Saint Elisabeth Chong Chong-Hye
Saint Elisabeth Chong Chong-hye (born 1797 AD in Korea; died January 31, 1839 AD in Seoul, Korea) was a Korean Catholic laywoman and martyr, one of the Korean Martyrs of the 19th-century persecution. She was beheaded for her faith during the Gihae Persecution of 1839 under King Heonjong of Joseon. She was beatified in 1925 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1984 with the 103 Martyrs of Korea. Her feast day is September 20.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Elisabeth Chong Chong-Hye
| Saint Elisabeth Chong Chong-Hye | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 20 |
| Profession | Laywoman; Catholic martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Korean lay Catholic community |
| Patronage | Korea; Korean Catholics; martyrs; laywomen |
| Attributes | Korean martyr's dress; palm of martyrdom; sword |
| Birthplace | Korea (Joseon Dynasty) |
| Death Place | Seoul, Korea (Joseon Dynasty) |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; beheaded during the Gihae Persecution of 1839 |
| Primary Shrine | Jeoldu-san (Martyrs' Hill) Shrine, Seoul — the primary shrine of the Korean Martyrs; their beheadings took place near this site on the Han River; now a national Catholic sanctuary |
| Liturgical Class | Feast (September 20, with the 103 Martyrs of Korea) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Elisabeth Chong Chong-hye was born in 1797 into a Catholic family in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty, a time when Christianity was illegal and Catholics were subject to periodic violent persecution. Korea had received the Catholic faith through lay missionaries and returning diplomats from China in the late 18th century — a remarkable lay-evangelism movement with no resident priests for decades.
The Gihae Persecution of 1839, ordered by the regent Queen Sunwon during the minority of King Heonjong, was one of the most severe periods of anti-Catholic violence in Korean history. The French missionaries Saint Pierre Philibert Maubant, Saint Jacques Honoré Chastan, and Saint Laurent Marie Joseph Imbert (the first Catholic bishop of Korea) were arrested and killed. Hundreds of Korean laypeople were arrested, tortured, and executed.
Elisabeth Chong Chong-hye was arrested in this persecution. She was beheaded on January 31, 1839, in Seoul. She died professing her faith.
She was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as one of the Blessed Martyrs of Korea. On May 6, 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized her with 102 other Korean martyrs at an open-air Mass in Seoul — the first papal canonization ever to take place outside Rome. The group of 103 martyrs includes bishops, priests, and laypeople from the persecutions of 1839, 1846, and 1866.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Korea (Joseon Dynasty)
Death location: Seoul, Korea (Joseon Dynasty)
Notable location: The site of her martyrdom; Seoul is the center of Korean Catholic martyrdom memory; major shrines to the 103 Martyrs of Korea are here (Seoul, Republic of Korea)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Jeoldu-san (Martyrs' Hill) Shrine, Mapo-gu, Seoul — principal national shrine of the Korean Martyrs; on the Han River cliff where many were executed.
- Haemi Martyrs' Shrine, South Chungcheong Province — site of execution of Korean martyrs.
Feast day
September 20
Veneration
Saint Elisabeth Chong Chong-hye is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church on September 20 (feast of the 103 Martyrs of Korea).
Prayers
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External links
- catholicsaints.info – Saint Elisabeth Chong Chong-hye
- catholic.org – Saint Elisabeth Chong Chong-hye