ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - The Korean Church celebrates their martyrs and begins construction of a new Shrine

Daejon (Agenzia Fides) - The martyrs are a firmly established reference point for the Korean Church. They symbolize an entire tradition of faith and roots for the contemporary community of believers who celebrate and bear witness to the Gospel. In this spirit, Korean Catholics recently celebrated a Mass on commemoration of Korean martyrs in Hongju, where a tombstone is dedicated in their honor. The place marks the site where 212 Korean martyrs, including Servants of God Peter Won Si-jang, James Won Si-bo, Simon Hwang Il-gwang, Andrew Yi Jae-haeng, Job Yi Il-eon, Peter Yi Tae-gwon, were put to death in odium fidei. There is another “site of martyrdom” in Korea often visited by the faithful and pilgrims. It is called Hwang Sae Bawee a Gongju, where 250 Christians were killed.
Today, in Hongju, Catholics are making efforts to construct an authentic Shrine in honor of the martyrs, who are the seeds of the Korean Church. Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Bishop of Daejeon, in an address to a crowd of over a thousand faithful, publicly expressed the intentions of the Korean Church, inviting all Christians living today to take up the example of the martyrs’ testimony. The Bishop also blessed the cornerstone of the new shrine, inviting all the faithful to participate in the project to construct a “Park of the Martyrs of Hongju,” with Stations of the Cross, a church, and a house for receiving pilgrims. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 26/3/2008; righe 18, parole 234)