Benedictine abbot, sometimes called Madelgarius and Madelgaire, born at Strepy les Binches, Hainault, Belgium. About 635 he wed St. Waldetrudis by whom he fathered four children, all of whom were later venerated as saints: Aldegundis, Landericus, Dentlin, and Madalberta. On behalf of the Frankish king Dagobert I (r. 629-639), he went to Ireland and returned with several Irish monks to serve as missionaries to the pagan areas of the kingdom. He also founded a monastery at Hautmont, France, in 642. In 643, his wife entered a convent, and Madelgarus joined the Benedictines at Haumont under the name Vincent. After serving as abbot at Haumont, he established another monastery on his estate at Soignies, Belgium, where he died on July 14.
Feastday: September 20 Birth: 1838 Death: 1866 Canonized: Pope John Paul
Thomas Son Chason (1838-1866) was one of the Korean Martyrs canonised by the Roman Catholic church in 1984.
Thomas Son Chasuhn (1838–1866) was one of the Korean Martyrs canonised by the Roman Catholic church in 1984. His feast day is March 30,[1] and he is also venerated along with the rest of the 103 Korean martyrs on September 20.
Thomas was a devout Catholic. When Bishop Daveluy was arrested, an authority commissioned anybody to claim the confiscated objects. Everyone was too afraid to go and claim the Church property, and Thomas accepted commission to claim them. But, instead of holding its promise, the officials questioned his religion. Thomas confessed it boldly, and was thrown in prison. It was the time of Lent, and Thomas observed with a scrupulous exactitude the fasts and the abstinences of the Church, fasts and abstinences whose rigour was doubled and by his other sufferings, and the insufficient food given to the prisoners.[2] In the same way, nothing could make him omit any of his ordinary practices of piety. He was severely tortured with amazing constancy and gladness. When fellow Catholics buried him four days later and reburied him somewhere else twenty days later, his body was found to be incorrupt and did not have any bad smell to it.[3][4]
Thomas Johnson, O.Cart., (died 20 September 1537) was a Carthusianhermit who was executed by starvation in Tudor England. He is venerated as a martyr and has been beatified by the Catholic Church.
Biography
Johnson and other members of the London Charterhouse had been arrested for refusing to sign the Oath of Supremacy. Like the others, after incarceration in Newgate Prison he was left to starve. Margaret Clement was temporarily able to bring him and the other Carthusians some food, by entering in disguise, but after King Henry VIIIbecame suspicious from their continued survival, this was ended. Johnson took the longest to die of starvation, possibly because food had finally been allowed for him, in expectation that he would ultimately be executed instead.
A lay brother of the community named Horne survived and was not executed until 1540. In that year he was hanged, disembowelled, and quartered at Tyburn.
Thomas Johnson and the other Carthusian Martyrs were beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.[1]
There is a painting of Johnson in the church of the Certosa di Bologna.
Martyrs crucified during the reign of Emperor Elagabalus (r. 218-222). Theodore was a Roman soldier and Philippa was his mother. Joining them in death were the soldier Socrates and Dionysius, a one-time pagan priest.
Feastday: September 20 Birth: 1788 Death: 1839 Canonized: Pope John Paul II
St. Teresa Yi Mae-im (born 1788 in Korea - died. July 20, 1839, in Seoul) - martyr, holy Catholic Church.
Teresa Yi Mae-aunt was the other Catholic martyrs: Barbara Yi Chong-hui and Magdalena Yi Yong-hui. During the persecution of Teresa Yi Mae-them together with the three holy women (Kim Nusia Lucy, Martha, Kim Song-im, Magdalena Yi Yong-hui) gave themselves in the hands of the police. Was executed July 20, 1839, in the place of execution for the Little West Gate in Seoul along with seven other Catholics (Rose Kim No-sa, Martha Kim Song-im, Anna Kim Chang-gum, John the Baptist Yi Kwang-nyol, Magdalena Yi Yong -hui, Lucy and Mary Kim Won Nusia Apr-im).
Feastday: September 20 Canonized: Pope John Paul II
Korean Martyr
The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution against Catholic Christians during the 19th century in Korea. Between 8,000 - 10,000 Korean Christians were killed during this period, 103 of whom were canonized en massein May 1984.[1] In addition, Paul Yun Ji-Chung and 123 companions were declared "Venerable" on 7 February 2014, and on 16 August 2014, they were beatified by Pope Francis during the Asian Youth Day in Gwanghwamun Plaza, Seoul, South Korea. There are further moves to beatify Catholics who were killed by communists for their faith in the 20th century during the Korean War.[2]
Pope from 535-536 and apologist, the son of a priest named Gordianus slain during the reign of Pope Symmachus. He was elected pope on May 13, 535, and was already of an advanced age as he started healing the rifts in the Church by regulating affairs. Belisarius, who had conquered Sicily, appeared ready to invade Italy, and Agapitus set out for Constantinople to appeal to Emperor Justinian and halt his military advance. He arrived there in February of 536, knowing he would fail in his mission. While in Constantinople the pope was able to put down a religious revolt spearheaded by a bishop named Anthemius and Empress Theodora. Emperor Justinian, at first defending Anthemius, crushed the revolt and gave Agapitus a written profession of faith. Agapitus fell ill soon afterward and died in Constantinople on April 22, 536. His remains were taken to Rome and deposited in St. Peter's. Both Latin and Oriental Churches venerate him.
Pope Agapetus I (died 22 April 536) was the bishop of Rome from 13 May 535 to his death.
Contents
1Family
2Pontificate
3Veneration
4See also
5References
6Bibliography
7External links
Family
Agapetus was born in Rome, although his exact date of birth is unknown. He was the son of Gordianus, a Roman priest who had been slain during the riots in the days of Pope Symmachus (term 498–514).[2] The name of his father might point to a familial relation with two other Popes: Felix III (483–492) and Gregory I (590–604).[3] Gregory was a descendant of Felix. Gregory's father, Gordianus, held the position of Regionarius in the Roman Church. Nothing further is known about the position.[4]
Pontificate
Jeffrey Richards describes him as "the last survivor of the Symmachan old guard", having been ordained as a deacon perhaps as early as 502, during the Laurentian schism.[5] He was elevated from archdeacon to pope in 535. His first official act was to burn, in the presence of the assembled clergy, the anathema which Boniface II had pronounced against the latter's deceased rival Dioscurus on a false charge of simony and had ordered to be preserved in the Roman archives.
Agapetus assisted Cassiodorus in the founding of his monastery at Vivarium. He confirmed the decrees of the Council of Carthage, after the retaking of North Africa from the Vandals, according to which converts from Arianism were declared ineligible to Holy Orders and those already ordained were merely admitted to lay communion. He accepted an appeal from Contumeliosus, Bishop of Riez, whom a council at Marseilles had condemned for immorality, and he ordered Caesarius of Arles to grant the accused a new trial before papal delegates.[6]
Meanwhile, the Byzantine general Belisarius was preparing for an invasion of Italy. King Theodahad of the Ostrogoths begged Agapetus to proceed on an embassy to Constantinople and use his personal influence to appease Emperor Justinian I following the death of Amalasuntha.[7] To defray the costs of the embassy, Agapetus pledged the sacred vessels of the Church of Rome. He set out in mid-winter with five bishops and a large retinue. In February 536, he appeared in the capital of the East. Justinian declined to call a halt to the planned invasion as preparations were far too advanced.[6] Agapetus immediately turned his attention from the political matter Theodahad had sent him to address to a religious one.
The occupant of the Byzantine patriarchal see was Anthimus I, who had left his episcopal see of Trebizond. Against the protests of the orthodox, the Empress Theodora finally seated Anthimus in the patriarchal chair. When Agapetus arrived members of the clergy entered charges against Anthimus as an intruder and a heretic. Agapetus ordered him to make a written profession of faith and to return to his forsaken see; upon Anthimus' refusal, Agapetus deposed him. The Emperor threatened Agapetus with banishment. Agapetus is said to have replied, "With eager longing have I come to gaze upon the Most Christian Emperor Justinian. In his place I find a Diocletian, whose threats, however, terrify me not."[2] Agapetus, for the first time in the history of the Church, personally consecrated Anthimus' legally elected successor, Mennas. Justinian delivered to the Pope a written confession of faith, which the latter accepted with the proviso that "although he could not admit in a layman the right of teaching religion, yet he observed with pleasure that the zeal of the Emperor was in perfect accord with the decisions of the Fathers".[2] Four of Agapetus' letters have survived. Two are addressed to Justinian in reply to a letter from the emperor, in the latter of which Agapetus refuses to acknowledge the Orders of the Arians. A third is addressed to the bishops of Africa, on the same subject. The fourth is a response to Reparatus, Bishop of Carthage, who had sent him congratulations upon his elevation to the Pontificate.[8][9]
Shortly afterwards, Agapetus fell ill and died on 22 April 536,[6] after a reign of just ten months. His remains were brought in a lead coffin to Rome and deposited in St. Peter's Basilica. On the Clivus Scauri the archeological remains known as the 'apsidal Hall of the Library of Pope Agapitus I' is located near the ancient Church of St. Andrew on the Caelian Hill.[10]
Veneration
Agapetus I has been canonised by both the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. His memory is kept on 20 September in the Catholic Church. The Eastern churches commemorate him on 22 April, the day of his death.
Feastday: September 20 Birth: 1794 Death: 1839 Canonized: Pope John Paul II
Paul Chong Hasang (1794 or 1795-September 22, 1839) was one of the Korean Martyrs.
This is a Korean name; the family nameis Chong. The baptismal name is Paul.
Paul Chong Hasang (1794 or 1795–September 22, 1839) was one of the Korean Martyrs. His feast day is September 22,[1] and he is also venerated along with the rest of the 103 Korean martyrs on September 20.
He was the son of the martyr Augustine Jeong Yak-Jong and a nephew of noted philosopher John Jeong Yak-Yong, who were among the first converts of Korea, who wrote the first catechism for the Catholic Church in Korea (entitled "Jugyo Yoji").
When Yakjong was martyred with Hasang's older brother, Yakjong's wife and the remaining children were spared and went into a rural place; Hasang was seven years old.
When he grew up, Hasang chose to become a servant of a government interpreter; this enabled him to travel to Beijing multiple times, where he entreated the bishop of Beijing to send priests to Korea, and wrote to Pope Gregory XVI via the bishop of Beijing requesting the establishment of a diocese in Korea. This happened in 1825.
