, separation of the Uijeongbu Diocese on June 24, 2004, introduction of patron St. Paul, and neighboring churches in District 8.
   https://sd.uca.or.kr/kcpaul/default.aspx?mnucd=20003611
4. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory (Geumchon Parish). Confirmation of belonging to District 8 of the Uijeongbu Diocese, establishment date September 7, 1978, patron St. Paul, and Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000265&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000020