Saint Andrew Kim
September 20 is the feast day of Saint Andrew Kim. But who is today's saint?
Who is Saint Andrew Kim?
Saint Andrew Kim, whose birth name was Kim Taegon, came from a noble Yangban family (a social class in Korea). His parents converted to Christianity while he was still a child. Korea had been evangelized by local laypeople beginning in 1770. Kim’s father, Ignatius Jim Che-jun, would later become Saint Ignatius Kim.
Kim Taegon was baptized at age 15 by Father Pierre Maubant, a member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Kim Taegon then became Andrew Kim. Just three years later, in 1839, his father died a martyr.
Andrew entered the seminary in Macao, then a Portuguese colonial outpost. In 1845, he was ordained a priest by the French Bishop Jean-Joseph Ferréol. Shortly thereafter, Andrew returned to Korea to support Catholics who were being persecuted by local authorities. Indeed, under the Joseon Dynasty, many died because of their Catholic faith. Father Kim was beloved and influential.
In 1846, Bishop Ferréol asked him to send letters to Europe via the Bishop of Beijing. Unfortunately, André Kim was discovered as he was boarding a Chinese ship. He was then arrested and interrogated by the mandarin, who sentenced him to prison. He was horribly tortured but resisted and did not renounce his faith.
Andrew Kim was beheaded in 1846 at the age of 25.
When did Saint Andrew Kim live?
Saint Andrew Kim was born on August 21, 1821, in Dangjin, Chungcheong, South Korea. He died a martyr on September 16, 1846, at the age of twenty-five, in Seoul.
Andrew Kim was canonized on May 6, 1984, along with his father, Ignatius Kim, in Seoul by Pope John Paul II. That year, 103 Korean martyrs were canonized by the Holy Father.
Who is Saint Andrew Kim the patron saint of?
Saint Andrew Kim is the patron saint of South Korea.
Prayer to Saint Andrew Kim and His Companions
“Lord, grant that we may cultivate a relationship of friendship and closeness with you each day.
Through the intercession of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and the Korean martyrs,
help me to faithfully maintain this relationship with You, even in times of trial.
Grant me the courage today to share with others the friendship with which you have so generously blessed me.”
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