Namcheon-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Namcheondong Church is a church in Namcheon-dong, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, belonging to the Diocese of Wonju. On July 14, 1940, it was elevated from the Jecheon Catholic mission chapel under Yongsomak Parish to a parish, was first called Jecheon Parish, and its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

History

〔From Mission Chapel to Parish〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Namcheondong Parish was elevated and established as a parish from the Jecheon Catholic mission chapel under Yongsomak Parish on July 14, 1940. It was separated from Yongsomak Parish, which at the time belonged to the Chuncheon Vicariate. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that it was founded as the Jecheon Catholic mission chapel under Yongsomak Parish in 1939 and was elevated to Jecheon Parish the following year on July 14, 1940, with Father Park Il-gyu (Andrew) as the first pastor. There were 300 faithful at the time of establishment (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).

〔Early Church Buildings〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that Father Park Il-gyu, who took office with the elevation to parish status, purchased a hanok at 382-1 Buri, Jecheon-eup and used it as a church, then in 1943 moved to 373 Eupburi near the present church site. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that at the time of establishment the church building was the purchased house of Yun Sang-chae at 382-1 Buri, Jecheon-eup, and that Father Yun Ye-won (Thomas), who took office on February 1942, sought to move the church, remodeled a hanok into a church and held the blessing ceremony on May 15, 1947. The encyclopedia states that during the tenure of the 3 pastor, Father Bong Hui-man (Anthony), on October 1947, a Japanese-owned vested property house in Namcheon-dong was taken over and remodeled and blessed as a church, so the two sources differ. The encyclopedia adds that under Father Bong, a tombstone was erected on September 1945 at the grave of Father Choe Yang-eop (Thomas), that in 1949 the orphanage Cheonhyewon (closed in 1969) was taken over and operated, and that a church cemetery of 78 pyeong was purchased.

〔The Church in 1956 and Changes of Diocesan Affiliation〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the church whose construction began in 1955 was blessed on June 6, 1956 and that in the same year, on December, the rectory (50 pyeong) was completed. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that this old church building was begun under the 5 pastor, Father Han Yo-han, and completed under the 6 pastor, Father Go Yo-han, on June 6, 1956, and has now been demolished, and that in that year the rectory was completed on December. The parish became subject to the Cheongju Vicariate (Diocese of Cheongju) upon its establishment on June 23, 1958, and the encyclopedia states that its affiliation changed again with the establishment of the Diocese of Wonju on March 22, 1965, while the Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that it came to belong to the Diocese of Wonju through a 1969 adjustment of diocesan jurisdiction.

〔Branching and Parish Name〕 According to the encyclopedia, Danyang Parish was the first to be separated from Namcheon-dong on January 1957, followed by Uirim-dong Parish on March 1965 and Seobu-dong Parish on January 1980. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that on August 20, 1964, as the Uirim-dong Catholic Church was established as the second church in downtown Jecheon, the old Jecheon Parish came to be called Namcheondong Catholic Church after the local name. With the establishment of Seobu-dong Parish (January 22, 1980), the Jangpyeong, Baeron and Wonbak Catholic mission chapels were transferred (encyclopedia), and Yeongcheon-dong, Bongyang-myeon and Baegun-myeon in Jecheon-si were transferred to Seobu-dong Parish (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia). Namcheondong Parish became the root of Uirim-dong and Seobu-dong Parishes and newly established or newly built the Baeron, Silli, Dogok, Eupri, Cheongpung, Wonbak, Baegun, Geumseong and Eosangcheon Catholic mission chapels (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).

〔The 1960~1980s〕 A Marian kindergarten was opened in the parish on March 13, 1970 and blessed together with the convent on August 23, 1974 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). On August 25, 1975, an altar and a cross tower were erected in the church cemetery; the Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that this cemetery had been purchased during Father Bong Hui-man’s tenure after the 6·25 War and is used by the faithful of 3 parishes in the city. In 1978, a Marian grotto was built. It was built with the bequest of Grandmother Gwak Jong-sun, a parishioner who lived childless all her life, was active in the Legion, and passed away, together with donations from the faithful, and after completion it was blessed on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).

An education center was completed on June 18, 1982. Named ‘Jesus Sacred Heart Education Center’ after the parish patron, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it was a single-story slate building with a total floor area of 168.6 square meters (51 pyeong), built at a total cost of 2,157 ten thousand won, and was expanded to 2 stories in 1987. A new kindergarten building was built on August 23, 1983 (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia). The encyclopedia states that the parish monthly bulletin ‘Solsan Family’ was launched on April 1983, and that in the same year, on July, the Solsan Festival was begun to affirm the communal life of parishioners and carry out local evangelization, and is held every year. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia explains that ‘Solsan’ is the parish’s nickname, given because of the many pine trees around it, and is used in names such as the Solsan Festival, Solsan People’s House and Solsan Medical Volunteer Group. The encyclopedia also records ancillary facility repairs including retaining walls, the main gate, access road and waterworks in 1983~1985, and a memorial Mass for Park Jong-cheol and a prayer meeting for the restoration of human rights on January 1987.

