Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions
Today we will celebrate the feast day of Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions.
The first native Korean priest, St. Andrew Kim Taegon was from a family of Christian converts. Following his baptism that occurred when he was around the age of 15, St. Andrew had traveled over 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China. Six years later, he managed to return to his native country through Manchuria. During that same year he had crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and he was later ordained a priest. When he had gone back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more missionaries. St. Andrew was unfortunately later arrested, tortured, and he was later beheaded at the Han River near Seoul.
St. Andrew's father Ignatius Kim, was actually martyred during the persecution that occurred during the year 1839, and he was later beatified during the year 1925. St. Paul Chong Hasang, who was a lay apostle and a married man, had died during the year 1839 at the age of 45.
Among the many other martyrs during the year 1839 was Columba Kim, who was 26 years old. She was put into prison, and she was later pierced with hot tools and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but they were not molested. The two were later beheaded. Peter Ryou, was a 13 year old boy, he had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces. He was later killed by strangulation.
Evangelization was extremely difficult in Korea because Korea had refused all contact with the outside world except for taking taxes to Beijing annually. When a Chinese priest had later managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he was able to find 4,000 Catholics, none of them had ever seen a priest before. Seven years later there was 10,000 Catholics in total. Religious freedom had finally arrived in Korea during the year 1883.
Besides St. Andrew and St. Paul, St. John Paul II had canonized 98 Koreans and he had also canonized three French missionaries who had also been martyred between 1839 and 1867, when he visited Korea during the year 1984.
Prayer to Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions:
Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions intercede that we may be able to guide more people to Christ even if it may be difficult or hard to do. Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions be with us through difficult moments and help us to strengthen our devotion to Christ.
Amen
Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions pray for us
St. Joseph pray for us
May we continue to strengthen our journey to sainthood and keep others in our prayers.
Works cited
Information (read from, not taken):
Franciscan Media. "Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions"https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-andrew-kim-taegon-paul-chong-hasang-and-companions. September 20, 2021.
Images:
Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions. September 20, 2021.Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions.