Yeongsanpo Church

Overview

Yeongsanpo Church is a parish belonging to the Archdiocese of Gwangju, located in Yeongsan-dong, Naju, South Jeolla Province. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, on October 1, 1954 it was elevated from the Yeongsanpo Catholic mission chapel belonging to Naju Parish to Yeongsanpo Parish, and the parish patron is the Body and Blood of Christ.

History

The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia explains that there were originally no believers in the area where Yeongsanpo Parish is located, and that faith began to take root in this area as residents of Yeongsanpo-eup interacted with believers from nearby areas, including Naju Parish. At the time Yeongsanpo Parish was established, the Oksan Catholic mission chapel and the Dasi Catholic mission chapel played a pioneering role in spreading the Gospel within its jurisdiction.

When the faithful came to take part in Mass and the sacraments at Naju Parish, Father Park Mun-gyu, the 5 pastor of Naju Parish, in 1948 purchased a site of 126 pyeong with an old house with a building area of 26 pyeong at 90 Daeseong-dong, Yeongsanpo-eup, Naju-gun, now 90-1 Yeongsan-dong, Naju, and established a Catholic mission chapel. Father Lohan (P. Lohan), the 7 pastor of Naju Parish, began to secure land in order to elevate the Yeongsanpo Catholic mission chapel to a parish, and around 1952 he purchased a tiled-roof house to be used as a rectory with a building area of 22 pyeong with a site of 476 pyeong and additionally purchased a site of more than 300 pyeong with a thatched-roof house to be used as a residence with a building area of 24 pyeong.

The archdiocesan curia of Gwangju sent Father Dunne to the Yeongsanpo Catholic mission chapel in the summer of 1954 to prepare for the establishment of a parish, and on October 1 of that year it elevated the Yeongsanpo Catholic mission chapel to Yeongsanpo Parish and appointed Father Dunne as the first pastor. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia explains that the reason the Yeongsanpo Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish ahead of the Dasi Catholic mission chapel, which had a longer history and larger size, was that the area was a center of transportation and commerce and the seat of the township.

Through Father Dunne's evangelizing activity, many heads of institutions came to the church, and as the number of believers grew, a tin house of 22 pyeong was newly built around the end of 1954. Through the Missionary Society of St. Columban, Father Dunne raised building funds abroad and on September 26, 1956 built a new church of more than 80 pyeong and held its dedication ceremony. Father Cleary, the 2 pastor, arranged a branch house of the Inbo Eucharistic Congregation around the end of 1956. The Inbo Eucharistic Congregation withdrew on August 10, 1964 during the time of Father Woods, the 3 pastor, and instead a branch house of the Caritas Sisters was established.

According to the Digital Yeongam Culture Encyclopedia, from April 1954 to September for about 5 months, believers in the Yeongam area traveled between Yeongam and Yeongsanpo Church in Yeongsan-dong, Naju, to attend Sunday Mass, and on September 15, 1954 they set up a temporary Catholic mission chapel in Seonam-ri, Yeongam-eup. Starting on August 2, 1955, the temporary Yeongam Catholic mission chapel came to be managed by Yeongsanpo Parish, and at that time Father John Shin of Yeongsanpo Church traveled to and from Yeongam by motorcycle to celebrate Mass. The Yeongam Catholic mission chapel was elevated on August 15, 1968 from the jurisdiction of Yeongsanpo Church to a parish. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia also records that during the time of Father Reilly, the 4 pastor, in 1968 the Yeongam Catholic mission chapel was elevated to a parish because of the growth in believers and was separated from Yeongsanpo Parish.

Father O'Leany, the 5 pastor, concentrated on catechetical education of the faithful, including systematically conducting education for Sunday-school children, and Father Royer, the 6 pastor, carried out practical pastoral work, including doing manual labor himself, improved the church roof, and cared for poor sick and disabled people. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the church became stagnant as lapsed Catholics increased, due in part to frequent changes of pastors.

Father Evans, the 12 pastor, put into practice the church cemetery project that had been promoted centered on the Apostolic Association and the Marian Association, purchasing a church cemetery of more than 2,000 pyeong on September 8, 1980, and held the first charity bazaar in the Yeongsanpo area. He set up a reading room for elementary, middle, and high school students and a children's playground, so that many students came to the church. Father Gallagher, the 13 pastor, treated any place as a Catholic mission chapel even if it had only one believer and visited it in rotation every week.

