We honor today 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, named Paul and Jacques, were martyred. 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 seminarians 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. Today 30% of South Korans are Catholic, but only 2% of North Koreans are
Catholic, and obviously they find it very difficult even to attend their
churches.
Friday 20 September 2024
The Korean Martyrs
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