Some years later, Bishop Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert and two priests were sent. The bishop found Hasang to be talented, zealous, and virtuous; he taught him Latin and theology, and was about to ordain him when a persecution broke out. Hasang was captured and gave the judge a written statement defending Catholicism. The judge, after reading it, said, "You are right in what you have written; but the king forbids this religion, it is your duty to renounce it." Hasang replied, "I have told you that I am a Christian, and will be one until my death."
After this Hasang went through a series of tortures in which his countenance remained tranquil. Finally, he was bound to a cross on a cart and cheerfully met his death, at the age of 45.[2]
The Korean Martyrs are commemorated by the Roman Catholic Church with a memorial on 20 September. 103 of them, including Hasang, were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1984.
The men and women who were slain because they refused to deny Christ in the nation of Korea. The faith was brought to Korea in a unique fashion. The intellectuals of that land, eager to learn about the world, discovered some Christian books procured through Korea's embassy to the Chinese capital. One Korean, Ni-seung-houn, went to Beijing in 1784 to study Catholicism and was baptized Peter Ri. Returning to Korea, he converted many others. In 1791, when these Christians were suddenly viewed as foreign traitors, two of Peter Ri's converts were martyred, men named Paul Youn and Jacques Kuen. The faith endured, however, and when Father James Tsiou, a Chinese, entered Korea three years later, he was greeted by four thousand Catholics. Father Tsiou worked in Korea until 1801 when he was slain by authorities. Three decades later the Prefecture Apostolic of Korea was established by Pope Leo XII, after he received a letter smuggled out of Korea by faithful Catholics. In 1836, Monsignor Lawrence Imbert managed to enter Korea. Others arrived, and they worked until 1839, when a full persecution started, bringing about the martyrdom of the European priests. Young Korean candidates for the priesthood were sent to Macau for ordination. The first native priest, Andrew Kim Taegon, returned to Korea in 1845 and was martyred the following year. Severe persecution followed, and Catholics fled to the mountains, still spreading the faith. In 1864, a new persecution claimed the lives of two bishops, six French missionaries, another Korean priest, and eight thousand Korean Catholics. The Korean martyrs of 1839, 1846, and 1867 were canonized in Korea in 1984 by Pope John Paul II.
The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution against Catholic Christians during the 19th century in Korea. Between 8,000 - 10,000 Korean Christians were killed during this period, 103 of whom were canonized en massein May 1984.[1] In addition, Paul Yun Ji-Chung and 123 companions were declared "Venerable" on 7 February 2014, and on 16 August 2014, they were beatified by Pope Francis during the Asian Youth Day in Gwanghwamun Plaza, Seoul, South Korea. There are further moves to beatify Catholics who were killed by communists for their faith in the 20th century during the Korean War.[2]
Contents
1Background
2History
3Individual martyrs
3.1Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and 101 Companions
3.2Paul Yun Ji Chung and 123 companions
3.3Biography of major martyrs
4Legacy
5Korean Martyrs Museum-Shrine
6See also
7References
8Bibliography
9External links
Background
At the end of the 18th century, Korea was ruled by the Joseon Dynasty. It was a society based on Confucianism and its hierarchical, class relationships. There was a small minority of privileged scholars and nobility while the majority were commoners paying taxes, providing labour, and manning the military, all above a slave class.
Even though it was scholars who first introduced Christianity to Korea, it was the ordinary people who flocked to the new religion. The new believers called themselves Chonju Kyo Udul, literally "Friends of the Teaching of God of Heaven". The term "friends" was the only term in the Confucian understanding of relationships which implied equality.[3]
History
During the early 17th century, Christian literature written in Chinese was imported from China to Korea. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study.[4] Although no Koreans were converted to Catholicism by these books until the last quarter of the eighteenth century, the ideas of the Catholic priests espoused in them were debated and denounced as heterodox as early as 1724.[5]
When a Chinese priest managed to secretly enter the country a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest.[4] The dynamic Catholic communities were led almost entirely by educated laypeoplefrom the aristocracy, as they were the only ones who could read the books that were written in Hanja.
The Christian community sent a delegation on foot to Beijing, 750 miles away, to ask the city's Bishop for bishops and priests. Eventually, two Chinese priests were sent, but their ministry was short-lived, and another forty years passed before the Paris Foreign Mission Society began its work in Korea with the arrival of Father Maubant in 1836. Paul Chong Hasang, Augustine Yu Chin-gil and Charles Cho Shin-chol had made several visits to Beijing in order to find ways of introducing missionaries into Korea. Since the persecution of 1801, there had been no priest to care for the Christian community. Serious dangers awaited the missionaries who dared to enter Korea. The bishops and priests who confronted this danger, as well as the lay Christians who aided and sheltered them, were in constant threat of losing their lives.[6]
Saint Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert, M.E.P.
Bishop Laurent Imbertand ten other French missionaries were the first Paris Foreign Mission Society priests to enter Korea and to embrace a different culture. During the daytime, they kept in hiding, but at night they travelled about on foot attending to the spiritual needs of the faithful and administering the sacraments. The first Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon, succeeded in entering Korea as a missionary. However, thirteen months after his ordination he was put to death by the sword in 1846 at the age of 26.[6]
The Catholics gathering in one place with no distinction on the basis of class were perceived to undermine 'hierarchical Confucianism', the ideology which held the State together. The new learning was seen to be subversive of the establishment and this gave rise to systematic suppression and persecution. The suffering the believers endured is well known through official documents which detail trials and the sentences. There were four major persecutions – the last one in 1866, at which time there were only 20,000 Catholics in Korea. 10,000 had died. Those figures give a sense of the enormous sacrifice of the early Korean Catholics. (Other Christian denominations did not enter Korea until sometime later).[3] The vast majority of the martyrs were simple lay people, including men and women, married and single, old and young.
More than 10,000 martyrs died in persecutions which extended over more than one hundred years. Of all these martyrs, seventy-nine were beatified in 1925. They had died in the persecutions of 1839 (Ki-hae persecution), 1846 (Pyong-o persecution) and 1866 (Pyong-in persecution). In addition, twenty-four martyrs were beatified in 1968 on the 6th of October.[7] All together, 103 martyrs were canonized by Pope John Paul II on 6 May 1984.[6] In a break with tradition, the ceremony did not take place in Rome, but in Seoul. Their feast day is September 20. Currently, Korea has the 4th largest number of saints in the Catholic world.[8]
Kim Taegon Statue in Jeoldu-san
From the last letter of Andrew Kim Taegŏn to his parish as he awaited martyrdom with a group of twenty persons:
My dear brothers and sisters, know this: Our Lord JesusChrist upon descending into the world took innumerable pains upon and constituted the holy Church through his own passion and increases it through the passion of its faithful....Now, however, some fifty or sixty years since the holy Church entered into our Korea, the faithful suffer persecutions again. Even today persecution rages, so that many of our friends of the same faith, among whom I am myself, have been thrown into prison....Since we have formed one body, how can we not be saddened in our innermost hearts? How can we not experience the pain of separation in our human faculties? However, as Scripture says, God cares for the least hair of our heads, and indeed he cares with his omniscience; therefore, how can persecution be considered as anything other than the command of God, or his prize, or precisely his punishment?...We are twenty here, and thanks be to God all are still well. If anyone is killed, I beg you not to forget his family. I have many more things to say, but how can I express them with pen and paper? I make an end to this letter. Since we are now close to the struggle, I pray you to walk in faith, so that when you have finally entered into Heaven, we may greet one another. I leave you my kiss of love.
In the early 1870s, Father Claude-Charles Dallet compiled a comprehensive history of the Catholic Church in Korea, largely from the manuscripts of martyred Bishop Antoine Daveluy. The Korean Martyrs were known for the staunchness, sincerity, and number of their converts. An English lawyer and sinologist Edward Harper Parker observed that
Coreans, unlike Chinese and Japanese, make the most staunch and devoted converts.... The Annamese make better converts than either Chinese or Japanese, whose tricky character, however, they share; but they are gentler and more sympathetic; they do not possess the staunch masculinity of the Coreans.[9]
According to Ernst Oppert,
An observation, founded upon many years' experience, may not be out of place here, and that is, that among all Asiatic nationalities there is probably none more inclined to be converted to Christianity than the Corean....He becomes a Christian from conviction, not from any mercenary motives.[10]
Bishop and martyr Simeon Francois Berneux wrote,
The Corean possesses the most perfect dispositions for receiving the faith. Once convinced, he accepts and attaches himself to it, in spite of all sacrifices it may cost him.[11]
Rev. Francis Goldie stated,
Certainly few countries, if any, have to tell of such a painful apostolate, or of one which has had such success. Japan alone in later days can boast a martyrology at all to compare with that of Corea in the number of the slain, or in the heroism of those who died for Christ.[12]
Individual martyrs
Stela to the members of theParis Foreign Missions Societywho were martyred in Korea.
Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and 101 Companions
The Christian community first began to take shape when Yi Sung-hun started to study Christian doctrine by himself and was eventually baptized and given the name Peter in 1784. Because of their belief in the Christian God, the first Korean Christians were persecuted repeatedly, rejected by their families, and suffered a loss of their social rank. Despite persecutions, the faith continued to spread.
The Christian community in Korea was given the assistance of two Chinese priests, but their ministry was short-lived, and another forty years passed before the Paris Foreign Mission Society began its work in Korea with the arrival of Father Mauban in 1836. A delegation was selected and sent to Beijing on foot, 750 miles, in order to ask the Bishop of Beijing to send them bishops and priests.
The same appeal was made to the Pope in Rome. Serious dangers awaited the missionaries who dared to enter Korea. The bishops and priests who confronted this danger, as well as the lay Christians who aided and sheltered them, were in constant threat of losing their lives.
In fact, until the granting of religious liberty in Korea in 1886, there was a multitude of "disciples who shed their blood, in imitation of Christ Our Lord, and who willingly submitted to death, for the salvation of the world" (Lumen Gentium, 42). Among those who died, and were later labelled as martyrs, were eleven priests and ninety-two lay people who would be canonized as saints.
Bishop Laurent Imbert and ten other French missionaries were the first Paris Foreign Mission Society priests to enter Korea and to embrace a different culture for the love of God. During the daytime, they kept in hiding, but at night they travelled about on foot attending to the spiritual needs of the faithful and administering the sacraments.
The first Korean priest, Andrew Kim Tae-gon, prompted by his faith in God and his love for the Christian people, found a way to make the difficult task of a missionary entry into Korea. However, just thirteen months after his ordination he was put to death by the sword when he was just 26 years old and the holy oils of ordination were still fresh on his hands.
