Wondang Church

Overview

Wondang Church is a church in the Wondang area of Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Diocese of Uijeongbu. It was founded as the Wondang Catholic mission chapel under Ilsan Parish on January 19, 1986, was raised to a parish on August 22, 1988, and Archbishop Jeong Jin-seok celebrated the dedication and blessing of the new church building on November 4, 2001. The parish patron is the Holy Family.

History

〔Establishment of the mission chapel and elevation to parish〕 According to the introduction on Wondang Church’s website, to minister to the Wondang area whose population grew rapidly in the 1980 decade, the Wondang Catholic mission chapel was established under Ilsan Church on January 19, 1986 and was elevated to a parish on August 22, 1988, and in the same year Father O Gi-o (John Chrysostom) took office as the first parish priest on September 9. The church-history chronology records January 19, 1986 “establishment of the Wondang Catholic mission chapel under Ilsan Parish (first Mass celebrated by Cardinal Kim Su-hwan)”, October 13, 1987 “purchase of the present church site and relocation of the mission chapel (683 pyeong)”, and September 9, 1988 “establishment of Wondang Church and appointment of the first parish priest.” The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea directory lists the establishment date as September 9, 1988.

〔Early activities〕 According to the chronology, on February 25, 1989 2 sisters of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus took up their posts, and on May 17, 1990 additional land at 506-1 Seongsadong (175 pyeong) was purchased. Father Yun Jae-han (Boniface) took office as the 2 parish priest on September 20, 1995, and Hwajeong-dong Church was separated on October 16, 1996.

〔New church building〕 The chronology records that construction of the new church building began on March 15, 2000 and that the dedication and blessing of the new church building was celebrated by Archbishop Jeong Jin-seok on November 4, 2001. The website introduction says that the church building completed and dedicated in 2001 received the Korea Architecture Award of that time for its outstanding artistry.

〔After the 2000 decade〕 The chronology records the appointments of Father Gang Seok (Stephen) as the 3 parish priest on March 5, 2002, Father Yang Hyeong-seok (Luke) as the 4 parish priest on October 1, 2004, Father Ji Jeong-tae (John Bosco) as the 5 parish priest with Father Lee Beom-ju (John the Apostle) as associate pastor for joint ministry on August 30, 2007, Father Lee Beom-ju (John the Apostle) as the 6 parish priest on August 27, 2009, Father Go Min-su (Luke) as the 7 parish priest on September 6, 2011, Father Lee Jong-gyeong (Pius) as the 8 parish priest on September 6, 2016, Father Lee Yong-gwon (Andrew) as the 9 parish priest on February 16, 2021, and Father Park Seong-uk (Elijah) as the 10 parish priest on February 18, 2025. It notes that the Jichuk Catholic mission chapel was established and its first Mass was celebrated on November 9, 2008 (Jichuk-dong 766-160), and that St. John Church in Jichuk-dong was separated on September 14, 2010.

〔Patron〕 The “Church Patron” introduction on the website explains that the patron of Wondang Church is the “Holy Family,” referring to the holy family of Nazareth consisting of Jesus, his mother Mary, and his foster father Joseph. It notes that in 1893, Pope Leo 13 dedicated all families to the Holy Family, Pope Benedict 15 instituted the Feast of the Holy Family on October 26, 1921, and that since 1969 it has been observed on the first Sunday after Christmas, the Solemnity of the Lord’s Nativity (if there is no Sunday, December 30). It says that the first parish priest, Father O Gi-o, who valued family ministry, designated the parish patron as the “Holy Family,” and that the 2 parish priest, Father Yun Jae-han (Boniface), finalized the Holy Family emblem on July 20, 1997 and has used it as the parish logo.

〔Church statistics and successive priests〕 The website introduction states that as of September 2019, the Wondang area had a population of 50,688, 4,385 registered parishioners, and 7 weekend Sunday Masses. The “Past Parish Priests and Religious” page lists the 1 O Gi-o (John Chrysostom) (1988.9.9~1995.9.20), the 2 Yun Jae-han (Boniface) (1995.9.20~2002.3.5), the 3 Gang Seok (Stephen) (2002.3.5~2004.10.1), the 4 Yang Hyeon-seok (Luke) (2004.10.1~2007.8.30), the 5 Ji Jeong-tae (John Bosco) (2007.8.30~2009.8.27), the 6 Lee Beom-ju (John the Apostle) (2009.8.27~2011.9.6), the 7 Go Min-su (Luke) (2011.9.6~2016.9.6), the 8 Lee Jong-gyeong (Pius) (2016.9.6~2021.2.16), and the 9 Lee Yong-gwon (Andrew) (2021.2.16~2025.2.18), and records 11 assistant parish priests from Anthony Kim Seong-hyeon (2003.12.5~2004.10.1) to Joseph Go Byeong-gwan (2023.2.2~2025.2.18), along with a list of past religious.

Related Places and People

• Ilsan Church: The parish to which the Wondang Catholic mission chapel belonged (Wondang Church website).
• Hwajeong-dong Church: Recorded in the chronology as separated on October 16, 1996 (Wondang Church website).
• St. John Church in Jichuk-dong: The chronology records that the Jichuk Catholic mission chapel was established in 2008 and was separated on September 14, 2010 (Wondang Church website).

References and Sources

1. Wondang Church, Diocese of Uijeongbu website, “Introduction”. Establishment of the Wondang Catholic mission chapel in 1986, elevation to parish in 1988, appointment of the first parish priest, new church building in 2001, number of parishioners.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/wd/default.aspx?mnucd=20001681
2. Wondang Church, Diocese of Uijeongbu website, “Church History”. Chronology for 1986~2025 (establishment of the mission chapel, purchase of land, establishment of the parish, separations, start of construction and dedication of the new church building, appointments of successive parish priests).
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/wd/default.aspx?mnucd=20001682
3. Wondang Church, Diocese of Uijeongbu website, “Church Patron”. The patron Holy Family and the background to finalizing the parish logo.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/wd/default.aspx?mnucd=20001683
4. Wondang Church, Diocese of Uijeongbu website, “Past Parish Priests and Religious”. Terms of successive parish and assistant parish priests and past religious.
   http://sd.uca.or.kr/wd/default.aspx?mnucd=20001763
5. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, list of parishes in the Diocese of Uijeongbu in the Korean Catholic Directory, “Wondang”. Establishment date September 9, 1988.
   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=