〔The 50 Anniversary of Establishment and the New Church〕 On July 1990, 13~15 days, to mark the 50 anniversary of parish establishment, events including a celebratory Mass and a campaign to double the faithful, invited lectures, a pilgrimage to Yeonpung Shrine, a climbing competition, and a photo exhibition of the 50-year history of the parish were held, and the ‘Solsan 50-Year History’, which compiles the history of Catholic liturgy in the Jecheon area and the 50-year history of the parish, was published (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). Under the 5-year church-building plan established in 1986, a new church with a site of 1,200 pyeong and total floor area of 407 pyeong was dedicated on December 10, 1992 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that on December 1992, for the first time since the establishment of the diocese, a church was built by the parishioners’ own strength without outside aid.

〔Membership and Successive Pastors〕 The membership recorded in the encyclopedia is 2,332 in 1970, 3,913 in 1978, 1,584 in 1981, 2,280 in 1988, and 2,326 in 1993. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that membership grew from 300 in 1940 to 2,368 in 1994. Successive pastors were the first, Park Il-gyu, Andrew (1940.7~1942.2), the 2, Yun Ye-won, Thomas (1942.5~1943.12), the 3, Bong Hui-man, Anthony (1943.12~1953.12), the 4, Walsh (John F. Walsh), John (1954.2~1955.10), the 5, Heisse (John F. Heisse), John (1955.10~1956.3), the 6, Coffey (John F. Coffey), John (1956.3~1960.1), the 7, Ray (James Ray), James (1960.1~1969.3), the 8, Yang Dae-seok, Aloysius (1969.5~1971.4), the 9, Yi Hak-geun, Benedict (1971.4~1973.6), the 10, An Seung-gil, Robert (1973.6~1976.4), the 11, No Se-hyeon, Matthias (1976.4~1981.5), the 12, Yi Gyu-yeong, Mark (1981.5~1983.10), the 13, Yi Byeong-don, John Bosco (1983.10~1985.7), the 14, Bae Eun-ha, Thaddeus (1985.7~1988.9), the 15, Hong Rang-pyo, Felix (1988.9~1990.8), and the 16, Kim Jong-in, Matthew (1990.8~the time of writing of the encyclopedia).

〔Jurisdiction〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia lists the jurisdiction as all of Jungang-ro 1-ga and part of 2-ga, Namcheon-dong, Hwasan 1·2-dong, Donghyeon-dong and Sinbaek-dong, with 2 affiliated Catholic mission chapels at Deoksan and Eosangcheon. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that as of 2016, it has jurisdiction over Namcheon-dong, Hwasan-dong, Donghyeon-dong and Jungang-ro 1-ga in Jecheon-si, and Geumseong-myeon, Cheongpung-myeon, Deoksan-myeon, Susan-myeon and Hansu-myeon, with Cheongpung and Deoksan Catholic mission chapels as affiliated chapels. The Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference directory gives the establishment date as July 14, 1940, the patron as the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the sisters’ congregation as Seongga Sobinyeohoe.

Related Places and People

• Yongsomak Parish: the mother parish to which the Jecheon Catholic mission chapel belonged in 1940 before separation upon elevation to parish status (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Danyang, Uirim-dong and Seobu-dong Parishes: parishes branched from Namcheondong Parish, established on January 1957 for Danyang Parish, on March 1965 for Uirim-dong Parish (the Culture Encyclopedia gives establishment as August 20, 1964), and on January 1980 for Seobu-dong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).
• Grave of Father Choe Yang-eop (Thomas): a tombstone was erected during Father Bong Hui-man’s tenure on September 1945 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Cheonhyewon: an orphanage taken over and operated in 1949 and closed in 1969 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Marian grotto: built in 1978 with the bequest of Grandmother Gwak Jong-sun and donations from the faithful (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Namcheondong Parish” (Vol. 2). Elevation to parish in 1940, changes of church buildings, changes of diocesan affiliation and branching, educational and social activities, 50 anniversary of establishment in 1990, dedication of the new church in 1992, church membership and 16 successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1053
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia “Namcheondong Catholic Church.” Establishment of the Jecheon Catholic mission chapel in 1939 and elevation in 1940, old church buildings, branching of Uirim-dong and Seobu-dong, process of facility construction, jurisdiction and membership.
   https://jecheon.grandculture.net/jecheon/toc/GC03301376
3. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Directory “Namcheondong.” Establishment date July 14, 1940, patron Sacred Heart of Jesus, sisters’ congregation, jurisdiction.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000019&code=201000920&gubn2=all&char=all
4. Diocese of Wonju, Parishes “Namcheondong Church” (Jecheon District). Church name ‘Sacred Heart of Jesus Church’.
   http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr/parish/view?ca=%EC%A0%9C%EC%B2%9C%EC%A7%80%EA%B5%AC&wm_id=32