Uirim-dong Church

Overview

Uirim-dong Church is a church in Uirim-dong, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, belonging to the Diocese of Wonju. It was separated from Jecheon Parish in 1964 and established, completed on July 7, 1965, and its patron is Saint Aidan. It is a building designed by German Father Albin Schmidt and was listed as a Registered Cultural Heritage of Chungcheongbuk-do in 2024.

History

[Background of foundation] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, as the Jecheon area was developed as a transportation hub in the 1960s, the need to establish a new parish arose, and a plan for separation and establishment was drawn up on May 1964. Father Kennedy of Maryknoll, designated as the first pastor, purchased 2,596 pyeong of church land on July of that year and then began construction of the church (158 pyeong), the rectory and the catechetical hall (65 pyeong). The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia gives the same account, writing this priest as ‘Father Gerald Gu’ and explaining that the site was purchased with the help of Monsignor Charles Birmingham of the United States.

[Date of establishment and diocesan affiliation] Sources differ on the date of establishment. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that it was separated and established from Jecheon Parish on January 1, 1965, while the Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that on August 20, 1964 Jecheon Parish was divided, the district name was taken to rename it Namcheon-dong Parish, and the newly created parish was named Uirim-dong Parish. The church was completed on July 7, 1965 (common to both sources), and the Encyclopedia states that the blessing ceremony was held on that day officiated by Bishop Ji Hak-sun (Daniel). According to the Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia, when the Diocese of Wonju was erected on March 22, 1965 and the jurisdictional districts of the diocese were readjusted on May 1, 1969, Namcheon-dong Parish and Uirim-dong Parish came to belong to the Diocese of Wonju.

[Early pastoral ministry] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the No. 4 pastor, Father Kim Jong-tae, launched the parish bulletin on January 1969 and held the unveiling ceremony of the statue of the Virgin Mary on May of the same year and completed the church wall and main-gate construction on May 1970. The No. 5 pastor, Father Kim Ji-seok, focused on revitalizing youth, adult and student groups, and in 1974 appealed for prayer and donations for the release of Bishop Ji Hak-sun, who had been imprisoned for violating emergency measures. The No. 7 pastor, Father Kim Jong-in, carried out the construction of a new catechetical hall and landscaping around the Marian statue.

[Branch parishes and changes of mission chapels] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, on January 1980 Seobu-dong Parish was newly established and 88 households and 323 faithful were transferred to it, and on September of the same year a nursery was founded in the parish as part of the social-welfare work of the Diocese of Wonju. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that with the erection of Seobu-dong Parish (on January 22, 1980) Myeongseo-dong and Yongdu-dong were transferred. On September 20, 1988 the lay council executive meeting decided to divide parish No. 4 in downtown Jecheon and on November 20 purchased 737 pyeong of city-owned land, and on February 8, 1990 divided Cheongjeon-dong Parish as the commemorative parish for the 25th anniversary of the erection of the diocese (Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia). The Encyclopedia states that Yeongchun Catholic mission chapel was transferred to Danyang Parish on February 1995 and Ssangyong Catholic mission chapel was transferred to Cheongjeon-dong Parish and then on October 2001 returned to the jurisdiction of Uirim-dong Parish.

[Credit union and publications] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, the No. 9 pastor, Father Yang Dae-seok, founded the Uirim Credit Union in early 1983 and launched ‘Edan Monthly’ on January 1985 and newly built the Edan Education Hall (total floor area 50 pyeong) on April of the same year. On August 1990 a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the parish establishment was held. The Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia states that together with the newsletter ‘Jecheon Bulletin’ of the 3 parishes in Jecheon, ‘Edan Bulletin’ and ‘Edan Monthly’ were published, and in 1987 a volunteer group was formed.

