Sajik-dong Catholic Church

Overview

Sajik-dong Church is a church in Sajik-dong, Samcheok-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, belonging to the Wonju Diocese. On October 5, 1966, it was separated and established from Seongnae-ri (now Seongnae-dong) Parish, with Father E. Sullivan of the Columban Missionary Society serving as the first pastor, and its patron is Saint Elizabeth Seton.

History

〔Establishment〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Sajik-dong Parish was separated and established from Seongnae-ri Parish on October 5, 1966, and on October 18, 1988 it changed its name from ‘Sajik-ri Parish’ to ‘Sajik-dong Parish’ following a change of administrative district. The present parish site was originally the site of a rest house for priests of the Columban Missionary Society, and Father Sullivan, then assistant priest of Seongnae-dong Parish, drew up a plan to build a nursing home in connection with the separation and establishment of the parish in 1966 and requested it from the Wonju Diocese, and as a result the parish was established on October 5 of the same year. The Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia states that a Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Samcheok Parish (now Seongnae-dong Church) was elevated to Sajik-dong Parish on October 5, 1966, including the Yonghwa Catholic Mission Chapel in Geundeok-myeon and the Hosan Catholic Mission Chapel in Wondeok-eup, with a total of 621 believers at that time (the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records 627 believers at the time of parish establishment).

According to the Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia, through an adjustment of jurisdictional districts with Seongnae-dong Parish, the establishment of the parish was completed on October 20, 1966, with 7 villages of Namyang-ri, Jeongsang-ri, Jeongha-ri, Sajik-ri, Obun-ri, Jeokno-ri and Jobi-ri, the Jangho district in Geundeok-myeon, and the entire Wondeok-eup as its jurisdiction.

〔Early Facilities and Activities〕 Father Sullivan, appointed as the first pastor, immediately began construction of the church and rectory and built the church (40 pyeong) and the rectory (40 pyeong) on December 1966. On January 1968, he built 1 houses within the church grounds to provide a nursing home and founded groups such as the Marian Association and the student association, but this nursing home was closed on December 1970 during the tenure of the 3 pastor, Father Brennan, due to operational difficulties (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). The parish pastoral council was formed on January 1971, and the 5 pastor, Father M. Smyth, established the Imwon Catholic Mission Chapel in Imwon-ri, Wondeok-myeon on July 1972, launched the catechist association on November of the same year, and launched the adult association on April the following year. During the tenure of the 7 pastor, Father C. Rue, on October 16, 1977, interior decoration and expansion (42 pyeong) work was carried out and tile mosaics were applied to the entire front exterior wall of the church.

〔Changes in Catholic Mission Chapels〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the Catholic mission chapels, which numbered 8 at the time of parish establishment, decreased as believers moved to cities. On March 1977, the Maengbang Catholic Mission Chapel and Geundeok Catholic Mission Chapel in Geundeok-myeon were transferred to Seongnae-dong Parish, and the Dongmak Catholic Mission Chapel, Gungchon Catholic Mission Chapel and Jangho Catholic Mission Chapel were closed, leaving only the Hosan Catholic Mission Chapel and Yonghwa Catholic Mission Chapel. The Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia states that the parish guides Masses at the Hosan Mission Chapel and Yonghwa Mission Chapel.

〔The 1980s–1990s〕 During the tenure of the 12 pastor, Father Cho Gyu-deok, a statue of the Virgin Mary was blessed on May 21, 1989, and the 13 pastor, Father Park Mu-hak, built and blessed an education hall on March 8, 1991. The 14 pastor, Father Lee U-gap, held a joint Yeongdong District outdoor Mass and athletic meeting on May 28, 1995 to promote fellowship among believers. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that 30 to 40 new baptized persons come forward each year but church strength hardly changes because of departing believers, and that the number of believers, 627 at the time of parish establishment, was about 600 including Catholic mission chapel believers at the time of the encyclopedia account, of whom a little over 100 attend Sunday Mass. It also states that believers are mostly elderly, that middle and high school Sunday school students number a little over 20, and that it regained some vitality as Samcheok-si and Samcheok-gun were integrated in 1995.

