St. Andrew Kim Taegon
Korea’s first native-born Catholic priest, ordained in Shanghai and martyred in Seoul during the persecution of 1846.
Image: Paris Foreign Missions Society; photograph of a painting by Tjyang Louis — Public domain. Source and rights
Feast: September 20
Patronage and associations: Korea, Korean Catholics, Priests and seminarians
Historical period: 19th century (1821–1846)
The General Roman Calendar celebrates St. Andrew Kim Taegon, St. Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions on September 20.
Quick facts
- Born
- Korea, August 21, 1821
- Vocation
- First Korean-born Catholic priest
- Ordained
- Shanghai, 1845
- Died
- Seoul, September 16, 1846
Who Was St. Andrew Kim Taegon?
Andrew Kim Taegon was born in Korea in 1821 to a Catholic family. His father, Ignatius Kim Che-jun, was also martyred. Andrew traveled to Shanghai for priestly formation and was ordained in 1845, becoming the first Korean-born Catholic priest.
After returning to Korea, Andrew helped Bishop Jean-Joseph Ferréol and worked to serve Catholics living under persecution. He was arrested and beheaded in Seoul in 1846, at age twenty-five. His ministry was brief, but it included pastoral care and the risks faced by a young local Church.
Andrew is commemorated with 102 Korean companions, including laypeople and women, on September 20. Pope John Paul II canonized the Korean martyrs in Seoul in 1984. Their shared feast reminds readers that the Church in Korea was not simply a story of foreign missionaries; Korean Catholics themselves sustained and taught the faith.
What St. Andrew Kim Taegon Teaches Us Today
1. Local believers build the Church
Andrew’s vocation grew within a Korean Catholic community, whose members helped one another live and pass on the faith.
2. Formation prepares service
His journey to priestly ordination involved study and sacrifice so he could serve people in his own country.
3. Remember the companions
The feast includes women and laypeople as well as clergy. Their witness is communal, not a solo story.
A Prayer Asking for St. Andrew Kim Taegon’s Intercession
God of faithfulness, you called St. Andrew Kim Taegon to serve the Korean Church as its first native-born priest. Through his intercession, strengthen priests, seminarians, families, and all who quietly sustain the Church. Give me perseverance in study, courage in service, and respect for the communities whose faith has endured hardship. St. Andrew Kim Taegon and the Korean martyrs, pray for us. Amen.
Original prayer written by Catholic Explained.