Ending with Father Sheehan, the 14 pastor, pastoral care of Yeongsanpo Parish was entrusted to Korean priests. Father Lee Cheon-su, the 15 pastor, served both Yeongsanpo Parish and Naju Parish concurrently because of the shortage of Korean priests. Father Hwang Yang-ju, the 16 pastor, entered into a sisterhood relationship with Ssangchon-dong Parish in Gwangju on June 12, 1988, and Father Kwon Byeong-seok, the 18 pastor, enshrined and blessed a statue of the Virgin Mary at the Donggang Catholic mission chapel on March 13, 1994. Father Jeong Do-sik, the 19 pastor, completed a convent and an education hall on March 10, 1997 and held a blessing ceremony. Father Wang Seung-su, the 20 pastor, has served as pastor since August 1999.

Significance for faith and context for visiting

The church statistics carried in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are 241 persons in 1955, 1,284 persons in 1960, 1,624 persons in 1965, 1,244 persons in 1971, 1,622 persons in 1976, 1,264 persons in 1981, 1,475 persons in 1986, 1,781 persons in 1991, 1,872 persons in 1996, and 1,461 persons in 1999. Its jurisdiction is recorded as Ichang 1, 2 and 3-dong, Yeongsan 1 and 2-dong, Samyeong 1 and 2-dong, Buyeong Apartments, Ungok-dong and Gwanjeong-dong in Naju, Gongsan in Wanggok, Sinwol and Yansan, and the entire areas of Seji and Bonghwang, and its jurisdictional Catholic mission chapels are 2 places, Donggang and Oksan.

Related places and people

• Naju Parish - The parish to which the Yeongsanpo Catholic mission chapel belonged; Father Park Mun-gyu, the 5 pastor, established the Yeongsanpo Catholic mission chapel in 1948.
• Yeongam Church - The church that came into being when the Yeongam Catholic mission chapel managed by Yeongsanpo Parish was elevated to a parish on August 15, 1968.
• Oksan Catholic mission chapel, Dasi Catholic mission chapel, and Donggang Catholic mission chapel - Mentioned in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia as the jurisdictional area and Catholic mission chapels of Yeongsanpo Parish.
• Successive pastors - The first, John Dunne (J. Dunne, Do) (1954. 10~1956. 9), 2 John Cleary (J. Cleary, Sin) (1956. 9~1961. 8), 3 Francis Woods (F. Woods, U) (1961. 8~1967. 6), 4 Matthew Reilly (M. Reilly) (1967. 6~1968. 8), 5 Andrew O'Leany (A. O'Leany, O) (1968. 8~1970), 6 Francis Royer (F. Royer, No) (1970~1973. 3), 7 Charles Lintz (C. Lintz, In) (1973. 3~10), 8 O'Leany (1973. 11~1975. 4), 9 Joseph Dolan (J. Dolan, Do) (1975. 4~5), 10 Noel O'Neill (N. O'Neill, Cheon) (1975. 5~8), 11 Rahlin Campion (L. Campion, Pa) (1975. 8~1979. 5), 12 John Evans (J. Evans, Han) (1979. 5~1983. 9), 13 William Gallagher (W. Gallagher, Gal) (1983. 9~1986. 3), 14 David Sheehan (D. Sheehan, Gan) (1986. 3~1987. 1), 15 Lazarus Lee Cheon-su (1987. 1~1988. 1), 16 Anthony Hwang Yang-ju (1988. 1~1990. 1), 17 Luke Kim Jong-ju (1990. 1~1992. 1), 18 John the Baptist Kwon Byeong-seok (1992. 1~1996. 1), 19 Zechariah Jeong Do-sik (1996. 1~1999. 8), 20 Andrew Wang Seung-su (1999. 8~).

References and sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Yeongsanpo Parish. Confirmed October 1, 1954 parish elevation, establishment process and church construction, successive pastors, church statistics, and jurisdictional area.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/4497
2. Digital Yeongam Culture Encyclopedia, Catholicism. Confirmed Mass attendance at Yeongsanpo Church by believers in the Yeongam area and management of the Yeongam Catholic mission chapel by Yeongsanpo Parish.
   https://www.grandculture.net/yeongam/toc/GC04401295
3. Digital Yeongam Culture Encyclopedia, Yeongam Church. Confirmed the establishment of the temporary Catholic mission chapel managed by Yeongsanpo Parish and the elevation to a parish in 1968.
   https://www.grandculture.net/yeongam/toc/GC04401298