Danggu-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Dangu-dong Church is a church in Dangu-dong, Wonju, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, belonging to the Diocese of Wonju. It was established on December 5, 1960, separated from the Wondong parish in Wonju, and its patron is St. John the Apostle. Father James Duggan of the Columban Missionaries took office as the first parish priest, and Columban priests served the parish in 1960~1965 and 1971~1983.

History

[Parish establishment] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea, the Dangu-dong parish was separated and established from the Wondong parish in Wonju on December 5, 1960, and construction of the church and rectory began in April 1960 and was completed and blessed in December of that year. The parish history on the Dangu-dong Church website states that construction of the church began in April 1960, the parish was established on December 5, Father James Duggan took office, the church was 122 pyeong and the rectory was 33 pyeong, and the dedication ceremony was held on December 27. The website lists the jurisdiction at the time of establishment as Gaeun-dong, part of Myeongnyun-dong, part of Bongsan-dong, Bangok-dong, Dangu-dong, Gwanseol-dong, Panbu-myeon, and Maeji-ri in Heungeop-myeon. The website chronology then marks 1960~1965 and 1971~1983 as the period of pastoral care by Columban priests.

[The 1960s] According to the encyclopedia, in 1963 a branch of the Inbo Sisters of the Holy Eucharist was established, and an auditorium of 58 pyeong and a warehouse of 26 pyeong were completed. The website states that in October 1963 the 2 Father Thomas Comerford took office and newly built a convent of 23 pyeong, an auditorium of 58 pyeong, and a warehouse of 26 pyeong. On March 22, 1965, with the establishment of the Diocese of Wonju, the parish affiliation changed from the Diocese of Chuncheon to the Diocese of Wonju. In the same year, the 3 Father Bartholomew Choi Chang-gyu on May 30, the 4 Father Athanasius Choi Dong-o on October 20, 1966, and the 5 Father Francis Lee Yeong-seop on October 30, 1968 took office, in September 1967 the choir (now the Marian Association) was founded, and on March 1, 1969 the paid secretary John Jang Byeong-ok was appointed (website).

[The 1970s] According to the website, in 1970 Father Mark Lee Heung-geun took office as the first assistant priest, on April 23, 1971 the 6 Father An Robelto, and on September 17 the 7 Father Ernest Seol took office. In January 1972 the inaugural meeting of the parish youth group was held and Hong Myeong-su was elected president, and on February 5, 1974 the 9 Father James In and on August 13 the 10 Father Heo Bangjigeo took office. On December 7, 1976, Patricio Jeong In-jun from the parish was ordained a priest. On March 30, 1978 the 11 Father Gabino Min took office, and on September 27, 1979 the parishioners themselves completed the cement paving of the church yard. The encyclopedia states that on October 10, 1972 an auditorium of 12 pyeong was newly built for the Maeji-ri Catholic mission chapel but was lost in a flood in May 1983.

[The 1980s] According to the website, on February 9, 1981 the 12 priest took office, on October 15, 1982 parish native Francis Park Sun-sin was ordained in Austria, and on December 15 parish native Simon Shin Hyeon-man was ordained a priest. On May 25, 1983 the 13 Father Anthony Shin Hyeon-bong took office, and the website marks this 1983 entry as the beginning of pastoral care by priests of the Diocese of Wonju. On May 5, 1984 parish native Andrew Kim Chang-su was ordained a priest. In 1985, on April 28 a mothers’ association supporting the Sunday school was formed and on May 18 a women’s choir (23 participants) was formed, in September the education hall and convent were completed, and on December 27 the 25 anniversary of the parish establishment was celebrated (memorial Mass, singing contest, and others). The encyclopedia states that in June 1985 the old convent was demolished and construction of an education hall, a new convent, a basement and others began and was completed in September of that year.

On September 30, 1987 the 14 Father Mark Lee Heung-geun took office. On April 8, 1988 the first Acies ceremony of the Legion of Mary was held, on June 13 the old auditorium was demolished and construction of a new rectory began, on June 30 the old convent was demolished and an office of 15 pyeong was newly built, and on October 23 the newly built rectory (48 pyeong according to the encyclopedia) was blessed by the bishop. On July 10, 1989 the sacristy was expanded by 10 pyeong and the structure of the church altar was changed (website).

[The 1990s] According to the website, on June 11, 1990 the Seongu Association (now the Peter Association) was organized, on January 30, 1991 the 15 Father Patricio Jeong In-jun took office, and on December 25 of the same year the rebuilding of the statue of Mary and natural-stone landscaping were completed and blessed by the bishop. On January 29, 1992 Andrew Jeong Seong-man was elected president at the inaugural meeting of the Andrew Association, and on June 28 the parish monthly “Our Parish Bulletin” was first published. In June 1993 the church site and 3 private houses were purchased, on February 2, 1994 parish natives Peter Lee U-gap and Benedict Kim Tae-jin were ordained priests, and on October 30 the expansion of catechetical rooms, a reading room and restrooms of 39 pyeong was completed (the encyclopedia states that from June 1994 an education facility with catechetical rooms and a reading room was being expanded). On January 15, 1995 a library was opened, and on March 8 the 16 Father Peter Gwak Ho-in took office. On February 17, 1998 parish native Gregory Choi Yeong-gyun was ordained a priest, and in the same month the jurisdiction was adjusted with the establishment of the new Gugok church. On February 2, 1999 parish native Peter Han Jang-u was ordained, and in April the Sunday school education hall was completed.

