St Andrew Kim Tae-Gon - Cupertino, CA - Religious Freedom on Waymarking.com

The sculpture of St Andrew Kim stands in the Korean section of the Gate of Heaven Cemetery. The catholic cemetery is owned by the Diocese of San Jose. In the sculpture Kim is wearing a hat and caring a staff.

From the plaque: "St Andrew Kim Tae-Gon, the first Korean Priest, was born Augst 21 1821 in the village of Solmoe, Sangson-ri woogang-myun Dangjin-Kun, in Chungchong Province, Korea. He was born to Ignacius Chew-Jun Kim and Ursula Ko. The Korean policy of Sae-gook chong chaek, or secularization against foreigners and foreign ideas led to the persecution of Catholics as members of foreign western religion. Missionary priests felt native priests were necessary to counteract the labeling of the church as foreign. In 1836, at trhe age of 15, because of his intelligence, self discipline and deep faith, Andrew Kim Tae-Gon was selected to attend Macao Seminary in China along with Thomas Yang-Ob Choe and Francis Pang-Je Choe. After his studies he was ordained a deacon on December 14, 1844 at Macao He was ordained by bishop Ferroel Goh on August 17, 1845in Shanghai, this becoming the first Korean priest.
Fr. Kin returned to his native Korea on October 21, 1845. He risked his own life while helping foreign missionaries get into the country. On June 5 1846, he was arrested and threatened to renounce his faith. Surviving beating and tortures, he remained firm in his faith. On September 16, 1846, he was beheaded at Saenamets near the Han River outside Seoul. At the time he was just 26 years old and had been an ordained priest for only one year and one month.

On July 5, 1925, Pope Pius XI beatified Andrew Kim . He was named patron of Korean Priests BY Pius XII. Pope John Paul II then canonized Fr Kim on May 6, 1984 as one of 103 Korean martyrs."

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