The Korean Catholic community in Paris joined French faithful in commemorating Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon and his fellow martyrs during a solemn celebration at the Paris Foreign Missions (Missions Étrangères de Paris, MEP) on September 20.
The Mass was held in the Epiphany Chapel of the MEP, near the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on Rue du Bac, according to the report by Fides News Agency. Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens presided, joined by Korean priests and a congregation of faithful.
After the liturgy, the assembly processed to the crypt, where relics of the martyrs were incensed as hymns were sung in French and Korean.
The celebration remembered 102 martyrs of Korea, proclaimed Blessed by the Church, who were killed during the persecutions of the Joseon dynasty.
The commemoration also recalled the history of the MEP in Korea, where Pope Gregory XVI established the first Apostolic Vicariate in 1831. Barthélemy Bruguière, appointed Apostolic Vicar, called on Fathers Jacques Chastan, Pierre Maubant, and Laurent Imbert to begin the mission.
Imbert, consecrated bishop before his departure, ministered alongside Chastan and Maubant in secrecy amid growing hostility. In 1839, all three were denounced and executed by beheading in Saenamto.
Years later, the mission continued through the ordination of Andrea Kim Tae-gon, the first Korean priest, in Shanghai in 1845. Sent back to his homeland, he was executed in 1846 at the age of 25.
The canonization of Imbert, Chastan, Maubant, Kim, and other martyrs in Seoul in 1984 during the visit of Pope John Paul II cemented their place as witnesses of the faith in Asia.
Today, the MEP continues to host Korean clergy. Father Lumen Kwanhee Lee of the Diocese of Suwon, who began his studies in Paris this month, said, “Being here allows me to rekindle my faith and remember the stories and values bequeathed to me by my ancestors.”
He recalled that his family, Catholic for six or seven generations, fled to the countryside to survive persecution. “At the beginning of the 19th century, to escape persecution, my family retreated to the countryside, where André Kim’s tomb is located in Mirine, and remained there until the generation of my father, who was born in Mirine.”
The Korean Catholic community in the 14th arrondissement welcomes around 150 faithful each Sunday. “Masses are led by a group of young Koreans,” said Father Paolo Choi Younghee, who has been serving in Paris for seven months.
“With the move from Korea to France, young Catholics, especially students, who had stopped attending church, are returning here. They are more likely to maintain their heritage than older people who were baptized abroad and cultivate a strong sense of belonging. Every year we celebrate the baptism of five or six people,” he said.
The community also gathers for weekday liturgies and a monthly Mass for adolescents. Yet its current church, once used by the Vietnamese community until 1997, is now too small.
“We plan to expand the facilities as soon as circumstances allow, in order to accommodate the faithful who often go downstairs to follow the Mass broadcast due to lack of space,” Father Choi said.
