Hyangdong Catholic Church

Overview

Hyangdong Church is a church of the Catholic Uijeongbu Diocese located at Hyanggi 5-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. On June 6, 2021, it was separated from Hwajeon Village Church, started in a temporary church, broke ground for a new church building on April 2024, and moved into the new church on February 16, 2025. Its mother parish is Hwajeon Village Church.

History

[Division and temporary church] The introduction on the Hyangdong Church website states that Hyangdong Church was separated from Hwajeon Village Church on June 6, 2021 and began the Hyangdong community in a shopping arcade on the 2 floor at Hyanggi 5-ro 84, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, as its temporary church. The parish information on the same page lists the name as Hyangdong Church of the Catholic Uijeongbu Diocese, the mother parish as Hwajeon Village Church, and the establishment date as 2021.02.04. The Korean Bishops’ Conference directory also lists the establishment date as 2021.02.04. The church history records that Father Damiano Park Myeong-gi took office as the 1 parish priest on February 4, 2021, and that after separation from Hwajeon Village Church on June 6, 2021, the first Mass was offered in the temporary church.

[Construction of the new church building] According to the church history, Bishop Peter Lee Ki-heon celebrated a community prayer Mass for the new church building on April 17, 2024, and construction of the new church began on April 20 (address: Hyanggi 5-ro 88, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do). Bishop Benedict Son Hee-song visited the new construction site on October 6. The new church building was completed on January 6, 2025, a Mass for entering the main sanctuary was offered on February 16, and the move from the temporary rectory to the new rectory took place on February 25. The introduction page states that Hyangdong Parish in its present location broke ground on April 2024, was completed in the same year on December, received approval for use on January 2025, and moved into the new church on February 16, 2025.

[Parish priests and pastoral council] The church history records the taking of office of Father Damiano Park Myeong-gi as the 1 parish priest on February 4, 2021 and the taking of office of Father Andrea Lee Yong-ho as the 2 parish priest on February 5, 2026, and states that the 1 pastoral council members were appointed on June 28, 2026 (chairman Isidore Kim Jeong-ung). The clergy/religious page lists the term of Father Damiano Park Myeong-gi as the 1 parish priest as 2021.02.16~2026.02.20 and the taking of office of the current parish priest Father Andrea Lee Yong-ho as 2026-02-20, which differs from the dates in the chronology. The biographies record that Father Park Myeong-gi was ordained a priest on July 16, 1993 and Father Lee Yong-ho on January 30, 2019.

[Current status] The introduction page lists the jurisdiction as Hyanggi-ro, Hyangdong-ro and Kkonnaeum-gil, and the district organization as 1 districts, 7 zones and 15 small groups, and records, as of September 30, 2026, 503 households and 1,152 faithful.

Related places and people

• Hwajeon Village Church: It is the mother parish of Hyangdong Church. Hyangdong Church was separated from this parish on June 6, 2021 (Hyangdong Church website).

References and sources

1. Hyangdong Church website of the Catholic Uijeongbu Diocese, "Introduction". Separation on June 6, 2021, temporary church, entry into the new church on February 16, 2025, mother parish, establishment date, jurisdiction and statistics.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/hd/default.aspx?mnucd=20003844
2. Hyangdong Church website of the Catholic Uijeongbu Diocese, "Church History". Taking of office of the first and 2 parish priests, first Mass in the temporary church, groundbreaking, completion and entry of the new church, pastoral council.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/hd/default.aspx?mnucd=20003845
3. Hyangdong Church website of the Catholic Uijeongbu Diocese, "Clergy/Religious". Biographies of Father Damiano Park Myeong-gi as the 1 parish priest and the current Father Andrea Lee Yong-ho.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/hd/default.aspx?mnucd=20003847
4. Korean Bishops’ Conference, Korean Catholic Directory, Uijeongbu Diocese parish list "Hyangdong". Establishment date February 4, 2021.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/SearchList.aspx?cgubn=g&char=all&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000020&paged=100&sort=0&start=1&tbxSearch=