Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Yu Kyung-chon of the Archdiocese of Seoul passed away on August 15 after nearly two years of battling stage two bile duct cancer. He was 63.
A Requiem Mass was celebrated on the morning of August 18 at Myeongdong Cathedral, attended by clergy of the archdiocese and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK).
In his homily, Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick highlighted Bishop Yu’s commitment to the marginalized, recalling how he oversaw the establishment of a restaurant for the homeless and personally served meals there every week. The archbishop also remembered the late bishop’s pastoral visits to the faithful in rural areas and the outskirts of the archdiocese.
Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon, president of the CBCK, praised Bishop Yu’s missionary spirit, noting his desire to seek out “the lowest and darkest places, to spread the heart and love of the Lord there.”
Apostolic Nuncio to Korea and Mongolia, Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s condolences. “We gratefully remember Bishop Yu, especially his example of humility and dedication to the socially disadvantaged, and we entrust his soul to the mercy of Christ, the Good Shepherd,” he said.
Approximately 23,000 people attended his three-day wake to pay their respects.
Born in Seoul in 1962, Timothy Yu Kyung-chon was ordained a priest in 1992 and consecrated bishop in 2013. Known for his frugal lifestyle and tireless advocacy for the poor, he also stood with the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster and partnered with international humanitarian organizations working in more than 70 countries across Asia and Africa.
Bishop Yu also shared his spiritual insights through three collections of sermons and reflections: To the Believer in the 21st Century, Lent: A Gift Renewed Every Day, and We Are the Lord’s Ecological Apostles.
He will be remembered as a shepherd deeply committed to the Gospel, whose life embodied service to the poor and solidarity with the suffering.
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