Today, we celebrate the memorial of Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Ha-sang, and companions, martyrs.

Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gon was the first Korean-born Catholic priest and is the patron saint of Korean clergy. His parents were converted to Catholicism and his father was subsequently martyred during the Joseon Dynasty for practicing Christianity, a prohibited activity in Confucian Korea. After being baptized at age 15, Kim studied at a seminary in the Portuguese colony of Macau. He also spent time in study at Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines, where today he is also venerated.

St. Kim was one of several thousand Christians who were executed during the Joseon Dynasty. In 1846, at the age of 25, he was tortured and beheaded near Seoul on the Han River.

Together with the 102 other martyrs was St. Paul Chong Hasang. 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”). Like Saint Kim, Saint Hasang was graced with the gift of martyrdom. He 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.