[After 2000] According to the website, on February 11, 2000 the 17 Father Matthias No Se-hyeon took office, and on January 9, 2003 an adult altar-server group was founded. On February 8, 2004 district boundaries were adjusted and organized into 10 districts and 47 communities, and in April a 2 district adjustment was made. On September 28, 2005 the 18 Father Daniel Kim Gi-seong, and on January 27, 2007 the 19 Father Peter Kim Chan-jin took office. On August 12, 2009 the expansion and repair of the church of 170 pyeong was completed and blessed by Bishop Kim Ji-seok, and on October 8, 2010 the 50 anniversary Mass (presided over by the bishop) and celebration were held. In July 2015 a baptismal font was installed in the church lobby, and in August 2016 the jurisdiction was adjusted with the establishment of the new Gwanseol-dong church. On December 7, 2018 parish native Gerald Lee Jin-gyu was ordained a priest, and on November 22, 2020 the 60 anniversary Mass of the parish establishment was offered. The website states that on August 27, 2021 the 24 Father Paul Kim Hyeon-su, and on August 28, 2026 the 25 Father Hugo Choe Jong-gwon took office.

[Jurisdiction and statistics] The jurisdiction recorded in the encyclopedia is Gaeun-dong, Dangu-dong, Gwanseol-dong, Panbu-myeon, and Maeji-ri in Heungeop-myeon in Wonju, and the affiliated Catholic mission chapels are Hurisa and Maeji-ri. The statistics are 1,201 persons in 1960, 1,584 persons in 1965, 1,843 persons in 1970, 2,210 persons in 1974, 1,876 persons in 1978, 2,087 persons in 1983, 2,901 persons in 1988, and 3,427 persons in 1995. The successive priests recorded in the encyclopedia are the founding James Duggan (1960. 12~1963. 10), the 2 Thomas Comerford (1963. 10~1965. 5), the 3 Bartholomew Choi Chang-gyu (1965. 5~1966. 10), the 4 Athanasius Choi Dong-o (1966. 10~1968. 10), the 5 Francis Lee Yeong-seop (1968. 10~1971. 4), the 6 Roberto Brennan (1971. 4~10), the 7 Ernesto Sullivan (1971. 10~1973. 9), the 8 Carlo Ro (1973. 9~1974. 1), the 9 James O’Brien (1974. 1~7), the 10 Francis Holisik (1974. 7~1978. 3), the 11 Gabino Fleming (1978. 3~1981. 2), the 12 Peter Mulvaney (1981. 2~1983. 5), the 13 Anthony Shin Hyeon-bong (1983. 5~1987. 9), the 14 Mark Lee Heung-geun (1987. 9~1991. 1), the 15 Patricio Jeong In-jun (1991. 1~1995. 3), and the 16 Peter Gwak Ho-in (1995. 3~).

According to the encyclopedia, the Dangu-dong parish formed the Apostolic Association (pastoral council) and lay groups from 1971. The lay groups included the Anna Association, the Marian Association, the Don Bosco Association, the Joseph Association, the Peter Association, the Andrew Association, the youth group, the Deres Society, the student association, and 2 curiae and 30 praesidia of the Legion of Mary. As of 1995, the jurisdiction was divided into 40 small communities holding 1 regular meetings each month, and the campaign to double the number of believers continued from the 1980s. The encyclopedia states that after Father Jeong In-jun took office, emphasis was placed on daily Bible reading and Bible courses, lay association activities and strengthening prayer life, and revitalizing small communities.

Related places and people

• Wondong parish in Wonju: the mother parish from which the Dangu-dong parish was separated in December 1960 (Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea).
• Maeji-ri Catholic mission chapel and Hurisa Catholic mission chapel: Catholic mission chapels under the Dangu-dong parish. The Maeji-ri Catholic mission chapel newly built an auditorium in 1972 but it was lost in a flood in May 1983 (Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea).
• Gugok church (1998) and Gwanseol-dong church (2016): the establishment of these churches led to adjustments of the jurisdiction of Dangu-dong Church (Dangu-dong Church website).
• Columban Missionaries: the missionary society that served the Dangu-dong parish in 1960~1965 and 1971~1983 (Dangu-dong Church website).
• Inbo Sisters of the Holy Eucharist: established a branch in the Dangu-dong parish in 1963 (Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea).

References and sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea “Dangu-dong Parish”. Establishment and church blessing in 1960, annex buildings, lay groups, jurisdiction, statistics and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1201
2. Dangu-dong Church, Diocese of Wonju, “Parish History”. Annual records from the establishment in 1960 to 2026, church construction and expansion, inaugurations of successive parish priests, ordinations of priests from the parish.
   https://dg-catholic.org/history