Andrew Kim Taegon
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- This article is about the Korean saint. For the MLB player see Kim Andrew.
| Saint Andrew Kim | |
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| Born | August 21, 1822 |
| Died | September 16, 1846 (aged 25) |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 1925 |
| Canonized | 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II |
| Major shrine | Chŏltusan (Martyr's Mound), Seoul, South Korea |
| Feast | 20 September (Roman calendar) |
| Patronage | Korean Clergy |
 Saints Portal |
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St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (김대건 안드레아) was Korea's first Roman Catholic priest. In the early 17th century, Roman Catholicism in Korea was primarily introduced by laypeople. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that Korea saw its first missionaries arrive only to find out that the people there were already practicing Christianity.
Born out of Korean nobility, Kim Taegon's parents were converts and his father was subsequently martyred for practicing Christianity; a prohibited activity in heavily Confucian Korea. He studied at a seminary in Macau and was ordained a priest in Shanghai six years later. He then returned to Korea to preach and evangelize. During the Joseon Dynasty, Christianity was heavily suppressed and many Christians were persecuted and executed. Catholics had to covertly practice their faith. Kim Taegon was one of several thousands of Christians who were executed during this time. In 1846, at the age of 25, he was tortured and beheaded. 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 for my God. It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is on 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."
On May 6, 1984 Pope John Paul II canonized Andrew Kim Taegon along with 102 other martyrs, including Paul Chong Hasang. His feast day is on September 20.
Macau's famous Camoes Garden (in Portuguese, Jardim Luis de Camoes) contains a statue dedicated to Andrew Kim Taegon. A plaque below it contains dates and events depicting major milestones in his life.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- A letter that he wrote
- Patron Saints Index: St. Andrew Kim
- Facts about St. Andrew Kim
- Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and his Companions
- Encyclopedia Britannica entry
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