Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju
Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju (Korean: 김효주 아녜스, 金孝周; died 1839 in Seoul, Korea) was a Korean laywoman and martyr who died for her Catholic faith during the Gihae Persecution (기해박해, 己亥迫害) of 1839, one of the most severe episodes of anti-Christian violence in the history of the Korean Catholic Church. She is one of the 103 Korean Martyrs who were beatified by Pope Paul VI on October 6, 1968, and canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984 at Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. Her feast day is celebrated on September 20, along with all the Korean Martyrs.
Agnes Kim Hyoju came from a Catholic Korean family and was formed in the faith in a society where Catholicism was proscribed and its practice could result in arrest, torture, and death. The Gihae Persecution of 1839 was carried out under the regency of Queen Sinjeong on behalf of the young King Heonjong and resulted in the deaths of numerous Catholic laypeople, priests, and catechists. Agnes Kim Hyoju endured arrest, interrogation, and imprisonment before her martyrdom, refusing to renounce her faith or betray her fellow Catholics.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju
| Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 20 |
| Profession | Laywoman |
| Rel. Affiliation | Roman Catholic; Korean Church |
| Patronage | Korea (collectively with the 103 Korean Martyrs) |
| Attributes | Palm branch (martyr); Korean traditional dress (hanbok) |
| Birthplace | Joseon Korea (present-day South Korea) |
| Death Place | Seoul, Joseon Korea (present-day Seoul, South Korea) |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (in Korea) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
The birth date of Agnes Kim Hyoju is not recorded in the available historical sources. She was born in the Joseon Kingdom of Korea, where Catholicism had first been introduced by Korean scholars returning from Beijing in the late eighteenth century and had spread rapidly despite the absence of clergy and the hostility of the Joseon government. The Korean Catholic Church in the early nineteenth century was a lay-led community sustained by catechists, house churches, and an underground network of faithful, all living in constant danger of detection and persecution.
Agnes Kim Hyoju was a member of the Kim family, several of whom are included among the 103 Korean Martyrs, reflecting the pattern by which Catholic faith spread through family networks in Joseon Korea and by which entire families were exposed to persecution when one member was detected. Her Christian formation took place in the clandestine conditions typical of the Korean Catholic community of the early nineteenth century.
Early Life
No detailed account of the early life of Agnes Kim Hyoju prior to her arrest has been preserved in the available historical sources. She lived as a laywoman in Joseon Korea during the reign of King Sunjo (1800–1834) and the subsequent reign of King Heonjong (1834–1849), under whose regency the Gihae Persecution was carried out.
The Joseon government regarded Catholicism as a foreign religion subversive of the Confucian social order that undergirded Korean society, and periodic persecutions had taken place since the late eighteenth century. The Sinyu Persecution of 1801 had resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Catholics, including the famous martyr Paul Chong Hasang, who was also martyred in 1839. The Catholic community that survived these persecutions was deeply formed by the witness of its martyrs.
Occupation
Agnes Kim Hyoju was a laywoman. No information about her secular occupation or specific family circumstances beyond her identification as a Korean Catholic laywoman has been preserved in the sources readily available.
Vocation
Agnes Kim Hyoju's vocation was that of a lay Catholic faithful to Christ in a society that treated the practice of Catholicism as a capital offense. Her witness was lived out in the hidden conditions of the Korean Catholic underground: secret gatherings for prayer and the reading of Scripture, clandestine reception of the sacraments from the French missionary priests who risked death to minister to the Korean Church, and the daily risk of discovery, arrest, and interrogation.
When she was arrested during the Gihae Persecution of 1839, she refused to apostatize or to betray her fellow Catholics. Her interrogation would have included demands that she name other Catholics in her community—information that, if given, could result in the arrest, torture, and execution of many others. Her steadfastness in maintaining silence and refusing to deny her faith is the central fact of her martyrdom.
Death
Agnes Kim Hyoju was martyred in 1839 during the Gihae Persecution. She was put to death in Seoul (then the capital of the Joseon Kingdom, known as Hanseong). The specific manner of her execution is not detailed in the sources readily available; Korean martyrs of this period were typically beheaded, strangled, or killed by other means.
Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju met her end through martyrdom for her faith in Jesus Christ, dying during the Gihae Persecution of 1839 rather than deny the Catholic faith or betray her fellow Catholics to the authorities of the Joseon Kingdom.
Significant events
- Born in the Joseon Kingdom of Korea into a Catholic family; received formation in the clandestine Korean Catholic tradition.
- Arrested during the Gihae Persecution of 1839.
- Refused to apostatize or betray her fellow Catholics under interrogation.
