Sinbaekdong Church

Overview

Sinbaek-dong Church is a church of the Diocese of Wonju in Sinbaek-dong, Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province. It branched off from the Namcheon-dong parish and was established with the dedication ceremony on February 12, 2004, as the 5 church in the Jecheon area. Its patron is the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

History

[Background of foundation] According to the Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia, the Sinbaek-dong Catholic Church was founded as the number of faithful at the Namcheon-dong Catholic Church grew naturally and the need for a new parish was keenly felt. In 1999, an overpass was built toward Eosangcheon and Maepo, and with new schools, shops and apartment complexes, the population grew rapidly; the diocese also felt the need for a new parish because of the sharp increase in the faithful, and the faithful came to hope for the establishment of the 5 church in the Jecheon area. Father Kim Yeong-jin (Barnabas), who took office on February 2, 1999, conveyed the faithful’s will to build a new church to Bishop Kim Ji-seok (James), and the diocesan office accepted it, deciding to separate the Sinbaek-dong area from the Namcheon-dong Catholic Church and looking for a site for the church building.

[Site and church construction] The finance director of the diocesan office was directly involved in purchasing the site, buying 3 lots totaling 4,528.95 m² (1,370 pyeong), including No. 324-1 in Sinbaek-dong, Jecheon. On April 2002, the Sinbaek-dong Church Construction Committee (chairman Park Deok-yeol, Marcellus) was formed within the parish, and in the same year, on April 21, the groundbreaking ceremony for the church was held with Bishop Kim Ji-seok presiding, attended by some 500 faithful and invited guests from inside and outside. The design was entrusted to Hanmaek Design Office, and Good Morning General Construction Co. completed the work after a construction period of 1 years and 10 months, and the dedication ceremony was held on February 12, 2004.

[Parish establishment] As the first pastor, Father Kim Ha-su (Michael) was appointed by the bishop on the day of the church dedication, and the patron was designated as the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At the time of the parish erection, under diocesan official document No. 2004-10, the faithful separated from Namcheon-dong jurisdiction numbered 714 people in 250 households (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia). The foundation date in the address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea is February 12, 2004, and the patron is the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

[Jurisdiction] The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia records the jurisdiction at the time of the parish erection as Sinbaek-dong, Gomyeong-dong, Duhak-dong, Jajak-dong and Heukseok-dong in Jecheon, part of Gangje-dong, and the Eosangcheon mission chapel in Danyang County. The address book records the jurisdiction as Sinbaek-dong, Gomyeong-dong, Daeryang-dong, Heukseok-dong, Duhak-dong, Jajak-dong and Gangje-dong in Jecheon, part of Donghyeon-dong, and Eosangcheon-myeon in Danyang County (Eosangcheon mission chapel), and gives the number of mission chapels as 1.

[Activities and present condition] According to the Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia, major events include the parish fellowship sports meeting and a bazaar to help neighbors in need; educational events include volunteer training centered on successful small Christian community cases and the Eucharist, and the parish provides all-night wakes and funeral support at mourners’ homes. It also promotes sharing activities among small community members, collecting coins at tea time, and caring for neglected families. Active groups include the Association for the Deceased, the Deungbul Association, the choir, the Mothers’ Association, the Marian Association, the Teachers’ Association, the John Association and the altar servers, and there are 5 devotional groups, including Queen of Martyrs, Queen of All Saints, Queen of Fatima, Fountain of Joy and Queen of Love. At the time described in the culture encyclopedia, there were 1,134 faithful (463 men and 671 women) in 480 households, and the Eosangcheon mission chapel had 70 people (32 households). The culture encyclopedia also notes that 1 hundred million and 3,000 ten thousand won borrowed from the diocese for church construction remained as debt, parish finances were not ample, and there were as yet no religious sisters.

Related places and persons

• The Namcheon-dong parish (Jecheon): the parish from which the Sinbaek-dong parish branched off. In 2004, the diocese separated the Sinbaek-dong area from Namcheon-dong jurisdiction (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).
• Eosangcheon mission chapel: located in Eosangcheon-myeon, Danyang County, it has been under Sinbaek-dong parish jurisdiction since the parish erection (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia, address book of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea).
• Bishop Kim Ji-seok (James): the diocesan bishop who received the faithful’s will to build a new church and presided at the groundbreaking ceremony on April 21, 2002 (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).

References and sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia, “Sinbaek-dong Catholic Church”. Background of foundation, site purchase and church construction, church dedication and parish establishment on February 12, 2004, jurisdiction, activities and present condition.
   https://jecheon.grandculture.net/jecheon/toc/GC03301381
2. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Catholic Address Book in Korea, “Sinbaek-dong”. Foundation date February 12, 2004, patron Immaculate Heart of Mary, jurisdiction and number of mission chapels.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&gubn=4&gyogu=201000019&code=201000938&gubn2=all&char=all
3. Diocese of Wonju, Parishes, “Sinbaek-dong Church” (Jecheon District). Church name ‘Immaculate Heart of Mary Church’.
   http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr/parish/view?ca=%EC%A0%9C%EC%B2%9C%EC%A7%80%EA%B5%AC&wm_id=38