If he were alive today, the world’s first Korean-born Catholic priest would have just celebrated his 200th birthday.
Although anyone who personally knew St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon is long gone, members of St. Andrew Kim Parish in Surrey still honour him every year and hosted a jubilee in his name Aug. 21 with an estimated 900 guests.
“This anniversary is an occasion for giving thanks for such a great saint and for inspiring a new enthusiasm for the mission of evangelization right here in the Lower Mainland,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller.
St. Andrew Kim was born in 1821 and baptized at age 15. He entered seminary soon after and was ordained in Shanghai in 1845. He then returned to Korea to serve as a priest and was arrested, tortured, and beheaded in 1846, at age 25.
The Church in Korea was persecuted for nearly a century beginning in 1784 and led to more than 10,000 martyrs, including St. Andrew Kim, said the archbishop.
“The theme of this anniversary is, ‘Are you a Catholic?’ This was the question that St. Andrew Kim faced during his interrogation in prison,” said Archbishop Miller.
“He replied without hesitation, ‘Yes, I am a faithful Catholic.’ This cost him his life. Today, the interrogator’s question calls you to reflect seriously on your identity, your vocation, and your mission as a Catholic Christian.”
Archbishop Miller said today’s strong Korean Catholic communities, with blossoming conversions and vocations to the priesthood and religious life, are the fruits of the witness of martyrs such as this.
“The nearly 10,000 Korean martyrs are your ancestors, according to the flesh, language, and culture,” he said. “They are your fathers and mothers in the faith.”
The Korean parish holds a record in the Archdiocese of Vancouver for being one of the parishes with the highest number of baptisms each year, welcoming an average of 146 new Catholics each year from 2012 to 2019.
After Mass, the community hosted a reception for priests and parish council members.
“I can’t remember the last time we celebrated a Mass so filled with people,” Father Soo Back Jang, pastor of St. Andrew Kim, told Korean Catholic Times. “I very much appreciate everyone who helped to prepare for this jubilee celebration.”
St. Andrew Kim is also venerated in the Bulacan region of the Philippines, where he studied for some time before his ordination. He is the patron saint of Korean clergy.
There are seven priests, three religious sisters, and one permanent deacon of Korean descent currently serving in the archdiocese.
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