Paul Chong Ha-sang, Augustine Yu Chin-gil and Charles Cho Shin-chol had made several visits to Beijing in order to find new ways of introducing missionaries into Korea. Since the persecution of 1801, there had been no priest to care for the Christian community. Finally, they succeeded in opening a new chapter in the history of the extension of the Church in Korea with the arrival of a bishop and ten priests of the Paris Foreign Mission Society.
Among the martyrs honored were fifteen virgins, including the two sisters Agnes Kim Hyo-ju and Columba Kim Hyo-im who loved Jesus with undivided heart (I Cor.7, 32–34). These women, in an era when Christian religious life was still unknown in Korea, lived in community and cared for the sick and the poor. Similarly, John Yi Kwang-hyol died a martyr's death after having lived a life of celibacy in consecrated service to the Church.
It is also important to recall in a special way some of the other martyrs who were canonized that day: Damien Nam Myong-hyok and Maria Yi Yon-hui were models of family life; John Nam Chong-sam, though of high social rank, was a model of justice, chastity and poverty; John Pak Hu-jae who, after he lost his parents in the persecutions, learnt to survive by making straw sandals; Peter Kwon Tug-in who devoted himself to meditation; Anna Pak A-gi who, although she did not have a deep grasp of Christian doctrine, was wholly devoted to Jesus and His Blessed Mother; and finally, Peter Yu Tae-chol who at the tender age of 13, bravely confessed his faith and died a martyr.
More than 10,000 martyrs died in persecutions which extended over more than one hundred years. Of all these martyrs, seventy-nine were beatified in 1925. They had died in the persecutions of 1839 (Ki-hae persecution), 1846 (Pyong-o persecution) and 1866 (Pyong-in persecution). In addition, twenty-four martyrs were beatified in 1968. All together, 103 martyrs were canonized on 6 May 1984 - on the shores of the Han River and in view of the martyrs' shrines at Saenamto and Choltusan, where they went to their eternal reward
Peter Yi Hoyong
Protasius Chong Kukbo
Magdalena Kim Obi
Anna Pak Agi
Agatha Yi Sosa
Agatha Kim Agi
Augustine Yi Kwanghon
Barbara Han Agi
Lucia Pak Huisun
Damian Nam Myonghyok
Peter Kwon Tugin
Joseph Chang Songjib
Barbara Kim
Barbara Yi
Rosa Kim Nosa
Martha Kim Songim
Teresa Yi Maeim
Anna Kim Changgum
John Baptist Yi Kwang-nyol
Magdalena Yi Yonghui
Lucia Kim Nusia
Maria Won Kwiim
Maria Pak Kunagi
Barbara Kwon Hui
Johannes Pak Hujae
Barbara Yi Chonghui
Maria Yi Yonhui
Agnes Kim Hyochu
Francis Choe Kyonghwan
Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert
Pierre-Philibert Maubant
Jacques-Honoré Chastan
Paul Chong Hasang
Augustine Yu Chinkil
Magdalena Ho Kyeim
Sebastian Nam Igwan
Kim Iulitta
Agatha Chon Kyonghyob
Charles Cho Shinchol
Ignatius Kim Chejun
Magdalena Pak Pongson
Perpetua Hong Kimju
Columba Kim Hyoim
Lucia Kim Kopchu
Catherine Yi
Magdalena Cho
Peter Yu Tae-chol
Cecilia Yu Sosa
Barbara Cho Chungi
Magdalena Han Yongi
Peter Choe Changhub
Benedicta Hyong Kyongnyon
Elizabeth Chong Chonghye
Barbara Ko Suni
Magdalena Yi Yongdok
Teresa Kim
Agatha Yi
Stephen Min Kuk-ka
Andrew Chong Hwagyong
Paul Ho Hyob
Augustine Pak Chongwon
Peter Hong Pyongju
Magdalena Son Sobyok
Agatha Yi Kyong-i
Maria Yi Indok
Agatha Kwon Chin-i
Paul Hong Yongju
Johannes Yi Munu
Barbara Choe Yongi
Anthony Kim Songu
Andrew Kim Taegon
Charles Hyon Songmun
Peter Nam Kyongmun
Lawrence Han Ihyong
Susanna U Surim
Joseph Im Chipek
Teresa Kim Imi
Agatha Yi Kannan
Catherina Chong Choryom
Peter Yu Chongnyul
Siméon-François Berneux
Simon-Marie-Just Ranfer de Bretenières
Pierre-Henri Dorie
Louis Beaulieu
John Baptist Nam Chongsam
John Baptist Chon Changun
Peter Choe Hyong
Mark Chong Uibae
Alexis U Seyong
Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy
Martin-Luc Huin
Pierre Aumaitre
Joseph Chang Chugi
Lucas Hwang Soktu
Thomas Son Chasuhn
Bartholomew Chong Munho
Peter Cho Hwaso
Peter Son Sonji
Peter Yi Myongso
Joseph Han Wonso
Peter Chong Wonji
Joseph Cho Yunho
John Yi Yun-il
Paul Yun Ji Chung and 123 companions
Yun Ji Chung Paul and his 123 companions have been the foundation of the Korean Catholic Church until this day. They played a pivotal role in evangelization with their pious faith which contributed to the growth of faithful in Korea. The testimony of their faith attributed as great encouragement to all the believers in the early stage of Catholicism in Korea, where many suffered martyrdom.
Among Yun Ji Chung Paul and his fellow 123 Martyrs, fifty three of most of them suffered from persecution during the Shinyoo persecution period(1801). Prior to Shinyoo persecution, three Martyrs during Shinhae persecution(1791), three Martyrs during Eulmyo persecution(1795) and eight Martyrs were persecuted during the Jeongsa persecution(1797). Martyrs persecuted after the Shinyoo persecution are one Martyr in 1841, twelve(1815) and two(1819) respectively during the Eulhae persecution, four in Jeonghae persectution(1827), eighteen in Kihae persecution(1839), twenty during the Byeongin persecution(1866–1888). Regionally persecution was executed throughout the country. In the capital of Chosun, Hanyang, 38, Gyeongsan province 29, Jeongra province 24, Choongchung province 18, Gyeonggi province 12, Gangwon province 3. Hanyang, the capital was the region where most severe persecution was conducted.
The 124 Martyrs exhibited astonishing bravery in faith and witnessed the Love of God with their lives. Martyrs' confession of faith for love in Jesus Christ culminated with the sacrifice of their lives. Yun Ji Chung was the first Martyr during the Shinhae persecution which occurred in 1791, in the 15th year under the reign of King Jeong(1791). Yun Ji Chung Paul testified God as the "Almighty Father of all mankind". He testified "A man can go against a King or their parents, but never can I disobey the Almighty Lord, our Father". Yun strongly believed that he can glorify the Lord through his death. We must take a moment to reflect on the historical background of Chosun Dynasty. It was the time when fidelity towards parents and loyalty to the King dominated common value. Our Martyrs respected the King and loved their parents but their priority was the profound faith they had in God. Their love and faith in the Almighty Father ousted materialism and even mankind. Yun Ji Chung is distinguished as the representative of his fellow Martyrs because he was the very first Martyr from the land where Christianity, unprecedentedly sprout from laity without missionaries.
The abundant fruits of the 124 Martyrs continue to grow vividly not only in their dioceses, but throughout the whole Korean Church now until today. Many Catholics and their shepherds are inspired by the faith and love they have shown. Their testimony of faith came to be recognized immediately after the Beatification of the 103 Saints presided by John Paul II in 1984.
Biography of major martyrs
Yun Ji-chung Paul (1759–1791): Yun Ji-chung Paul, the first Chosun martyr killed for his Catholic faith, was born in 1759 to a noble family in Jinsan, Jeolla-do. Yun Ji-heon Francis, who was martyred during the Shinyu Persecution of 1801, was his younger brother.
In 1783, Yun passed the first state examination and learned about Catholicism for the first time through his cousin Jung Yak Yong John. After being baptized in 1787, he preached the Catholic doctrine to his mother, younger brother, and cousin Kwon Sang Yeon James. He also kept in touch with Yoo Hang Geom Augustine to keep up mission work.
In 1791, Bishop Gouvea of Beijing ordered a ban on traditional ancestral rites within his diocese. Yun Ji Chung and Kwon Sang Yeon, in accordance with the Church's commands, set their families ancestral tablets on fire. Chung's mother died the following year. She requested to receive a Catholic funeral which her son duly provided for her. These actions angered the royal family.
News of Yun's actions led to dispute in the royal court. In the end, Jeongjo backed the Noron faction push to oppress Catholicism and ordered the arrest of Yun and Kwon.
The governor of Jinsan went to Yun's house. He discovered the absence of the family's ancestral plates. At the time the pair were in hiding. Upon hearing that Yuns's uncle had been taken into custody they handed themselves into the authorities.
In the face of calls to renounce their Catholic faith the pair refused. The governor judged that getting them to abandon their religion was beyond him. They were sent to a government building in Jeonju. The pair continued to refuse apostasy despite interrogation and torture. An official report on the situation was delivered to the royal court. Opinion within the court was in favour of the death penalty. Jeongjo supported this view and ordered their execution. On the 8th of the December 1791 Yun and Kwon were beheaded.
This episode is referred to as the 'Jinsan incident'.
Fr. Jacob Zhou Wenmo (1752–1801): The first missionary priest to be dispatched to Chosun. Born in Suzhou, China in 1752, he lost his parents early in life and were raised by his grandmother. He entered Catholic by himself and became a priest as one of the first graduates at Beijing Archdiocese seminary. At that time, Bishop Gouvea in Beijing was planning to send a clergy to Chosun. He chose Father Ju, who had a strong faith and looked similar to Chosun people. After leaving Beijing in February 1794, Father Ju waited at Yodong area until the Amnokgang River froze enough to cross across. On the appointed date, he went to a town located on the border between China and Chosun to meet secret envoys sent from Chosun and entered Chosun on the night of December 24. Since then, Father Ju stayed at the house of a faithful to learn Hangul, the Korean alphabets. On Easter of 1795, he held a mass with the faithful for the first time. However, after his entry was revealed, he escaped to female President Kang Wan Sook (Colomba)'s house and continued to pray in many areas in secrecy. The number of the faithful increased to 10,000 after six years but as the Catholic Persecution of 1801 occurred and the faithful were forced to confess the location of Father Ju, he decided to surrender on March 11 of that year. On May 31, Father Ju was decapitated at Saenamteo area near Han River at the age of 49.
