St. Francis Ch'oe Kyŏng-hwan

Biography

St. Francis Ch'oe Kyŏng-hwan (1805–1839) was born in Ch'ungch'ŏng Province, Korea, into a family that had embraced the Catholic faith in its earliest days in the country. At the time, Christianity was outlawed, and Catholics often lived in hiding. Seeking a place where believers could practice their faith in peace, Francis sold his property and eventually settled at Suri-san, a mountain village near Kwach'ŏn, south of Seoul. There he cleared land and grew tobacco, and he welcomed other Catholic families until more than twenty households formed a small Christian community. In 1839 he was appointed a catechist, and he became known for his clear and earnest teaching of the faith. His eldest son, Thomas Ch'oe Yang-ŏp, had been sent abroad to study for the priesthood and later became the second Korean-born priest. During the great persecution of 1839, police surrounded the village on July 31 and arrested Francis together with many of his neighbors. In prison he was repeatedly beaten and pressed to deny his faith, but he refused and continued to encourage his fellow prisoners. He died of his injuries in prison on September 12, 1839. His wife, Mary, also died a martyr. He was beatified in 1925 and canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1984 among the 103 Korean Martyrs. The Church also honors the Most Holy Name of Mary today.

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