A statue of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean Catholic priest. (Courtesy Wikipedia)
Andrew Kim Taegon
1821-1846
Feast – Sept.20
Andrew was among the 103 Korean Martyrs — 92 Koreans and 11 Europeans — killed during a persecution in 1839-66. Born to parents who were Catholic converts, Andrew completed seminary studies in Macao and in 1845 was the first native Korean to become a Catholic priest with his ordination in Shanghai. After returning to Korea, he tried to smuggle more missionaries into the country but was arrested in 1846. He spent three months in prison, then was beheaded. His father also was among the Korean Martyrs canonized in 1984.