Yun Yoo Il Paul (1760–1795): A secret envoy from Beijing who helped missionary to enter Chosun. He was born in Yeoju, Kyungki-do in 1760. After moving to Yanggeun, he encountered Catholic while studying under Kwon Chul Shin. He learned Catholic doctrine from Kwon Il Shin, the younger brother of Kwon Chul Shin, and entered into Catholic. He then preached the doctrine to his family. In 1789, Yun Yoo Il was selected as a secret envoy by the church leaders to report the situation of Chosun church to Bishop Gouvea. Thus, he went to Beijing two times: in 1789 and in 1790. In 1791, Bishop Gouvea's plan to dispatch a priest failed and persecution took place in Chosun. Nonetheless, Yun Yoo Il continued to endeavor to dispatch a priest. In 1794, he finally succeeded in bringing Father Ju Mun Mo to Chosun. Since then, he was responsible for keeping in contact with Beijing church. In 1795, Yun Yoo Il was arrested along with Ji Hwang (Sabas), Choi In Gil (Mathew). They were tortured to tell the location of Father Ju, but their strong endurance and wise response rather confused the persecutors. As a result, the three of them were beaten to death on June 28 of that year, when Yun Yoo Il was 35, Ji Hwang 28, and Choi In Gil 30.
Jeong Yak Jong Augustinus (1760–1801): The first Catholic lay theologian in Korea. In 1760, he was born into a family of scholars in Majae (current Neungnae-ri Joan-myeon, Namyangju-si Gyeonggi-go). He is the father of Jeong Chul Sang(Charles ?-1801) who will be beatified together with the 123 Blessed and St. Jeong Ha Sang Paul (martyred in 1839), who was declared saint in 1984. After learning Catholic doctrine from his older brother Jeong Yak Jeon in 1786, he moved to Yanggeon Bunwon (current Bunwon-ri, Namjeong-myeon, Gwangju-gun, Gyeonggi-go) to live a life of faith and preached a doctrine to his neighbors while participating in church activities. After Father Ju Mun Mo came in 1794, Jeong Yak Jong often visited Han Yang to help church work. He also wrote two easy Hangul textbooks called 'Jugyo-yoji' a Catechism in the Korean language and distributed them to Christians with Father Ju's approval. Moreover, he became the first president of a layperson association called 'Myeongdo-hoe' which was organized by Father Ju. When persecution began in his hometown in 1800, Jeong Yak Jong and his family moved to Han Yang. However, Catholic Persecution of 1801 began in the following year and Jeong Yak Jong was arrested. As he tried to preach the righteousness of Catholic doctrine to persecutors, he was decapitated at Seosomun in 15 days after he was arrested. When he was martyred, he said "I'd rather die looking up at the sky than to die looking down at the ground" and was decapitated while looking up at the sky. That was 8 April 1801, when he was at age 41.
Kang Wan Sook Columba (1761–1801): Female leader of Chosun Catholic. In 1761, she was born to a concubine of a noble family in Naepo area in ChungCheong-do. She learned about Catholic soon after she was married and practiced doctrine by reading Catholic books. During the persecution in 1791, she was imprisoned while taking care of the imprisoned faithful. Kang Wan Sook guided her mother-in-law and her son from previous marriage (Hong Pil Joo Phillips, martyred in 1801) to enter Catholic but she could not make her husband enter Catholic. Later, when her husband got a concubine, Kang Wan Sook and her husband lived separately. After hearing that the faithful in Han Yang are well-informed with Catholic doctrine, she moved to Han Yang with her mother-in-law and her son. She provided financial support to Christians working on recruiting a clergy and was baptized by Father Ju Mun Mo. Knowing her fine personality, Father Ju appointed Kang Wan Sook as a female President to take care of the faithful. When a persecution in 1795 took place, Kang Wan Sook took advantage of the fact that persecutors cannot search a house owned by a woman and let Father Ju to take refuge in her house. Her house was also used for the faithful's assembly. On April 6, 1801, Kang Wan Sook helped Father Ju to escape while being arrested. Although persecutors tried to trace Father Ju's whereabouts through her, she refused to confess. On 2 July, she was decapitated outside Seosomun at age 40.
Yu Hang-geom Augustine (1756–1801): The priest of Ho Nam. Yu Hang-geum Augustine was born in 1756 in Chonam, Jeonju. He learned the catechism soon after Catholicism was introduced to Korea in 1784 and became a Catholic. His sons Yu Jung-cheol John, Yu Mun-seok John and his daughter-in-law Yi Sun-i Lutgarda and his nephew Yu Jung-seong Matthew will be beatified along with Yu Hang-geom Augustine. He showed compassion and gave alms to poor neighbors as well as to his servants. Augustine Yu was appointed as pastor of Jeolla-do region when in the spring of 1786, the leaders of the Catholics held a meeting and appointed clergy at their own discretion. Afterwards, Augustine Yu returned to his hometown and celebrated Mass and administered the Sacraments to the faithful. However, after a while, the leaders of the Catholics understood that such an act was a sacrilege. As soon as this was brought to his attention, he stopped immediately. When the Persecution of 1801 broke out, Augustine Yu, who was recognized as the head of the Church in the Jeolla-do region, was first to be arrested. He was taken to Seoul (Hanyang) from Jeon ju where he underwent interrogation and torture at the Police Headquarters. However, since he was already determined to die a martyr, he neither betrayed the other believers nor said anything that would harm the Church. The persecutors, despite all their efforts, could not et any of the information they were looking for. Hence, they charged him with the crime of treason and ordered that he be executed. With this decision, Augustine Yu was transferred back to Jeonju, where he was hacked to pieces outside the South Gate of Jeonju.
Hwang Il-gwang Simon (1757–1802): Hwang Il-gwang Simon was born in Hongju, Chungcheong-do to a low-class family. Around 1792, he moved to Hongsan, where he went to see Yi Jon-chang Louis Gonzaga to learn about the Catholic teaching. After he understood the faith, he left his hometown and moved to Gyeongsang-do to have more freedom to practice his religious life. The Catholics knew about the social status of Simon Hwang, but they welcomed him with open hearts and surrounded him with Christian charity. On receiving such treatment he sometimes made jokes as follows: "Here, everybody treats me as a human being despite my low-class status. Now, I believe that Heaven exists here and hereafter." In 1800 Simon Hwang moved to the neighboring house of Jeong Yak-jong Augustine and when Augustine Jeong moved to Seoul (Hanyang), he also moved to Seoul (Hanyang) with his younger brother and made his living by selling firewood. In 1801, Simon Hwang was arrested while he was on his way to the mountain to get firewood. By stating that the Catholic religion is a 'holy religion', he was cruelly beaten to the point that one of his legs was broken. Simon Hwang was then transferred to his hometown Hong ju and was beheaded. It was on 30 January 1802 when Simon Hwang was 45 years old.
Yi Sun-I Lutgarda (1782–1802): A couple who kept their virginity through faith Yi Sun-I Lutgarda was born in 1782 to a well-known noble family. Her brothers Yi Gyeong-do Charles (martyred in 1801) and Yi Gyeong-eon Paul (martyred in 1827), and her husband Yu Jung-cheol John (martyred in 1801) will be beatified with her. Yi Yun-ha. Matthew, Lutgarda Yi's father, inherited the scholarship of his maternal grandfather Yi Ik who was a renowned scholar of the time. Matthew Yi became a Catholic in 1784, soon after Catholicism was introduced to Korea, when he met Kwon Chol-sin, and Kwon Il-sin. Lutgarda Yi received her First Holy Communion from Father Zhou Wen-mo James and made a vow of chastity. However, in the society of that time, it was extremely difficult for a young woman to remain single. When she was 15 years old, Lutgarda confessed to her mother that she had decided to keep her vow of chastity for God. Her mother agreed with her decision and consulted Father James Zhou. Father James Zhou remembered that Yu Jung-cheol John also wanted to live a life of celibacy. Hence, he immediately sent a messenger and arranged their marriage. In 1798, Lutgarda Yi went to her husband's hometown, Chonam in Jeonju and made a vow to live a celibate life. During Shinyu Persecution in 1801, Yu Hang-gom Augustine, her father-in-law, was first arrested. Lutgarda Yi was arrested later and was taken to Jeonju. Lutgarda Yi was condemned to exile and left for Hamgyeong-do. However soon the police followed them and arrested them again. On 31 January 1802, Lutgarda Yi was taken to the execution ground in Jeonju, called 'Supjeongi' and was beheaded. Lutgarda Yi was 20 years old. The letter she wrote while she was imprisoned in Jeonju still remains until today and testifies for the values of Catholics of the time.
Kim Jin-hu Pius (1739–1814): The ancestor of the St. Kim Taegon Andrew. Kim Jin-hu Pius was born in Solmoe, Chungcheong-do. He was the great-grandfather of St. Kim Taegon Andrew and the father of Kim Jong-han Andrew, who was martyred in 1816 and who will be beatified with the 123 Blessed. Pius Kim encountered Catholicism when his eldest son learned the catechism from Yi Jon-chang Gonzaga and taught it to his brothers. Then, Pius Kim was about 50 years old. As he obtained a small government post from the governor, he strongly refused the advice of his children. However, as his sons kept persuading him, he gradually drawn towards Jesus Christ and quitted his government position to focus on fulfilling religious duties. When Pius Kim was arrested during the Sinhae persecution in 1791, he professed his faith in God. He was arrested four to five more times but was released each time. He was also arrested during the Shinyu Persecution in 1801, but was exiled and set free. Pius Kim was arrested again in 1805 and was taken to Haemi. This time, he behaved like a real Catholic and professed his faith in God without hesitation. He stayed in prison for a long time without being sentenced to death. In prison, the officials and prison guards respected him for his noble and dignified personality and conduct. He spent 10 years in prison, during which he endured the sufferings and pains of prison. He died in prison on 1 December 1814 at the age of 75.
Yi Seong-rye (1801–1840): Mother who inherited faith to her children She was born in 1801 in Hongju, Chungcheong-do. She was from the family of Louis Gonzaga Yi Jon-chang. At the age of 17, she married St. Francis Choe Kyeong-hwan and lived in Darakgol, Hongju. In 1821 she gave birth to their first son, Thomas Choe Yang-up. Due to the danger of persecution the family had to move frequently but Yi Seong-rye told biblical stories to her children and taught them to endure difficulties and to be patient. After settling down in Surisan (currently Gunpo-city, Gyeonggi-do) she helped her husband to set up the Christian village. Meanwhile, her son Thomas Choe Yang-up was chosen to be a candidate for the seminarian and was sent to Macau to study theology. In 1839, during Gihae persecution her husband went back and forth Hanyang (now Seoul) to take care of the bodies of the Martyrs, she supported her husband and finally was arrested by the police with her whole family in Surisan. She suffered painfully not because of the torture, but because of her maternal love for her new-born baby who was nearly starved to death due to lack of milk from his mother. Yi could no longer abandon her baby so she yielded to defy her faith and was released from prison. When her eldest son left to China to be a seminarian, she was imprisoned once again. When she was sentenced to death, with divine grace and prayers from her Catholic friends, she overcame all the temptation and was sent to Danggogae (now Wonhyoro 2-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) to be beheaded at the age of 39.