〔Church Strength and Successive Pastors〕 The church strength recorded in the encyclopedia is 656 in 1967, 760 in 1973, 657 in 1979, 844 in 1984, 512 in 1988, 601 in 1992, and 598 in 1996. Successive pastors are the first, Ernest E. Sullivan (1966.10–1968.7), the 2, Roberto R. Brennan (1968.8–1969.7), the 3, Sullivan (1969.9–1970.5), the 4, Peter P. Kelly (1970.5–1972.3), the 5, Malachi M. Smyth (1972.3–1975.11), the 6, John J. Hogan (1975.11–1976.3), the 7, Charles C. Rue (1976.3–1978.12), the 8, Timothy O'keeffe Flannan (1979.1–1982.5), the 9, Benedict Lee Hak-geun (1982.5–1983.5), the 10, James Kim Ji-seok (1983.5–10), the 11, Cunibert Cho Gyu-nam (1983.10–1986.7), the 12, Matthew Cho Gyu-deok (1986.7–1990.8), the 13, John Park Mu-hak (1990.8–1995.2), the 14, Peter Lee U-gap (1995.2–1996.9), interim Paul Park Hong-pyo (1996.10–1997.3), and the 15, Mark Lee Gyu-young (1997.3–the time of the encyclopedia account). The Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia states that the Columban Missionary Society laid the foundations of the church through the 8 pastor in 1979.

〔Jurisdiction〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records the jurisdiction as Sajik-dong and Namyang 1–4-dong in Samcheok-si, Dongmak-ri, Gungchon-ri, Yonghwa-ri and Jangho-ri in Geundeok-myeon, Wondeok-eup, the entire Gagok-myeon area and part of Jeongra-dong, and records 2 Catholic mission chapels under its jurisdiction, Hosan and Yonghwa. The establishment date in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea address book is October 5, 1966.

Architecture and Space

According to the Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia, the church is a reinforced concrete building, with a church of 40 pyeong and a rectory of the same size. The retreat house of about 100 square meters (30 pyeong) has 4 rooms with a living room and kitchen, accommodating 20 people at once, and the parish operates this retreat house year-round.

Related Places and People

• Seongnae-dong Church (Samcheok): It is the mother parish from which Sajik-dong Parish was separated. It was separated and established from Seongnae-ri Parish on October 5, 1966, and in 1977 it received the Geundeok and Maengbang Catholic mission chapels (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Hosan Catholic Mission Chapel: A Catholic mission chapel whose first church was built by a Columban priest of Uljin Parish in 1961, it came under the jurisdiction of Sajik-dong Church when Uljin was incorporated into Gyeongsangbuk-do and the Wonju Diocese was separated from the Chuncheon Diocese in 1966. The Catholic mission chapel was rebuilt in 2004 and an education hall with a total floor area of 60 pyeong was built in 2007 (Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia).
• Yonghwa Catholic Mission Chapel and Imwon Catholic Mission Chapel: Yonghwa Catholic Mission Chapel has belonged to Sajik-dong Parish since its establishment, and the Imwon Catholic Mission Chapel in Imwon-ri, Wondeok-myeon was established on July 1972 (Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Columban Missionary Society: From the first Father Sullivan through the 8 pastor in 1979, it was in charge of the parish (Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Sajik-dong Parish” (vol. 6). Background of establishment in 1966, renaming, early facilities and nursing home, changes in Catholic mission chapels, church strength statistics, jurisdiction, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/2948
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia “Sajik-dong Church”. Elevation from Catholic mission chapel to parish on October 5, 1966, districts and number of believers at establishment, current facilities.
   https://samcheok.grandculture.net/samcheok/toc/GC06700840
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Samcheok Culture Encyclopedia “Hosan Catholic Mission Chapel”. Establishment of Hosan Catholic Mission Chapel and incorporation into Sajik-dong Church jurisdiction, rebuilding and education hall.
   https://samcheok.grandculture.net/samcheok/toc/GC06700842
4. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Korean Catholic Address Book “Sajik-dong”. Establishment date October 5, 1966, patron Saint Elizabeth Seton, jurisdictional areas and number of Catholic mission chapels.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000019&code=201000934&gubn2=all&char=all
5. Wonju Diocese, Parish “Sajik-dong Church” (Yeongdong District). Church name ‘Saint Elizabeth Seton Church’.
   http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr/parish/view?ca=%EC%98%81%EB%8F%99%EC%A7%80%EA%B5%AC&wm_id=55