- Martyred for the Catholic faith in Seoul, 1839.
- Beatified October 6, 1968 by Pope Paul VI in Rome, as one of the 24 Korean Martyrs beatified at that time.
- Canonized May 6, 1984 by Pope John Paul II at Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea, as one of the 103 Korean Martyrs.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: None
Death location: Seoul, Joseon Korea (present-day Seoul, South Korea)
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju have been added to the database yet.
Media
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Shrines
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List of shrines
Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine, Seoul, South Korea
- Jeoldusan (절두산, "Beheading Hill") Martyrs' Shrine is the principal martyrial shrine of the Korean Catholic Church, situated on a cliff overlooking the Han River in Seoul. The hill was used as an execution site for Catholic martyrs during the Byongoh Persecution of 1866, and the shrine now commemorates all the Korean martyrs, including those of the earlier Gihae Persecution. A museum, chapel, and memorial garden preserve the memory of the martyrs.
- Pilgrimage details: 96 Tojeong-ro, Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04044, South Korea. Open year-round. Diocese: Archdiocese of Seoul.
- Facts: Jeoldusan is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in South Korea and attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually; the feast of the Korean Martyrs on September 20 draws especially large numbers.
Myeongdong Cathedral, Seoul, South Korea
- Myeongdong Cathedral (명동대성당), the mother church of the Archdiocese of Seoul and the oldest extant Catholic church building in the country, serves as the primary urban center of Catholic worship and pilgrimage in Korea. It is a focus of veneration for the Korean martyrs and a center of the Korean Catholic identity that the martyrs helped to form.
- Pilgrimage details: 74 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Open year-round. Diocese: Archdiocese of Seoul.
- Facts: Myeongdong Cathedral was built in the late nineteenth century, after the end of the persecutions, and serves as a symbol of the Korean Church's survival and flourishing after the era of martyrdom.
Haemi Martyrs' Shrine, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea
- Haemi Martyrs' Shrine (해미순교성지), located in South Chungcheong Province, preserves the site of the martyrdom of hundreds of Korean Catholics during the Byongoh Persecution. While primarily commemorating the 1866 persecution, the shrine venerates all the Korean martyrs and receives pilgrims seeking the intercession of the canonized saints, including Agnes Kim Hyoju.
- Pilgrimage details: Haemi Town, Seosan City, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Open year-round.
- Facts: The shrine includes a symbolic common grave commemorating the many anonymous Catholics who died during the persecutions alongside those formally canonized.
Canonization
Servant of God
Agnes Kim Hyoju was included in the group cause for the Korean Martyrs introduced by the Archdiocese of Seoul.
Venerable
Agnes Kim Hyoju was declared Venerable as part of the group process for the Korean Martyrs.
Beatification
Agnes Kim Hyoju was beatified on October 6, 1968, by Pope Paul VI in Rome. The beatification ceremony was part of the celebration of the golden jubilee of the Church of Korea's foundation and recognized the martyrdom of 24 Korean martyrs (later expanded to 103 for the canonization).
Canonization
Agnes Kim Hyoju was canonized on May 6, 1984, by Pope John Paul II at Yeouido Plaza in Seoul, South Korea—the first papal canonization ever held in Asia. She was canonized as one of the 103 Korean Martyrs, which included priests, women religious, catechists, and laypeople who died for the Catholic faith between 1839 and 1867.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
The miracles approved for the beatification of the Korean Martyrs were confirmed through the Congregation of Rites as part of the group cause.
Miracle for canonization
The miracles approved for the canonization of the 103 Korean Martyrs were confirmed through the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as part of the group cause for canonization in 1984.
Other notable miracles
- Miracles have been reported through the collective intercession of the 103 Korean Martyrs since their beatification and canonization.
Patronage
Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju is venerated collectively with the 103 Korean Martyrs as patrons of Korea and of the Korean Catholic Church.
Feast day
September 20
Veneration
Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as one of the 103 Korean Martyrs, with a collective feast day on September 20. She is especially venerated in South Korea, where the Korean Catholic community celebrates the feast of its martyrs with great devotion. The shrines of Jeoldusan and Haemi are the principal pilgrimage sites associated with the Korean martyrs, and the annual feast on September 20 draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Agnes Kim Hyoju is depicted in Korean Catholic art in the hanbok (traditional Korean dress), holding a palm branch as a symbol of her martyrdom.
Prayers
Authored
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Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
- Books about the 103 Korean Martyrs
- Charles Dallet, Histoire de l'Église de Corée (1874) — the foundational historical account of the Korean Catholic Church and its martyrs.
Written by the saint
- No writings by Saint Agnes Kim Hyoju are known to survive.