Paul Yun Ji Chung
Jacob Gwon Sangyeon
Peter Won Sijang
Paul Yun Yuil
Matthew Choe Ingil
Sabas Jihwang
Paul Yi Dogi
Francis Bang
Lawrence Pak Chwideuk
Jacob Won Sibo
Peter Jeong Sanpil
Francis Bae Gwangyeom
Martin In Eonmin
Francis Yi Bohyeon
Peter Jo Yongsam
Barbara Simagi
Johannes Choe Changhyeon
Augustine Jeong Yakjong
Francis Xavier Hong Gyoman
Thomas Choe Pilgong
Luke Hong Nakmin
Marcellinus Choe Changju
Martin Yi Jungbae
Johannes Won Gyeongdo
Jacob Yun Yuo
Barnabas Kim Ju
Peter Choe Pilje
Lucia Yun Unhye
Candida Jeong Bokhye
Thaddeus Jeong Inhyeok
Carol Jeong Cheolsang
Father Jacob Zhou Wenmu, Missionary from Qing dynasty
Paul Yi Gukseung
Columba Gang Wansuk
Susanna Gang Gyeongbok
Matthew Kim Hyeonu
Bibiana Mun Yeongin
Juliana Kim Yeoni
Anthony Yi Hyeon
Ignatius Choe Incheol
Agatha Han Sinae
Barbara Jeong Sunmae
Agatha Yun Jeomhye
Andrew Kim Gwangok
Peter Kim Jeongduk
Stanislaus Han Jeongheum
Matthew Choe Yeogyeom
Andrew Gim Jonggyo
Philip Hong Pilju
Augustine Yu Hanggeom
Francis Yun Jiheon
Johannes Yu Jungcheol
Johannes Yu Munseok
Paul Hyeon Gyeheum
Francis Kim Sajip
Gervasius Son Gyeongyun
Carol Yi Gyeongdo
Simon Kim Gyewan
Barnabas Jeong Gwangsu
Anthony Hong Ikman
Thomas Han Deokun
Simon Hwang Ilgwang
Leo Hong In
Sebastian Kwon Sangmun
Lutgrada Yi Suni
Matthew Yu Jungseong
Pius Kim Jinhu
Agatha Magdalena Kim Yundeok
Alexis Kim Siu
Francis Choe Bonghan
Simon Kim Gangi
Andrew Seo Seokbong
Francis Kim Huiseong
Barbara Ku Seongyeol
Anna Yi Simi
Peter Ko Seongdae
Joseph Ko Seongun
Andrew Kim Jonghan
Jacob Kim Hwachun
Peter Jo Suk
Teresa Kwon
Paul Yi Gyeongeon
Paul Pak Gyeonghwa
Ambrose Kim Sebak
Richard An Gunsim
Andrew Yi Jaehaeng
Andrew Pak Saui
Andrew Kim Sageon
Job Yi Ileon
Peter Sin Taebo
Peter Yi Taegwon
Paul Jeong Taebong
Peter Gim Daegwon
Johannes Cho Haesong
Anastasia Kim Joi
Barbara Kim Joi
Anastasia Yi Bonggeum
Brigida Choe
Protasius Hong Jaeyeong
Barbara Choe Joi
Magdalena Yi Joi
Jacob Oh Jongrye
Maria Yi Seongrye
Thomas Jang
Thaddeus Ku Hanseon
Paul Oh Banji
Mark Sin Seokbok
Stephan Kim Wonjung
Benedict Song
Peter Song
Anna Yi
Felix Peter Kim Giryang
Matthias Pak Sanggeun
Anthony Jeong Chanmun
Johannes Yi Jeongsik
Martin Yang Jaehyeon
Peter Yi Yangdeung
Luke Kim Jongryun
Jacob Heo Inbaek
Francis Pak
Margarita Oh
Victor Pak Daesik
Peter Joseph Yun Bongmun
Legacy
Pope John Paul II, speaking at the canonization, said, "The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by lay people. 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 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 in the Church of silence in the north of this tragically divided land".[4] After the canonization of the 103 Martyrs, the Catholic Church in Korea felt that the martyrs who died in the other persecutions also need to be recognized. In 2003, the beatification process for 124 martyrs who died in persecutions between 1791 and 1888 began.[citation needed]
They were declared Venerable by Pope Francis on 7 February 2014. The group is headed by Paul Yun Ji-Chung, a nobleman who converted to Catholicism and refused to have his deceased mother buried under the traditional Confucian rite. His refusal led to a massive persecution of Christians called the Sinhae Persecution in 1791. Paul was beheaded on 8 December 1791, together with his cousin, James Kwon Sang-yeon. They were the first members of the Korean Nobility to be killed for the faith. Among the martyrs in this group are Fr. James Zhou Wen-mo (1752–1801), a Chinese priest who secretly ministered to the Christians in Korea; Augustine Jeong Yak-Jong (1760–1801), the husband of St. Cecilia Yu So-sa and father of Sts. Paul Chong Ha-sang and Elizabeth Chong Chong-hye; Columba Kang Wan-suk (1761–1801), known as the "catechist of the Korean Martyrs"; Augustine Yu Hang-geom (1756–1801), also known as the "apostle of Jeolla-do"; and Maria Yi Seong-rye (1801–1840), the wife of St. Francis Choe Kyeong-hwan. Also included in the group are Augustine Yu Hang-geom's son John Yu Jeong-cheol (1779–1801) and his wife Lutgarda Yi Sun-i (1782–1802). They both decided to live celibate lives in order to fully dedicate themselves to God, but the Confucian society, which greatly valued furthering the family line, made it impossible for them to live as celibates. Fr. James Zhou introduced the two to each other and suggested them to marry each other and live as a "virgin couple". The two were married in 1797 and were martyred 4 years later.[citation
Feastday: September 20 Birth: 1773 Death: 1839 Canonized: Pope John Paul II
Korean Martyr
The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution against Catholic Christians during the 19th century in Korea. Between 8,000 - 10,000 Korean Christians were killed during this period, 103 of whom were canonized en massein May 1984.[1] In addition, Paul Yun Ji-Chung and 123 companions were declared "Venerable" on 7 February 2014, and on 16 August 2014, they were beatified by Pope Francis during the Asian Youth Day in Gwanghwamun Plaza, Seoul, South Korea. There are further moves to beatify Catholics who were killed by communists for their faith in the 20th century during the Korean War.[2]
Contents
1Background
2History
3Individual martyrs
3.1Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and 101 Companions
3.2Paul Yun Ji Chung and 123 companions
3.3Biography of major martyrs
4Legacy
5Korean Martyrs Museum-Shrine
6See also
7References
8Bibliography
9External links
Background
At the end of the 18th century, Korea was ruled by the Joseon Dynasty. It was a society based on Confucianism and its hierarchical, class relationships. There was a small minority of privileged scholars and nobility while the majority were commoners paying taxes, providing labour, and manning the military, all above a slave class.
Even though it was scholars who first introduced Christianity to Korea, it was the ordinary people who flocked to the new religion. The new believers called themselves Chonju Kyo Udul, literally "Friends of the Teaching of God of Heaven". The term "friends" was the only term in the Confucian understanding of relationships which implied equality.[3]
History
During the early 17th century, Christian literature written in Chinese was imported from China to Korea. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study.[4] Although no Koreans were converted to Catholicism by these books until the last quarter of the eighteenth century, the ideas of the Catholic priests espoused in them were debated and denounced as heterodox as early as 1724.[5]
When a Chinese priest managed to secretly enter the country a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest.[4] The dynamic Catholic communities were led almost entirely by educated laypeoplefrom the aristocracy, as they were the only ones who could read the books that were written in Hanja.
The Christian community sent a delegation on foot to Beijing, 750 miles away, to ask the city's Bishop for bishops and priests. Eventually, two Chinese priests were sent, but their ministry was short-lived, and another forty years passed before the Paris Foreign Mission Society began its work in Korea with the arrival of Father Maubant in 1836. Paul Chong Hasang, Augustine Yu Chin-gil and Charles Cho Shin-chol had made several visits to Beijing in order to find ways of introducing missionaries into Korea. Since the persecution of 1801, there had been no priest to care for the Christian community. Serious dangers awaited the missionaries who dared to enter Korea. The bishops and priests who confronted this danger, as well as the lay Christians who aided and sheltered them, were in constant threat of losing their lives.[6]
Saint Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert, M.E.P.
Bishop Laurent Imbertand ten other French missionaries were the first Paris Foreign Mission Society priests to enter Korea and to embrace a different culture. During the daytime, they kept in hiding, but at night they travelled about on foot attending to the spiritual needs of the faithful and administering the sacraments. The first Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon, succeeded in entering Korea as a missionary. However, thirteen months after his ordination he was put to death by the sword in 1846 at the age of 26.[6]
The Catholics gathering in one place with no distinction on the basis of class were perceived to undermine 'hierarchical Confucianism', the ideology which held the State together. The new learning was seen to be subversive of the establishment and this gave rise to systematic suppression and persecution. The suffering the believers endured is well known through official documents which detail trials and the sentences. There were four major persecutions – the last one in 1866, at which time there were only 20,000 Catholics in Korea. 10,000 had died. Those figures give a sense of the enormous sacrifice of the early Korean Catholics. (Other Christian denominations did not enter Korea until sometime later).[3] The vast majority of the martyrs were simple lay people, including men and women, married and single, old and young.
