Gasil Catholic Church

There is an old gothic building in brick in Gasil  가실 village along the bank of Nakdong river around Waegwan 왜관 to the north of Daegu 대구. The building is Gasil Catholic church in which a typical rural village is surrounded.  It was established in 1895, and the present church and rectory were built during the years 1922-1924 by a French Catholic missionary. Later, Benedictine Abbey in Waegwan was assigned to pastor the church.

During the Korean War, this church was used as a hospital by the North Korean army, so the building was not damaged even if the nearby village was all destroyed. The church on the hill is beautiful enough to draw attention to Catholic as well as non-Catholic. Some years ago a movie was shot here. Father Bartholomaeus Henneken from Germany who has been in Korea over 40 years serves as pastor. Visitors are welcome to look around the church and previous rectory.

A window latch shaped in the female torso to keep the window open is installed close to the each wood window sash on the wall of the previous rectory. A couple of the original window latches were worn out and got broken, so they have been replaced by exactly the same style and materials as the original purchased in Germany. Every effort was made to retain the original form of the building. Gasil Catholic church possesses a lovely warm and peaceful atmosphere.

winter preparation

 

Autumn has nearly gone. Winter has come again. Clay jar used to be a traditional container for ages. In the late autumn, people dig a hole in the ground large enough to bury the jar, which is useful to keep the fermented food as Gimchi 김치 made of radish and cabbage fresh during the cold weather.

Some Buddhist monks also prepared winter in their temple close to Goryeong 고령. The upper parts of three jars are seen. A brick is put on the top of the middle one, which is intended to stop the strong wind from blowing away the top. Recently most Korean people prefer to residing in apartments, so clay jars in the front garden are unusual scene. Instead, they use the electric refrigerator to keep Gimchi for all seasons. This view reminds middle aged Koreans of old things that have been forgotten along the way.