Church with chapel for Korean saint attracts pilgrims to Shanghai

Published: 2005-07-21

SHANGHAI, China (CNS) -- Despite being relocated to a new site and given a modern appearance, one of the oldest churches in the Shanghai Diocese continues to attract Catholics, particularly Korean pilgrims. Immaculate Conception Church has become the "holy land" for Korean Catholics, because the first Korean priest, St. Andrew Kim, was ordained there in 1845, Father Gong Tiande, parish priest, told UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. As part of urban development in the Pudong section of Shanghai, the church -- popularly known as Jinjiaxiang Church -- was torn down in March 2001 and relocated about a mile southwest of its original site. Construction on the new church was completed in June 2004, said Father Gong. Pudong, a coastal area about 680 miles southeast of Beijing, has been a Catholic stronghold for several centuries. It emerged as a financial and trade zone in Shanghai in the early 1990s. Surrounded by high-rise residential buildings, the new Jinjiaxiang Church can hold about 1,000 people.

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