More than 10,000 martyrs died in persecutions which extended over more than one hundred years. Of all these martyrs, seventy-nine were beatified in 1925. They had died in the persecutions of 1839 (Ki-hae persecution), 1846 (Pyong-o persecution) and 1866 (Pyong-in persecution). In addition, twenty-four martyrs were beatified in 1968 on the 6th of October.[7] All together, 103 martyrs were canonized by Pope John Paul II on 6 May 1984.[6] In a break with tradition, the ceremony did not take place in Rome, but in Seoul. Their feast day is September 20. Currently, Korea has the 4th largest number of saints in the Catholic world.[8]
Kim Taegon Statue in Jeoldu-san
From the last letter of Andrew Kim Taegŏn to his parish as he awaited martyrdom with a group of twenty persons:
My dear brothers and sisters, know this: Our Lord JesusChrist upon descending into the world took innumerable pains upon and constituted the holy Church through his own passion and increases it through the passion of its faithful....Now, however, some fifty or sixty years since the holy Church entered into our Korea, the faithful suffer persecutions again. Even today persecution rages, so that many of our friends of the same faith, among whom I am myself, have been thrown into prison....Since we have formed one body, how can we not be saddened in our innermost hearts? How can we not experience the pain of separation in our human faculties? However, as Scripture says, God cares for the least hair of our heads, and indeed he cares with his omniscience; therefore, how can persecution be considered as anything other than the command of God, or his prize, or precisely his punishment?...We are twenty here, and thanks be to God all are still well. If anyone is killed, I beg you not to forget his family. I have many more things to say, but how can I express them with pen and paper? I make an end to this letter. Since we are now close to the struggle, I pray you to walk in faith, so that when you have finally entered into Heaven, we may greet one another. I leave you my kiss of love.
In the early 1870s, Father Claude-Charles Dallet compiled a comprehensive history of the Catholic Church in Korea, largely from the manuscripts of martyred Bishop Antoine Daveluy. The Korean Martyrs were known for the staunchness, sincerity, and number of their converts. An English lawyer and sinologist Edward Harper Parker observed that
Coreans, unlike Chinese and Japanese, make the most staunch and devoted converts.... The Annamese make better converts than either Chinese or Japanese, whose tricky character, however, they share; but they are gentler and more sympathetic; they do not possess the staunch masculinity of the Coreans.[9]
According to Ernst Oppert,
An observation, founded upon many years' experience, may not be out of place here, and that is, that among all Asiatic nationalities there is probably none more inclined to be converted to Christianity than the Corean....He becomes a Christian from conviction, not from any mercenary motives.[10]
Bishop and martyr Simeon Francois Berneux wrote,
The Corean possesses the most perfect dispositions for receiving the faith. Once convinced, he accepts and attaches himself to it, in spite of all sacrifices it may cost him.[11]
Rev. Francis Goldie stated,
Certainly few countries, if any, have to tell of such a painful apostolate, or of one which has had such success. Japan alone in later days can boast a martyrology at all to compare with that of Corea in the number of the slain, or in the heroism of those who died for Christ.[12]
Individual martyrs
Stela to the members of theParis Foreign Missions Societywho were martyred in Korea.
Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and 101 Companions
The Christian community first began to take shape when Yi Sung-hun started to study Christian doctrine by himself and was eventually baptized and given the name Peter in 1784. Because of their belief in the Christian God, the first Korean Christians were persecuted repeatedly, rejected by their families, and suffered a loss of their social rank. Despite persecutions, the faith continued to spread.
The Christian community in Korea was given the assistance of two Chinese priests, but their ministry was short-lived, and another forty years passed before the Paris Foreign Mission Society began its work in Korea with the arrival of Father Mauban in 1836. A delegation was selected and sent to Beijing on foot, 750 miles, in order to ask the Bishop of Beijing to send them bishops and priests.
The same appeal was made to the Pope in Rome. Serious dangers awaited the missionaries who dared to enter Korea. The bishops and priests who confronted this danger, as well as the lay Christians who aided and sheltered them, were in constant threat of losing their lives.
In fact, until the granting of religious liberty in Korea in 1886, there was a multitude of "disciples who shed their blood, in imitation of Christ Our Lord, and who willingly submitted to death, for the salvation of the world" (Lumen Gentium, 42). Among those who died, and were later labelled as martyrs, were eleven priests and ninety-two lay people who would be canonized as saints.
Bishop Laurent Imbert and ten other French missionaries were the first Paris Foreign Mission Society priests to enter Korea and to embrace a different culture for the love of God. During the daytime, they kept in hiding, but at night they travelled about on foot attending to the spiritual needs of the faithful and administering the sacraments.
The first Korean priest, Andrew Kim Tae-gon, prompted by his faith in God and his love for the Christian people, found a way to make the difficult task of a missionary entry into Korea. However, just thirteen months after his ordination he was put to death by the sword when he was just 26 years old and the holy oils of ordination were still fresh on his hands.
Paul Chong Ha-sang, Augustine Yu Chin-gil and Charles Cho Shin-chol had made several visits to Beijing in order to find new ways of introducing missionaries into Korea. Since the persecution of 1801, there had been no priest to care for the Christian community. Finally, they succeeded in opening a new chapter in the history of the extension of the Church in Korea with the arrival of a bishop and ten priests of the Paris Foreign Mission Society.
Among the martyrs honored were fifteen virgins, including the two sisters Agnes Kim Hyo-ju and Columba Kim Hyo-im who loved Jesus with undivided heart (I Cor.7, 32–34). These women, in an era when Christian religious life was still unknown in Korea, lived in community and cared for the sick and the poor. Similarly, John Yi Kwang-hyol died a martyr's death after having lived a life of celibacy in consecrated service to the Church.
It is also important to recall in a special way some of the other martyrs who were canonized that day: Damien Nam Myong-hyok and Maria Yi Yon-hui were models of family life; John Nam Chong-sam, though of high social rank, was a model of justice, chastity and poverty; John Pak Hu-jae who, after he lost his parents in the persecutions, learnt to survive by making straw sandals; Peter Kwon Tug-in who devoted himself to meditation; Anna Pak A-gi who, although she did not have a deep grasp of Christian doctrine, was wholly devoted to Jesus and His Blessed Mother; and finally, Peter Yu Tae-chol who at the tender age of 13, bravely confessed his faith and died a martyr.
More than 10,000 martyrs died in persecutions which extended over more than one hundred years. Of all these martyrs, seventy-nine were beatified in 1925. They had died in the persecutions of 1839 (Ki-hae persecution), 1846 (Pyong-o persecution) and 1866 (Pyong-in persecution). In addition, twenty-four martyrs were beatified in 1968. All together, 103 martyrs were canonized on 6 May 1984 - on the shores of the Han River and in view of the martyrs' shrines at Saenamto and Choltusan, where they went to their eternal reward
Peter Yi Hoyong
Protasius Chong Kukbo
Magdalena Kim Obi
Anna Pak Agi
Agatha Yi Sosa
Agatha Kim Agi
Augustine Yi Kwanghon
Barbara Han Agi
Lucia Pak Huisun
Damian Nam Myonghyok
Peter Kwon Tugin
Joseph Chang Songjib
Barbara Kim
Barbara Yi
Rosa Kim Nosa
Martha Kim Songim
Teresa Yi Maeim
Anna Kim Changgum
John Baptist Yi Kwang-nyol
Magdalena Yi Yonghui
Lucia Kim Nusia
Maria Won Kwiim
Maria Pak Kunagi
Barbara Kwon Hui
Johannes Pak Hujae
Barbara Yi Chonghui
Maria Yi Yonhui
Agnes Kim Hyochu
Francis Choe Kyonghwan
Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert
Pierre-Philibert Maubant
Jacques-Honoré Chastan
Paul Chong Hasang
Augustine Yu Chinkil
Magdalena Ho Kyeim
Sebastian Nam Igwan
Kim Iulitta
Agatha Chon Kyonghyob
Charles Cho Shinchol
Ignatius Kim Chejun
Magdalena Pak Pongson
Perpetua Hong Kimju
Columba Kim Hyoim
Lucia Kim Kopchu
Catherine Yi
Magdalena Cho
Peter Yu Tae-chol
Cecilia Yu Sosa
Barbara Cho Chungi
Magdalena Han Yongi
Peter Choe Changhub
Benedicta Hyong Kyongnyon
Elizabeth Chong Chonghye
Barbara Ko Suni
Magdalena Yi Yongdok
Teresa Kim
Agatha Yi
Stephen Min Kuk-ka
Andrew Chong Hwagyong
Paul Ho Hyob
Augustine Pak Chongwon
Peter Hong Pyongju
Magdalena Son Sobyok
Agatha Yi Kyong-i
Maria Yi Indok
Agatha Kwon Chin-i
Paul Hong Yongju
Johannes Yi Munu
Barbara Choe Yongi
Anthony Kim Songu
Andrew Kim Taegon
Charles Hyon Songmun
Peter Nam Kyongmun
Lawrence Han Ihyong
Susanna U Surim
Joseph Im Chipek
Teresa Kim Imi
Agatha Yi Kannan
Catherina Chong Choryom
Peter Yu Chongnyul
Siméon-François Berneux
Simon-Marie-Just Ranfer de Bretenières
Pierre-Henri Dorie
Louis Beaulieu
John Baptist Nam Chongsam
John Baptist Chon Changun
Peter Choe Hyong
Mark Chong Uibae
Alexis U Seyong
Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy
Martin-Luc Huin
Pierre Aumaitre
Joseph Chang Chugi
Lucas Hwang Soktu
Thomas Son Chasuhn
Bartholomew Chong Munho
Peter Cho Hwaso
Peter Son Sonji
Peter Yi Myongso
Joseph Han Wonso
Peter Chong Wonji
Joseph Cho Yunho
John Yi Yun-il
Paul Yun Ji Chung and 123 companions
Yun Ji Chung Paul and his 123 companions have been the foundation of the Korean Catholic Church until this day. They played a pivotal role in evangelization with their pious faith which contributed to the growth of faithful in Korea. The testimony of their faith attributed as great encouragement to all the believers in the early stage of Catholicism in Korea, where many suffered martyrdom.
Among Yun Ji Chung Paul and his fellow 123 Martyrs, fifty three of most of them suffered from persecution during the Shinyoo persecution period(1801). Prior to Shinyoo persecution, three Martyrs during Shinhae persecution(1791), three Martyrs during Eulmyo persecution(1795) and eight Martyrs were persecuted during the Jeongsa persecution(1797). Martyrs persecuted after the Shinyoo persecution are one Martyr in 1841, twelve(1815) and two(1819) respectively during the Eulhae persecution, four in Jeonghae persectution(1827), eighteen in Kihae persecution(1839), twenty during the Byeongin persecution(1866–1888). Regionally persecution was executed throughout the country. In the capital of Chosun, Hanyang, 38, Gyeongsan province 29, Jeongra province 24, Choongchung province 18, Gyeonggi province 12, Gangwon province 3. Hanyang, the capital was the region where most severe persecution was conducted.
