For Him

"It is for Him that I die." 

Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gôn

Today, September 20, is the feast day of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the patron saint of Korea, and the first Catholic priest in Korea. 

His parents were Catholic and Andrew Kim was baptized at age 15. In 1839, he came to the Philippines to study in Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan. There is a shrine there today dedicated to him run by Korean nuns. When he was ordained a priest in 1844, the Catholic Koreans were so happy because they could hear mass every day and receive the Sacraments. But King Yeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty outlawed Christianity and persecuted the Christians. Andrew Kim's father was martyred along with thousands of Christians who refused to give up their faith. 

A little more than a year after Andrew Kim became a priest, he too was martyred. At the young age of 25, he was tortured and beheaded near Seoul on the Han River along with many others. His last words were recorded to be: "This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively...It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is just 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." 

Today there are about 14.4 million Christians in Korea and the Church there is one of the fastest growing in the world.