Maseok Catholic Church

Overview

Maseok Church is a church in Hwado-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the 1 District of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu. Beginning as the Maseok Catholic mission chapel, it was newly established as a parish on February 24, 1985, and the Digital Namyangju Cultural Encyclopedia describes it as the first church in Namyangju-si to attain parish status. Its patron is Christ the King.

History

According to the Digital Namyangju Cultural Encyclopedia, Maseok Church was originally a Catholic mission chapel belonging to Cheongpyeong Church in the Diocese of Chuncheon, and on March 1, 1976 it was incorporated as a Catholic mission chapel of Guri Church in the Archdiocese of Seoul. The parish homepage church history likewise records that on the same date it was transferred from the Maseok Catholic mission chapel of Cheongpyeong Church to a Catholic mission chapel of Guri Church.

According to the parish homepage, on January 31, 1978 land of 753 pyeong for the Maseok Catholic mission chapel was purchased, on May 18 of the same year a groundbreaking ceremony for new church construction funded by donations from the faithful of Geumho-dong Church was held, and with the completion of the mission chapel church on November 19, Bishop Gyeong Gap-yong celebrated the blessing ceremony. On February 18, 1979 there was a blessing ceremony for the convent. On September 19, 1984 a groundbreaking ceremony for a new rectory was held, and on January 14, 1985 the rectory was blessed.

On February 22, 1985 the Deokso Catholic mission chapel was incorporated into Maseok Parish, and on February 24 the new establishment of the parish as a branch was carried out with 1,288 faithful. On March 7 the first parish priest, Father Thaddeus Lee Sang-jun, took office. On December 10 of the same year the Pyeongnae Catholic mission chapel was established.

Later, several parishes branched off from Maseok Church. The parish homepage records the elevation of the Pyeongnae Catholic mission chapel to a parish on August 22, 1990 (319 households and 837 faithful), the establishment of Changhyeon Church on October 11, 1996 (320 faithful), the establishment of Cheonma Church on February 25, 1999 (440 faithful), and the establishment of Sudong Church on November 19, 2006 (449 faithful). On June 29, 2025 a thanksgiving Mass for the 40 anniversary of Maseok Church and the sacrament of Confirmation were held, presided over by Bishop Benedict Son Hee-song.

Faith Significance and Visiting Context

The parish homepage introduction to the patron saint explains that the Feast of Christ the King is on the last Sunday in November. The cultural encyclopedia evaluates that Maseok Church, through the process of its elevation from a Catholic mission chapel to a parish, shows the growth of Catholic faith activity and regional development in the Namyangju area. It also records that in 2022, the church provided its premises for medical volunteer service by Uijeongbu Saint Mary Hospital of the Catholic University for over 50 foreign workers.

Related Places and People

• Guri Church - the parish of the Archdiocese of Seoul to which the Maseok Catholic mission chapel was incorporated in 1976
• Pyeongnae Church, Changhyeon Church, Cheonma Church, Sudong Church - parishes branched off from Maseok Church
• Father Thaddeus Lee Sang-jun - the first parish priest at the time of the parish establishment in 1985

References and Sources

1. Maseok Church of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, Church History. Confirms the incorporation as a Catholic mission chapel in 1976, the church construction and blessing in 1978, the parish establishment and first parish priest in 1985, the history of parishes later branched off, and the 40 anniversary memorial Mass in 2025.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/maseok/history?mnucd=20001938
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Namyangju Cultural Encyclopedia “Maseok Church”. Confirms the changes of affiliation during the mission-chapel period, the parish establishment and first priest in 1985, the description as the first parish in Namyangju-si, and the provision of premises for medical volunteer service in 2022.
   https://www.grandculture.net/namyangju/toc/GC08901018
3. Maseok Church of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, Patron Saint. Confirms that the patron is Christ the King and that the feast day is the last Sunday in November.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/maseok/default.aspx?mnucd=20001939