The 124 Martyrs exhibited astonishing bravery in faith and witnessed the Love of God with their lives. Martyrs' confession of faith for love in Jesus Christ culminated with the sacrifice of their lives. Yun Ji Chung was the first Martyr during the Shinhae persecution which occurred in 1791, in the 15th year under the reign of King Jeong(1791). Yun Ji Chung Paul testified God as the "Almighty Father of all mankind". He testified "A man can go against a King or their parents, but never can I disobey the Almighty Lord, our Father". Yun strongly believed that he can glorify the Lord through his death. We must take a moment to reflect on the historical background of Chosun Dynasty. It was the time when fidelity towards parents and loyalty to the King dominated common value. Our Martyrs respected the King and loved their parents but their priority was the profound faith they had in God. Their love and faith in the Almighty Father ousted materialism and even mankind. Yun Ji Chung is distinguished as the representative of his fellow Martyrs because he was the very first Martyr from the land where Christianity, unprecedentedly sprout from laity without missionaries.
The abundant fruits of the 124 Martyrs continue to grow vividly not only in their dioceses, but throughout the whole Korean Church now until today. Many Catholics and their shepherds are inspired by the faith and love they have shown. Their testimony of faith came to be recognized immediately after the Beatification of the 103 Saints presided by John Paul II in 1984.
Biography of major martyrs
Yun Ji-chung Paul (1759–1791): Yun Ji-chung Paul, the first Chosun martyr killed for his Catholic faith, was born in 1759 to a noble family in Jinsan, Jeolla-do. Yun Ji-heon Francis, who was martyred during the Shinyu Persecution of 1801, was his younger brother.
In 1783, Yun passed the first state examination and learned about Catholicism for the first time through his cousin Jung Yak Yong John. After being baptized in 1787, he preached the Catholic doctrine to his mother, younger brother, and cousin Kwon Sang Yeon James. He also kept in touch with Yoo Hang Geom Augustine to keep up mission work.
In 1791, Bishop Gouvea of Beijing ordered a ban on traditional ancestral rites within his diocese. Yun Ji Chung and Kwon Sang Yeon, in accordance with the Church's commands, set their families ancestral tablets on fire. Chung's mother died the following year. She requested to receive a Catholic funeral which her son duly provided for her. These actions angered the royal family.
News of Yun's actions led to dispute in the royal court. In the end, Jeongjo backed the Noron faction push to oppress Catholicism and ordered the arrest of Yun and Kwon.
The governor of Jinsan went to Yun's house. He discovered the absence of the family's ancestral plates. At the time the pair were in hiding. Upon hearing that Yuns's uncle had been taken into custody they handed themselves into the authorities.
In the face of calls to renounce their Catholic faith the pair refused. The governor judged that getting them to abandon their religion was beyond him. They were sent to a government building in Jeonju. The pair continued to refuse apostasy despite interrogation and torture. An official report on the situation was delivered to the royal court. Opinion within the court was in favour of the death penalty. Jeongjo supported this view and ordered their execution. On the 8th of the December 1791 Yun and Kwon were beheaded.
This episode is referred to as the 'Jinsan incident'.
Fr. Jacob Zhou Wenmo (1752–1801): The first missionary priest to be dispatched to Chosun. Born in Suzhou, China in 1752, he lost his parents early in life and were raised by his grandmother. He entered Catholic by himself and became a priest as one of the first graduates at Beijing Archdiocese seminary. At that time, Bishop Gouvea in Beijing was planning to send a clergy to Chosun. He chose Father Ju, who had a strong faith and looked similar to Chosun people. After leaving Beijing in February 1794, Father Ju waited at Yodong area until the Amnokgang River froze enough to cross across. On the appointed date, he went to a town located on the border between China and Chosun to meet secret envoys sent from Chosun and entered Chosun on the night of December 24. Since then, Father Ju stayed at the house of a faithful to learn Hangul, the Korean alphabets. On Easter of 1795, he held a mass with the faithful for the first time. However, after his entry was revealed, he escaped to female President Kang Wan Sook (Colomba)'s house and continued to pray in many areas in secrecy. The number of the faithful increased to 10,000 after six years but as the Catholic Persecution of 1801 occurred and the faithful were forced to confess the location of Father Ju, he decided to surrender on March 11 of that year. On May 31, Father Ju was decapitated at Saenamteo area near Han River at the age of 49.
Yun Yoo Il Paul (1760–1795): A secret envoy from Beijing who helped missionary to enter Chosun. He was born in Yeoju, Kyungki-do in 1760. After moving to Yanggeun, he encountered Catholic while studying under Kwon Chul Shin. He learned Catholic doctrine from Kwon Il Shin, the younger brother of Kwon Chul Shin, and entered into Catholic. He then preached the doctrine to his family. In 1789, Yun Yoo Il was selected as a secret envoy by the church leaders to report the situation of Chosun church to Bishop Gouvea. Thus, he went to Beijing two times: in 1789 and in 1790. In 1791, Bishop Gouvea's plan to dispatch a priest failed and persecution took place in Chosun. Nonetheless, Yun Yoo Il continued to endeavor to dispatch a priest. In 1794, he finally succeeded in bringing Father Ju Mun Mo to Chosun. Since then, he was responsible for keeping in contact with Beijing church. In 1795, Yun Yoo Il was arrested along with Ji Hwang (Sabas), Choi In Gil (Mathew). They were tortured to tell the location of Father Ju, but their strong endurance and wise response rather confused the persecutors. As a result, the three of them were beaten to death on June 28 of that year, when Yun Yoo Il was 35, Ji Hwang 28, and Choi In Gil 30.
Jeong Yak Jong Augustinus (1760–1801): The first Catholic lay theologian in Korea. In 1760, he was born into a family of scholars in Majae (current Neungnae-ri Joan-myeon, Namyangju-si Gyeonggi-go). He is the father of Jeong Chul Sang(Charles ?-1801) who will be beatified together with the 123 Blessed and St. Jeong Ha Sang Paul (martyred in 1839), who was declared saint in 1984. After learning Catholic doctrine from his older brother Jeong Yak Jeon in 1786, he moved to Yanggeon Bunwon (current Bunwon-ri, Namjeong-myeon, Gwangju-gun, Gyeonggi-go) to live a life of faith and preached a doctrine to his neighbors while participating in church activities. After Father Ju Mun Mo came in 1794, Jeong Yak Jong often visited Han Yang to help church work. He also wrote two easy Hangul textbooks called 'Jugyo-yoji' a Catechism in the Korean language and distributed them to Christians with Father Ju's approval. Moreover, he became the first president of a layperson association called 'Myeongdo-hoe' which was organized by Father Ju. When persecution began in his hometown in 1800, Jeong Yak Jong and his family moved to Han Yang. However, Catholic Persecution of 1801 began in the following year and Jeong Yak Jong was arrested. As he tried to preach the righteousness of Catholic doctrine to persecutors, he was decapitated at Seosomun in 15 days after he was arrested. When he was martyred, he said "I'd rather die looking up at the sky than to die looking down at the ground" and was decapitated while looking up at the sky. That was 8 April 1801, when he was at age 41.
Kang Wan Sook Columba (1761–1801): Female leader of Chosun Catholic. In 1761, she was born to a concubine of a noble family in Naepo area in ChungCheong-do. She learned about Catholic soon after she was married and practiced doctrine by reading Catholic books. During the persecution in 1791, she was imprisoned while taking care of the imprisoned faithful. Kang Wan Sook guided her mother-in-law and her son from previous marriage (Hong Pil Joo Phillips, martyred in 1801) to enter Catholic but she could not make her husband enter Catholic. Later, when her husband got a concubine, Kang Wan Sook and her husband lived separately. After hearing that the faithful in Han Yang are well-informed with Catholic doctrine, she moved to Han Yang with her mother-in-law and her son. She provided financial support to Christians working on recruiting a clergy and was baptized by Father Ju Mun Mo. Knowing her fine personality, Father Ju appointed Kang Wan Sook as a female President to take care of the faithful. When a persecution in 1795 took place, Kang Wan Sook took advantage of the fact that persecutors cannot search a house owned by a woman and let Father Ju to take refuge in her house. Her house was also used for the faithful's assembly. On April 6, 1801, Kang Wan Sook helped Father Ju to escape while being arrested. Although persecutors tried to trace Father Ju's whereabouts through her, she refused to confess. On 2 July, she was decapitated outside Seosomun at age 40.
Yu Hang-geom Augustine (1756–1801): The priest of Ho Nam. Yu Hang-geum Augustine was born in 1756 in Chonam, Jeonju. He learned the catechism soon after Catholicism was introduced to Korea in 1784 and became a Catholic. His sons Yu Jung-cheol John, Yu Mun-seok John and his daughter-in-law Yi Sun-i Lutgarda and his nephew Yu Jung-seong Matthew will be beatified along with Yu Hang-geom Augustine. He showed compassion and gave alms to poor neighbors as well as to his servants. Augustine Yu was appointed as pastor of Jeolla-do region when in the spring of 1786, the leaders of the Catholics held a meeting and appointed clergy at their own discretion. Afterwards, Augustine Yu returned to his hometown and celebrated Mass and administered the Sacraments to the faithful. However, after a while, the leaders of the Catholics understood that such an act was a sacrilege. As soon as this was brought to his attention, he stopped immediately. When the Persecution of 1801 broke out, Augustine Yu, who was recognized as the head of the Church in the Jeolla-do region, was first to be arrested. He was taken to Seoul (Hanyang) from Jeon ju where he underwent interrogation and torture at the Police Headquarters. However, since he was already determined to die a martyr, he neither betrayed the other believers nor said anything that would harm the Church. The persecutors, despite all their efforts, could not et any of the information they were looking for. Hence, they charged him with the crime of treason and ordered that he be executed. With this decision, Augustine Yu was transferred back to Jeonju, where he was hacked to pieces outside the South Gate of Jeonju.
Hwang Il-gwang Simon (1757–1802): Hwang Il-gwang Simon was born in Hongju, Chungcheong-do to a low-class family. Around 1792, he moved to Hongsan, where he went to see Yi Jon-chang Louis Gonzaga to learn about the Catholic teaching. After he understood the faith, he left his hometown and moved to Gyeongsang-do to have more freedom to practice his religious life. The Catholics knew about the social status of Simon Hwang, but they welcomed him with open hearts and surrounded him with Christian charity. On receiving such treatment he sometimes made jokes as follows: "Here, everybody treats me as a human being despite my low-class status. Now, I believe that Heaven exists here and hereafter." In 1800 Simon Hwang moved to the neighboring house of Jeong Yak-jong Augustine and when Augustine Jeong moved to Seoul (Hanyang), he also moved to Seoul (Hanyang) with his younger brother and made his living by selling firewood. In 1801, Simon Hwang was arrested while he was on his way to the mountain to get firewood. By stating that the Catholic religion is a 'holy religion', he was cruelly beaten to the point that one of his legs was broken. Simon Hwang was then transferred to his hometown Hong ju and was beheaded. It was on 30 January 1802 when Simon Hwang was 45 years old.
