Gohan Catholic Church

Overview

Gohan Church is a church in Gohan-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, belonging to the Diocese of Wonju. It was established on September 16, 1988, separated from the Gohan–Sabuk Parish, and its patron is Saint Andrew Kim Daegon. Its jurisdiction covers the entire Gohan-eup area.

History

[Catholic Mission Chapel Era] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, a Catholic mission chapel was established in the Gohan area in February 1961. At that time, Father Ferri (F. Ferri, Hwang Francisco) of Jeongseon Parish founded a community centered on 8 households and 25 slash-and-burn farming faithful in this place. This community came under Hambaek Parish in September 1964, and in October of the same year the faithful newly built a Catholic mission chapel hall in Samgallae. This building was washed away in flooding in August 1972, so the faithful newly built a new hall in December of that year. In October 1976, with the help of Father Schmitt (W. Schmitt, Sim Guglielmo) of Hambaek Parish, they purchased the present convent building.

[Gohan–Sabuk Parish Period] The Gohan Parish entry dates the establishment of the Gohan–Sabuk Parish, formed by combining the Gohan Catholic mission chapel and the Sabuk Catholic mission chapel, to December 1976. The Sabuk Parish entry states that the diocese combined the Gohan Catholic mission chapel and the Sabuk Catholic mission chapel on October 20, 1976 and elevated them to the Gohan–Sabuk Parish, and the Wonju Diocese chronology (1970s) also records the establishment of the Gohansabuk Parish on October 20, 1976. According to the Sabuk Parish entry, Father Schmitt adapted the two Catholic mission chapel halls for use as churches while staying at the Gohan Church rectory (now the convent) and traveling to Sabuk, and in June 1988 the faithful newly built the Gohan Church (150 pyeong).

[Division of the Parish] According to the Gohan Parish entry, the faithful in the Gohan area obtained an independent parish in September 1988, 11 years after its founding, and the reason the parish was divided in two was that its jurisdiction was too large for pastoral care. The Wonju Diocese chronology (1980s) also records that the Sabuk Parish was newly established by separating the Gohansabuk Parish on September 16, 1988. The encyclopedia states that the faithful of Gohan Parish thereafter sought to stabilize the parish by striving for evangelization with the help of the parish priest and by forming lay organizations, but were experiencing difficulties due to local conditions.

[Church Statistics and Successive Pastors] The church statistics recorded in the encyclopedia are in 1988 477 people, and in 1993 367 people. The successive priests were the first, Kim Yong-seong Thaddeus (1988. 9~1991. 4), the 2th, Pyo Shin-cheon Emmanuel (1991. 4~1993. 3), and the 3th, Park Yeong-su Luke (1993. 3~).

Related Places and People

• Sabuk Church: It is a parish created together with Gohan Parish on September 16, 1988, when the Gohan–Sabuk Parish was divided (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Wonju Diocese chronology).
• Jeongseon Parish: In February 1961, Father Ferri founded a community centered on 8 households and 25 slash-and-burn farming faithful in the Gohan area (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Hambaek Parish: It is the parish to which the Gohan community belonged in September 1964 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Samgallae Catholic Mission Chapel Hall: In October 1964 the faithful newly built it, but it was washed away in flooding in August 1972 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Church History Research Institute, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Gohan Parish”. Establishment of the Catholic mission chapel in 1961, affiliation with Hambaek Parish, Samgallae Catholic mission chapel hall, parish division in 1988, church statistics and successive priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/369
2. Korean Church History Research Institute, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Sabuk Parish”. Establishment of the Gohan–Sabuk Parish and parish division in 1988.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2908
3. Diocese of Wonju, diocesan history (1970s). Establishment of the Gohansabuk Parish on October 20, 1976.
   http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr/company/history?y=1970
4. Diocese of Wonju, diocesan history (1980s). Separation of the Gohansabuk Parish to newly establish Sabuk Parish on September 16, 1988.
   http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr/company/history?y=1980