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Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - "God has chosen his people on this earth to accept the Gospel and to flourish in faith. Let us entrust ourselves to the intercession of the blessed martyrs so that we may always live according to the Gospel," said Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung during the Mass for the 10th anniversary of the beatification of "Paul Yun Ji- chung and 123 other martyrs", which took place in 2014 during the Holy Mass with Pope Francis during his visit to South Korea. Ten years after this historic event - and 40 years after the first beatification of Korean martyrs in 1984 - Korean Catholic communities pray the "Prayer for the 124 Blessed Korean Martyrs", in which the names of the blessed martyrs are listed one by one. Cardinal Yeom recalled the homily at Pope Francis' beatification mass 10 years ago, in which he said, in the words of St. Paul, "What can separate us from the love of Christ?" and recalled "the victory of the martyrs, that is, the power of God's love."
"On the 10th anniversary of their beatification," said the Cardinal, "let us pray once again for the faith of our ancestors. Let us remember how powerful and beautiful the truth of the Gospel that we lived is, and let us remember the importance of faith in the resurrection of Christ that our martyrs demonstrated by overcoming persecution and defeating death."
The opportunity to do so is particularly present in the "Month of Martyrs," September, "a time when we look at the devotion of the martyrs who are the roots of the Korean Church," and put it into practice in the present. The “Month of Martyrs” is celebrated in all Korean Catholic communities. The Church commemorates those who gave their lives for the faith and accompanies the devotion of the faithful with pilgrimages, prayer vigils, catechisms and meetings, as well as cultural initiatives.
The month of action was opened on September 1 with a Eucharistic celebration at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, presided over by Cardinal Yeom, while the closing ceremony is scheduled for September 29 at the Shrine of Martyrs in Seosomun, presided over by Bishop Koo Yobi, chairman of the Committee for Honoring Martyrs. September 20 also marks the feast of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-1846), Korea's first priest and martyr. As part of the various initiatives, the Archdiocese of Daegu will organize a pilgrimage on foot to the Shrine in Sannae-myeon on September 28. The following day, September 29, the Youth Commission is organizing a special pilgrimage for children and young people entitled "Following the footsteps of Father Kim Dae-geon," during which children will learn about the figure of Saint Andrew. On September 21, the faithful will set off on a pilgrimage on foot from Seoji Village at 6 a.m. and walk about 26 km to Gamyeong. On the same day, the faithful will gather in Gangwon Province to pray the rosary and pray for the beatification of Venerable Father Thomas Choi Yang-eop. In the Incheon diocese, a commemoration is held with a pilgrimage to the tomb of the Servant of God Peter Lee Seung-Hoon (1756-1801), a prince of the Joseon Dynasty who was baptized and martyred, while in the Uijeongbu diocese, a thanksgiving mass is held at the Angju Martyrs' Shrine. On September 22, the Andong diocese commemorates the feast of Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon, Saint Paul Jeong Ha-sang and their companions, while in the Jeju island diocese, a "competition" is held to commemorate the first martyr of Jeju island, Peter Felix Kim Gi-ryang. Of the total number of Korean martyrs, estimated at about ten thousand, the martyrdom of 103 believers is documented.
The first was Andrew Kim Taegon. Born into a family of Christian converts in 1821, he was baptized at the age of 15. He studied at the seminary in Macao and was ordained a priest in 1845, becoming Korea's first native Catholic priest. During the reign of the Joseon Dynasty, he was arrested and persecuted for his evangelization efforts and was executed by beheading on September 16, 1846, at the age of 25. Pope John Paul II canonized him along with 102 other Korean martyrs during his visit to South Korea in 1984. Thirty years later, during his visit to Korea in 2014, Pope Francis canonized another 124 Korean martyrs. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 18/9/2024)
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