Maepo Church

Overview

Maepo Church is a church in Maepo-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, belonging to the Diocese of Wonju. It was founded in 1960 as the Maepo Catholic mission chapel under Danyang Parish of the Diocese of Cheongju, became part of the Diocese of Wonju in 1969, and on March 13, 1979 was separated from Danyang Parish and elevated to a parish. Its patron is St. Joseph the Worker. As the parish seat was designated as a submerged area for the Chungju Dam, a new church was completed at the present location in 1984.

History

[Mission Chapel Era] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Maepo Catholic mission chapel was founded in 1960, centered on 10-odd households of the faithful living in the Maepo area, which was under the jurisdiction of Danyang Parish of the Diocese of Cheongju. Later, through a readjustment of jurisdiction, it came to belong to the Diocese of Wonju on May 1, 1969. On May 8, 1971, a house at No. 103-7, Maepo-ri, Maepo-myeon was rented and briefly used as the mission chapel building, and in January of the following year the rented building and 163 pyeong of land were purchased and on August 13 the mission chapel hall was completed, but less than a week after the blessing ceremony the hall was flooded by flood damage. At that time the houses of 20-odd households of the faithful were also lost or flooded, and when this situation became known through the media, donations gathered from various quarters. Led by Jeong Yeong-hwan (Paul), head of evangelization, the faithful worked to restore the hall, and in 1973 the hall was restored to its former appearance.

[Elevation to Parish and Relocation] According to the encyclopedia, as a cement plant was built in the Maepo area, the population grew and the Church in the area grew, so the establishment of a new parish was requested. After expanding facilities, including the additional purchase on May 15, 1978 of 126 pyeong of land and an annex building in Maepo-ri, Maepo-eup, it was elevated to a parish in March of the following year, but as the parish seat was designated as a submerged area for the construction of the Chungju Dam, relocation was unavoidable. The history of the Catholic Diocese of Wonju also records that on March 13, 1979 the Maepo Catholic mission chapel of Danyang Parish was elevated to a parish. According to village introduction资料 from the Danyang County Office, Maepo-ri saw relocation due to cement dust in 1988, and on September 12, 1990 it was completely submerged by backflow from impoundment exceeding the Chungju Dam full water level of 145m, and Maepo 1-, 2- and 3-ri moved to Pyeongdong.

In March 1982, 404 pyeong of land at the present parish seat was purchased and construction began on April 3, and 5 months later in 2, on October 7, 1984 the church was completed, and on October 31 the church blessing ceremony was held (encyclopedia). After the convent was completed on July 10, 1985, a branch of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres was established on July 22, but it withdrew on May 23 of the following year, and from January 1987 sisters of the Franciscan Mission Service Sisters commuted every Saturday and Sunday to assist in pastoral ministry. The 2 parish priest, Father Kim Jong-in, created a Marian garden in 1985, and repaired ancillary facilities inside the church in stages in 1990 and 1991. The 4 parish priest, Father Bae Dal-ha, opened on January 1, 1994 a video library and library with 195 video materials and 627 books, so that not only parishioners but also local non-believers could use them.

The encyclopedia writes that a parish pastoral plan is being drawn up focusing on encouraging lapsed faithful and guiding catechumens, as the number of faithful is sharply decreasing due to population concentration in large cities, construction of apartments in New Danyang, opening of the 4-lane road between Jecheon and Maepo, and other factors.

[Jurisdiction and Church Statistics] The parish seat recorded by the encyclopedia is Pyeongdong-ri, Maepo-eup, Danyang-gun, and church statistics are 514 in 1979, 663 in 1983, 686 in 1987, 733 in 1990, 818 in 1992, and 830 in 1994. Successive parish priests are the first, Lee Yeong-seop Francis (1979. 3~1983. 5), the 2, Kim Jong-in Matthew (1983. 5~1987. 9), the 3, Lee Dae-sik James (1987. 9~1991. 4), the 4, Bae Dal-ha Philip (1991. 4~1994. 2), the 5, Baek In-hyeon Andrew (1994. 2~1996. 10), and the 6, Go Jeong-bae Joseph (1996. 10~).

Related Places and People

• Danyang Parish: The parish to which the Maepo Catholic mission chapel belonged; in March 1979 the Maepo Catholic mission chapel was separated from here and elevated to a parish. The Maepo Catholic mission chapel was at first under Danyang Parish of the Diocese of Cheongju and in 1969 became part of the Diocese of Wonju (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Chungju Dam: Its construction caused the parish seat to be designated as a submerged area, so the church moved to its present location (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Danyang County village introduction).
• Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres and Franciscan Mission Service Sisters: The sisters who established a branch in 1985 and withdrew the following year, and who assisted in pastoral ministry from 1987 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Maepo Parish”. Mission chapel era, parish elevation in 1979 and relocation due to submergence by the Chungju Dam, church completion in 1984, convent, church statistics and successive parish priests.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1939
2. Catholic Diocese of Wonju, diocesan history (1970s). On March 13, 1979 the Maepo Catholic mission chapel of Danyang Parish was elevated to a parish.
   http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr/company/history?y=1970
3. Danyang County, village introduction “Maepo-ri”. Relocation due to cement dust in 1988 and the course of Maepo-ri being submerged by impoundment of the Chungju Dam in 1990 and moving to Pyeongdong.
   https://danyang.go.kr/town/348