Saint Andrew Kim Taegon

September 20 Saint of the Day Profile

September 20 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Andrew Kim Taegon

Profile:

Born to the Korean nobility; his parents were converts to Christianity, and his father was martyred. Andrew was baptized at age 15, then travelled 1,300 miles to the nearest seminary in Macao, China. He became the first native Korean priest, and the first priest to die for the faith in Korea. Leader of the Martyrs of Korea.

Born:
21 August 1821, Solmoi, Chungcheong-do, South Korea
Died:
tortured and beheaded on 16 September 1846 at Saenamteo, Seoul, Korea
Canonized:
6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II
Patronage:
Korean clergy

Readings:
The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by laypeople. This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could boast of 10,000 martyrs. The death of these many martyrs became the leaven of the Church and led to today's splendid flowering of the Church in Korea. Even today their undying spirit sustains the Christians of the Church of Silence in the north of this tragically divided land.
Pope John Paul II at the canonization of Andrew in 1984
Prayer:
O God, You have created all nations and You are their salvation. In the land of Korea Your call to Catholic faith formed a people of adoption, whose growth You nurtured by the blood of Andrew, Paul and their companions. Through their martyrdom and their intercession grant us strength that we too may remain faithful to your commandments even until death.
Amen. 

September 20 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Paul Chong Hasang

Profile:

Son of Yak Jong Church who was martyred in 1801 in the persecution of Shin-Yu, an attack on the faith that killed all the clergy in the country. Son of Saint Yu Cecilia; brother of Saint Jung Hye. Paul, though a layman, reunited the scattered Christians, and encouraged them to keep their faith and live their faith. He wrote the Sang-Je-Sang-Su which explained to the Korean government why the Church was no threat to them. 

He crossed into China nine times, working as a servant to the Korean diplomatic corps. There he worked to get the bishop of Beijing to send more priests to Korea. He pleaded directly to Rome for help, and on 9 September 1831, Pope Gregory X proclaimed the validity of the Korean Catholic diocese. When the clergy began to return, Paul entered the seminary. However, he died in the Gi Hye persecution of 1839 before he could be ordained. One of the great founders of the Catholic Church in Korea.

Born:
1795 in Korea
Died:
Martyred on 22 September 1839
Canonized:
6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II

 September 20 Saint of the Day Profile Martyrs of Korea 

Profile:

There are thousands of Christian priests, missionaries and lay people who died in the early days of the Church in Korea, most murdered during waves of persecutions in 1839, 1846 and 1867. Between martyrdom and exile, eventually there were no clergy left in the country, and the faith was kept alive by lay people, covert Catholics who stayed loyal to Rome and for decades passed along the Bibles and other texts, and the oral rememberances until the outside world was allowed in again. 103 of these martyrs whose stories were known and documented were beatified over the years, and finally canonized as a group by Pope John Paul II, recognizing their willingness to lose their lives before losing their Faith.

Died

1839 - 1867

Canonized

6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II


Blog post courtesy:

http://catholicsaints.info/martyrs-of-korea/

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