SAINT OF THE DAY · SEPTEMBER 20

Who were Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasang and Companions?

Saintly Editorial 2 min read
In short

Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasang and Companions: Korean witnesses who gave everything for Christ. Lived mainly during the nineteenth century. Korea, especially Seoul and surrounding regions. Priests, catechists, and lay Christians. Martyrs and patrons of Korea. Canonized together in Seoul in 1984. Saintly remembers them on September 20.

  • Lived mainly during the nineteenth century
  • Korea, especially Seoul and surrounding regions
  • Priests, catechists, and lay Christians
  • Martyrs and patrons of Korea
  • Canonized together in Seoul in 1984

Who were Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasang and Companions?

The Korean Church began through lay people who studied Christian writings and shared the faith among their countrymen. Missionaries arrived later. Andrew Kim Taegon was born into this young Christian community. Paul Chong Hasang also belonged to it. Their Church grew quietly under danger. Soon, both men would carry its future.

Paul Chong Hasang served the scattered Christians for about twenty years. He helped guide the community during persecution. He also traveled and wrote to seek priests for Korea. Andrew became a seminarian and assisted missionaries who entered the country secretly. Their work required patience, courage, and careful movement. Then Andrew received an even greater responsibility.

Andrew Kim Taegon became the first Korean Catholic priest. He searched for Christians who hid their identity to escape arrest. During one journey through deep snow, exhaustion overcame him. He fell to the ground and risked dying from exposure. He then heard a voice telling him to rise and continue. He stood up and walked on.

Andrew served the faithful wherever he could. He crossed difficult roads and helped missionaries reach hidden communities. Paul taught the faith and strengthened Christians who had few priests. The Church depended on catechists, families, and secret gatherings. They carried the Gospel through ordinary homes. Their quiet service made the young Church visible.

The authorities feared Christianity as a foreign threat and began severe persecution. Andrew was arrested and imprisoned. Paul was also seized after years of service. The martyrs faced interrogation and torture. They were asked to abandon Christ. They refused. Their witness joined that of bishops, priests, catechists, married people, children, and elders.

The Korean martyrs came from many social conditions. Some were educated leaders. Others were humble workers, women, children, and elderly believers. They shared the same baptism and stood together as one Christian family. Their faith also changed how they treated one another. Christian charity crossed the strict social divisions of their society.

Andrew was beheaded in Seoul in 1846. Paul was beheaded there in 1846 as well. Many companions died during persecutions from the 1830s through the 1860s. Their blood marked the beginnings of the Korean Church. In 1984, the Church canonized Andrew, Paul, and 101 companions together in Seoul.

What can we learn from Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasang and Companions today?

  • Write one encouraging message today to someone whose faith is being tested.
  • Study one Christian teaching carefully, as Korea's first believers studied the faith.
  • Defend the equal dignity of every person in one concrete conversation today.

Andrew, Paul, and their companions show how faith can grow through lay courage, patient teaching, and sacrificial love. Their Church began with ordinary believers who shared what they had received. Their witness invites us to remain faithful, serve others quietly, and place Christ before fear, status, or comfort.

When is the feast day of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasang and Companions?

Saintly remembers Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasang and Companions on September 20, when the story above is the saint of the day in the app. Read how the Church declares someone a saint, or how to choose a patron saint.

Sources

Previous: Saint Januarius Next: Saint Thomas of Villanova · All saints