St. Andrew Kim and companions

Fr. Andrew Kim was the first native priest in Korea, the son of converts. In fact, Andrew Kim's father was martyred during the persecution of 1839 and was beatified in 1925. During the early 18th century Christianity was suppressed and heavily persecuted in Korea, and Catholics had to covertly practice their faith. Andrew Kim was one of several thousand Christians who were executed during this time. In 1846, at the age of 25, Fr. Andrew Kim was tortured and beheaded near Seoul on the Han River.  On May 6, 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized Fr. Andrew Kim along with 102 other Korean Martyrs. Their memorial is September 20.

St. Andrew Kim and companions, pray for us!

To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day, visit wydcentral.org Image courtesy of rio2013.com