Paris (Agenzia Fides) – The feast of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon and his fellow martyrs was also celebrated in Paris. These 102 martyrs, proclaimed Blessed by the Church, were killed in Korea during the persecutions of the Joseon dynasty. The commemoration took place on Saturday, September 20, in the Epiphany Chapel of the Paris Foreign Missions (Missions Étrangères de Paris), in the French capital, not far from Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, on Rue du Bac.
The Mass, presided over by the Bishop of Amiens Gérard Le Stang, was attended by many faithful and Korean priests. After the celebration, a procession took place to the crypt, where the relics of the martyrs were incensed and the famous hymn of the martyrs dedicated to them was sung, in French and Korean.
The first Apostolic Vicariate was established in Korea in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI and was later entrusted to the care of the priests of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (Missions Étrangères de Paris, MEP). Its commitment began with Barthélemy Bruguière (1792-1835), the first Apostolic Vicar of Korea after having served as coadjutor to the Apostolic Vicar of Siam, Thailand. To support this mission, Bruguière called Fathers Jacques Chastan, Pierre Maubant, and Laurent Imbert, although he never reached the peninsula, dying in Manchuria.
This is how the MEP apostolate in Korea began, initially with the arrival of Father Maubant. Later, three Koreans were sent to Macau to direct priestly formation: Andrea Kim Tae-gon, Francesco Saverio Choi, and Thomas Choi.
The Apostolic Vicariate was entrusted to Laurent Imbert— who had been consecrated bishop before leaving for Korea. He, along with Chastan and Maubant, began his apostolic work with the utmost discretion, so as not to irritate the authorities in a climate already marked by persecution.
In three years, the number of baptized had already doubled. Faced with renewed persecution and arrests following denunciations by an apostate in 1839, the three missionaries were beheaded together in the public square of Saenamto on September 21. The community dispersed, and border controls were strengthened. This led Father Jean Ferreol, already appointed Apostolic Vicar of Korea in 1843, to ordain seminarian Andrea Kim Tae-gon in Shanghai in August 1845 and send him to Korea in October of the same year. Approximately a year later, he too was assassinated, on September 16, 1846.
Along with Bishops Siméon Berneux and Antoine Daveluy, Msgr. Laurent Imbert was canonized in Seoul on May 6, 1984, during Pope John Paul II's visit to Korea.
Seven other priests from the Paris Foreign Missions Society have been canonized: Pierre Maubant, Jacques Chastan, Just Ranfer de Bretenières, Louis Beaulieu, Pierre Dorie, Pierre Aumaitre, and Martin-Luc Huin, as well as the first Korean priest, André Kim Tae-gon, and 92 other lay people.
Currently, eight Korean priests reside at the Paris Foreign Missions Society to continue their studies. This place, known for its hospitality and generosity, is also a place of contemplation and rest for all Korean missionaries in Africa or Latin America, and for those in Paris, especially during the summer holidays. Father Lumen Kwanhee Lee, from the Diocese of Suwon, currently in Paris to continue his studies, begins his stay at the MEP facilities this month: "Being here allows me to rekindle my faith and remember the stories and values bequeathed to me by my ancestors."
Father Lumen has been a member of a Catholic family for six or seven generations. "At the beginning of the 19th century, to escape persecution, my family retreated to the countryside, where André Kim's tomb is located in Mirine, and remained there until the generation of my father, who was born in Mirine."
The village of Mirine (미리네) is located near Euni (은이), in the Diocese of Suwon. From the Mirine Shrine in Anseong to the Euni Shrine in Yongin, there are three hills: the Hill of Faith, the Hill of Hope, and the Hill of Charity, where seminarians often go on pilgrimage. "André Kim Tae-gon remained in Euni's pastoral care for almost a month," concludes Father Lee.
The Korean Catholic community in Paris is located in the 14th arrondissement and welcomes about 150 faithful every Sunday. "Sometimes their French friends also accompany them,” says Father Paolo Choi Younghee 최영희, who arrived just seven months ago to serve the 300 Korean Catholics in Paris.
"Masses are led by a group of young Koreans. With the move from Korea to France, young Catholics, especially students, who had stopped attending church, are returning here. They are more likely to maintain their heritage than older people who were baptized abroad and cultivate a strong sense of belonging. Every year we celebrate the baptism of five or six people," explains Father Paolo Choi, who in the past also served the Korean diaspora in the United States. Masses are also celebrated on Thursdays and Fridays, although Korean faithful attend their neighborhood parish during the rest of the week. Every third Sunday of the month, a Mass dedicated to adolescents is celebrated.
The current church, located near the Visitation Monastery, was the parish of the Vietnamese community until 1997. "We plan to expand the facilities as soon as circumstances allow, in order to accommodate the faithful who often go downstairs to follow the Mass broadcast due to lack of space," concludes Father Paolo. (Agenzia Fides, 21/9/2025)
