ST ANDREW KIM TAEGEON | KAIROS GLOBAL | JUNE 2024

Author: Benita Elissa Benny

The declaration of the upcoming World Youth Day to be held in Seoul, South Korea, came to me as a surprise. I did not perceive South Korea as a country with a Catholic presence. But upon research, I took immense interest in its patron saint, St Andrew Kim Taegeon.

The first seeds of Christianity were sown in Korea with the Japanese invasion in 1592 and also with the Dutch traders who brought along Catholic priests. Christianity, however, remained dormant until 1777. Korea had trade relations with China, and they sneaked in Chinese translations of Catholic books, which were put into critical study by Korean scholars. One of them was Yi Byoek, who inspired the young man Yi Seung-hun, who got baptised in China and took the name Peter. He returned to Korea, baptised his fellows, and started prayer meetings with laymen serving as temporary clerics. Later, in 1795, Chinese priests arrived in Korea, where the Church had already grown to 4,000 people.

However, the Confucian kingdom believed in hierarchy and couldn’t accept the values of love, peace, and equality that Jesus upheld. They believed that Catholicism was a threat to social order; therefore, continuous persecution of Catholics ensued from 1801 until religious freedom was granted in 1884.

It was against this backdrop that Andrew Kim Taegeon was born on August 21, 1821, to a Confucian father and a Catholic mother. Eventually, his entire family, including his father, uncles, and grandfather converted to Christianity and was subsequently martyred. When he was a young boy, his mother was martyred for practicing Christianity (which was a grave offence in Confucian Korea), an incident that had a significant impact on his spiritual development.

At age 15, he was baptised and was selected as the first Korean seminarian. He, along with two friends, carried out a treacherous journey of 1,300 miles and, after about eight months, reached Macau and joined a seminary run by the Paris Foreign Missions Society. He became a priest nine years later, in Shanghai, ordained by the French bishop, Jean Joseph Jean- Baptiste Ferréol. His life outside Korea was not easy due to political tensions, and he had to shift time and again between China and the Philippines. He returned to Korea and spent his lifetime preaching the Word of God to those who didn't know Christ. He was the first Korean native priest who served both the Catholic people in Korea and the people caught in the bondage of the stifling Confucian philosophy – helping them realise the freedom that Christ offered. He did not waste any time in setting up proper Catholic communities and arranging for missionaries from countries like China. His fervent prayers and desire to be a Good Shepherd like Jesus gave him the courage to serve the people of God amid crises.

Now, this was the period of the Joseon dynasty, the longest-running Korean dynasty, famous for its economic and scientific contributions to Korea. But the rulers also inflicted strict Confucian rule and persecuted Catholics. Christian faith had to be practiced in secrecy. In the midst of all this, Fr Andrew Kim remained calm and served the needs of Christians fearlessly. He travelled throughout the country, often in disguise, preaching and administering sacraments to the faithful. During his mission, he was imprisoned a few times, and the authorities set him free each time after instructing him to refrain from preaching. Yet he remained steadfast in his faith and responsibilities.

This is where things take a turn for the worse.

Andrew was unfortunately discovered by the Korean authorities when he was trying to bring in missionaries from outside countries. He was attempting to arrange for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He planned to achieve this by using the fishermen’s assistance. But he failed and was caught by the authorities.

He was arrested for the last time in May 1846, just a few months after his ordination. He was tortured and beaten to get him to renounce Christianity. Finally, after all efforts were in vain, he was beheaded along with many other Christians in Seoul, near the Han River, at the age of 25.

Even in his final moments, he sought to tell others about Jesus. His last words were: ‘This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively: If I have held communication with foreigners, it has been for my religion and my God. It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is at the point of beginning. Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death because God has eternal chastisements in store for those who have refused to know Him.’

After religious freedom was granted in Korea, he was beatified by Pope Pius XI and canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1984, along with 103 other Korean martyrs, on his visit to South Korea. His feast day is celebrated on September 20th to commemorate his martyrdom and to honour his life and legacy.

Let’s pray:

God, who has been pleased to increase your adopted children in all the world, and who made the blood of the martyrs Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and his companions a most fruitful seed of Christians, grant that we may be defended by their help and profit always from their example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen. Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, pray for us.

Benita Elissa Benny is pursuing her Bachelor’s in English from Rajagiri College of Management and Applied Sciences. She lives in Ernakulam, India, with her parents, sister and brother.