Yi Sun-I Lutgarda (1782–1802): A couple who kept their virginity through faith Yi Sun-I Lutgarda was born in 1782 to a well-known noble family. Her brothers Yi Gyeong-do Charles (martyred in 1801) and Yi Gyeong-eon Paul (martyred in 1827), and her husband Yu Jung-cheol John (martyred in 1801) will be beatified with her. Yi Yun-ha. Matthew, Lutgarda Yi's father, inherited the scholarship of his maternal grandfather Yi Ik who was a renowned scholar of the time. Matthew Yi became a Catholic in 1784, soon after Catholicism was introduced to Korea, when he met Kwon Chol-sin, and Kwon Il-sin. Lutgarda Yi received her First Holy Communion from Father Zhou Wen-mo James and made a vow of chastity. However, in the society of that time, it was extremely difficult for a young woman to remain single. When she was 15 years old, Lutgarda confessed to her mother that she had decided to keep her vow of chastity for God. Her mother agreed with her decision and consulted Father James Zhou. Father James Zhou remembered that Yu Jung-cheol John also wanted to live a life of celibacy. Hence, he immediately sent a messenger and arranged their marriage. In 1798, Lutgarda Yi went to her husband's hometown, Chonam in Jeonju and made a vow to live a celibate life. During Shinyu Persecution in 1801, Yu Hang-gom Augustine, her father-in-law, was first arrested. Lutgarda Yi was arrested later and was taken to Jeonju. Lutgarda Yi was condemned to exile and left for Hamgyeong-do. However soon the police followed them and arrested them again. On 31 January 1802, Lutgarda Yi was taken to the execution ground in Jeonju, called 'Supjeongi' and was beheaded. Lutgarda Yi was 20 years old. The letter she wrote while she was imprisoned in Jeonju still remains until today and testifies for the values of Catholics of the time.
Kim Jin-hu Pius (1739–1814): The ancestor of the St. Kim Taegon Andrew. Kim Jin-hu Pius was born in Solmoe, Chungcheong-do. He was the great-grandfather of St. Kim Taegon Andrew and the father of Kim Jong-han Andrew, who was martyred in 1816 and who will be beatified with the 123 Blessed. Pius Kim encountered Catholicism when his eldest son learned the catechism from Yi Jon-chang Gonzaga and taught it to his brothers. Then, Pius Kim was about 50 years old. As he obtained a small government post from the governor, he strongly refused the advice of his children. However, as his sons kept persuading him, he gradually drawn towards Jesus Christ and quitted his government position to focus on fulfilling religious duties. When Pius Kim was arrested during the Sinhae persecution in 1791, he professed his faith in God. He was arrested four to five more times but was released each time. He was also arrested during the Shinyu Persecution in 1801, but was exiled and set free. Pius Kim was arrested again in 1805 and was taken to Haemi. This time, he behaved like a real Catholic and professed his faith in God without hesitation. He stayed in prison for a long time without being sentenced to death. In prison, the officials and prison guards respected him for his noble and dignified personality and conduct. He spent 10 years in prison, during which he endured the sufferings and pains of prison. He died in prison on 1 December 1814 at the age of 75.
Yi Seong-rye (1801–1840): Mother who inherited faith to her children She was born in 1801 in Hongju, Chungcheong-do. She was from the family of Louis Gonzaga Yi Jon-chang. At the age of 17, she married St. Francis Choe Kyeong-hwan and lived in Darakgol, Hongju. In 1821 she gave birth to their first son, Thomas Choe Yang-up. Due to the danger of persecution the family had to move frequently but Yi Seong-rye told biblical stories to her children and taught them to endure difficulties and to be patient. After settling down in Surisan (currently Gunpo-city, Gyeonggi-do) she helped her husband to set up the Christian village. Meanwhile, her son Thomas Choe Yang-up was chosen to be a candidate for the seminarian and was sent to Macau to study theology. In 1839, during Gihae persecution her husband went back and forth Hanyang (now Seoul) to take care of the bodies of the Martyrs, she supported her husband and finally was arrested by the police with her whole family in Surisan. She suffered painfully not because of the torture, but because of her maternal love for her new-born baby who was nearly starved to death due to lack of milk from his mother. Yi could no longer abandon her baby so she yielded to defy her faith and was released from prison. When her eldest son left to China to be a seminarian, she was imprisoned once again. When she was sentenced to death, with divine grace and prayers from her Catholic friends, she overcame all the temptation and was sent to Danggogae (now Wonhyoro 2-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) to be beheaded at the age of 39.
Paul Yun Ji Chung
Jacob Gwon Sangyeon
Peter Won Sijang
Paul Yun Yuil
Matthew Choe Ingil
Sabas Jihwang
Paul Yi Dogi
Francis Bang
Lawrence Pak Chwideuk
Jacob Won Sibo
Peter Jeong Sanpil
Francis Bae Gwangyeom
Martin In Eonmin
Francis Yi Bohyeon
Peter Jo Yongsam
Barbara Simagi
Johannes Choe Changhyeon
Augustine Jeong Yakjong
Francis Xavier Hong Gyoman
Thomas Choe Pilgong
Luke Hong Nakmin
Marcellinus Choe Changju
Martin Yi Jungbae
Johannes Won Gyeongdo
Jacob Yun Yuo
Barnabas Kim Ju
Peter Choe Pilje
Lucia Yun Unhye
Candida Jeong Bokhye
Thaddeus Jeong Inhyeok
Carol Jeong Cheolsang
Father Jacob Zhou Wenmu, Missionary from Qing dynasty
Paul Yi Gukseung
Columba Gang Wansuk
Susanna Gang Gyeongbok
Matthew Kim Hyeonu
Bibiana Mun Yeongin
Juliana Kim Yeoni
Anthony Yi Hyeon
Ignatius Choe Incheol
Agatha Han Sinae
Barbara Jeong Sunmae
Agatha Yun Jeomhye
Andrew Kim Gwangok
Peter Kim Jeongduk
Stanislaus Han Jeongheum
Matthew Choe Yeogyeom
Andrew Gim Jonggyo
Philip Hong Pilju
Augustine Yu Hanggeom
Francis Yun Jiheon
Johannes Yu Jungcheol
Johannes Yu Munseok
Paul Hyeon Gyeheum
Francis Kim Sajip
Gervasius Son Gyeongyun
Carol Yi Gyeongdo
Simon Kim Gyewan
Barnabas Jeong Gwangsu
Anthony Hong Ikman
Thomas Han Deokun
Simon Hwang Ilgwang
Leo Hong In
Sebastian Kwon Sangmun
Lutgrada Yi Suni
Matthew Yu Jungseong
Pius Kim Jinhu
Agatha Magdalena Kim Yundeok
Alexis Kim Siu
Francis Choe Bonghan
Simon Kim Gangi
Andrew Seo Seokbong
Francis Kim Huiseong
Barbara Ku Seongyeol
Anna Yi Simi
Peter Ko Seongdae
Joseph Ko Seongun
Andrew Kim Jonghan
Jacob Kim Hwachun
Peter Jo Suk
Teresa Kwon
Paul Yi Gyeongeon
Paul Pak Gyeonghwa
Ambrose Kim Sebak
Richard An Gunsim
Andrew Yi Jaehaeng
Andrew Pak Saui
Andrew Kim Sageon
Job Yi Ileon
Peter Sin Taebo
Peter Yi Taegwon
Paul Jeong Taebong
Peter Gim Daegwon
Johannes Cho Haesong
Anastasia Kim Joi
Barbara Kim Joi
Anastasia Yi Bonggeum
Brigida Choe
Protasius Hong Jaeyeong
Barbara Choe Joi
Magdalena Yi Joi
Jacob Oh Jongrye
Maria Yi Seongrye
Thomas Jang
Thaddeus Ku Hanseon
Paul Oh Banji
Mark Sin Seokbok
Stephan Kim Wonjung
Benedict Song
Peter Song
Anna Yi
Felix Peter Kim Giryang
Matthias Pak Sanggeun
Anthony Jeong Chanmun
Johannes Yi Jeongsik
Martin Yang Jaehyeon
Peter Yi Yangdeung
Luke Kim Jongryun
Jacob Heo Inbaek
Francis Pak
Margarita Oh
Victor Pak Daesik
Peter Joseph Yun Bongmun
Legacy
Pope John Paul II, speaking at the canonization, said, "The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by lay people. 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 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 in the Church of silence in the north of this tragically divided land".[4] After the canonization of the 103 Martyrs, the Catholic Church in Korea felt that the martyrs who died in the other persecutions also need to be recognized. In 2003, the beatification process for 124 martyrs who died in persecutions between 1791 and 1888 began.[citation needed]
They were declared Venerable by Pope Francis on 7 February 2014. The group is headed by Paul Yun Ji-Chung, a nobleman who converted to Catholicism and refused to have his deceased mother buried under the traditional Confucian rite. His refusal led to a massive persecution of Christians called the Sinhae Persecution in 1791. Paul was beheaded on 8 December 1791, together with his cousin, James Kwon Sang-yeon. They were the first members of the Korean Nobility to be killed for the faith. Among the martyrs in this group are Fr. James Zhou Wen-mo (1752–1801), a Chinese priest who secretly ministered to the Christians in Korea; Augustine Jeong Yak-Jong (1760–1801), the husband of St. Cecilia Yu So-sa and father of Sts. Paul Chong Ha-sang and Elizabeth Chong Chong-hye; Columba Kang Wan-suk (1761–1801), known as the "catechist of the Korean Martyrs"; Augustine Yu Hang-geom (1756–1801), also known as the "apostle of Jeolla-do"; and Maria Yi Seong-rye (1801–1840), the wife of St. Francis Choe Kyeong-hwan. Also included in the group are Augustine Yu Hang-geom's son John Yu Jeong-cheol (1779–1801) and his wife Lutgarda Yi Sun-i (1782–1802). They both decided to live celibate lives in order to fully dedicate themselves to God, but the Confucian society, which greatly valued furthering the family line, made it impossible for them to live as celibates. Fr. James Zhou introduced the two to each other and suggested them to marry each other and live as a "virgin couple". The two were married in 1797 and were martyred 4 years later.[citation