[Church statistics and successive pastors] The church statistics given by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 1,248 at the time of establishment, 1,614 in 1968, 2,486 in 1973, 2,994 in 1978, 3,103 in 1984, 2,847 in 1990, 3,101 in 1994, and 3,311 in 2000. The successive pastors were the first, Gerardo Kennedy (G. Kennedy) (1965.1-1968.3), the No. 2 , Ricardo Rolewicz (R. Rolewicz) (1968.3-8), the No. 3 , Sylvester Park Gi-hyeon (1968.8-10), interim Andrea Kim Jong-tae (1968.10-1969.5), the No. 4 , Kim Jong-tae (1969.5-1972.5), the No. 5 , James Kim Ji-seok (1972.5-1976.4), the No. 6 , Bartholomew Choi Chang-gyu (1976.4-5), the No. 7 , Matthew Kim Jong-in (1976.6-1979.11), the No. 8 , Stephen Kim Seong-hun (1979.11-1982.5), the No. 9 , Aloysius Yang Dae-seok (1982.5-1986.7), the No. 10 , Simon Shin Hyeon-man (1986.7-1991.4), the No. 11 , Roberto An Seung-gil (1991.4-1994.4), the No. 12 , Cunibert Jo Gyu-nam (1994.4-1995.2), the No. 13 , Mark Lee Heung-geun (1995.2-2001.1), and the No. 14 , Joseph Jeong Ui-jun (2001.1-).

[Pastoral activities] According to the Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia, from 1986 onward the parish set as its pastoral goals an evangelizing community, a community of fellowship and the activation of the lay apostolate, and formed more than 70 small communities to hold monthly prayer meetings. Holy Hour and Eucharistic Adoration were held on the first Thursday of each month, pilgrimages to Baeron Shrine in Jecheon were encouraged, and every year the Night for Inviting Catechumens and baptismal classes, retreats by district and group, and Bible study groups and Bible schools were operated. The same source states that as of 2016 the pastor was Father Park Yeong-su (Luke), the assistant priest was Father Kang Du-yeong (Ambrosio), the number of faithful was 2,893, and Ssangyong Catholic mission chapel was under its jurisdiction.

Architecture and Space

[Cultural-heritage listing] According to Jungbu Maeil News, Jecheon Uirim-dong Church was listed as a Registered Cultural Heritage of Chungcheongbuk-do on December 2024. It is a centrally planned cross-shaped church building designed by German Father Albin Schmidt (1904-1976) and was completed on July 7, 1965.

The floor plan is a centrally concentrated single-sided composition with the altar placed on the north side and entrances installed on both sides of the south side, and seating for the faithful arranged in the central part and the left and right wings. The article explains that the floor heating of the seating combines the traditional ondol method with Western steam heating, and as far as currently confirmed, it is the only remaining example.

The same article states that Father Albin Schmidt designed Pyeonghwa Church in Gimcheon in 1958 and resided at the Benedictine Monastery in Waegwan in 1961 and designed 82 parish buildings, 30 Catholic mission chapels, 10 chapels and other buildings, and that Waegwan Church in Chilgok was registered as a National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2018. It evaluated that, whereas Waegwan Church was based on an oval floor plan, Uirim-dong Church has architectural-historical significance in that its design is based on the plan composition of earlier church architecture.

Related Places and People

• Namcheon-dong Church: the mother parish from which Uirim-dong Parish was separated, and at the time of separation Jecheon Parish was renamed Namcheon-dong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).
• Seobu-dong Church and Cheongjeon-dong Church: parishes separated and established from Uirim-dong Parish in 1980 and 1990 respectively (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).
• Ssangyong Catholic mission chapel: a Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Uirim-dong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia).
• Danyang Church: the parish to which Yeongchun Catholic mission chapel was transferred on February 1995 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Institute for Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Uirim-dong Parish” (Vol. 9). Establishment, blessing ceremony, branch parishes, changes of mission chapels, church statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4983
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Jecheon Culture Encyclopedia “Uirim-dong Catholic Church”. Background of foundation, incorporation into the Diocese of Wonju, division of Cheongjeon-dong Parish, pastoral activities, status.
   https://jecheon.grandculture.net/jecheon/toc/GC03301377
3. Jungbu Maeil, “‘Jecheon Uirim-dong Church’ Listed as Chungbuk Registered Cultural Heritage” (2024.12.16). Designer, completion on July 7, 1965, floor plan and heating method.
   https://www.jbnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1461504