What did Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon write before his execution?

What would you say if you knew your life was about to end for your faith? This was the question faced by Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the first native-born Korean Catholic priest, who was executed at the age of 25. His final words, written from prison, echo as an inspiration for Christians across Asia.

Christianity first entered Korea in the late 1500s when Japanese soldiers baptized converts. By the late 18th century, Christian texts reached Korean scholars, and communities of believers began to grow, even without priests. In fact, when a missionary finally entered Korea in the 1790s, they discovered 4,000 Christians who had never seen a priest before.

But this new faith was seen as a threat by the Korean monarchy, which launched waves of violent persecution between 1791 and 1866. Thousands were executed, including lay women, men, and entire families. Among them were Andrew Kim’s father, grandfather, and uncles, leaving his mother destitute.

Despite this suffering, Andrew Kim was baptized at 15. Soon after, he left Korea secretly, traveling 1,200 miles to Macau to begin seminary formation. After years of study, he was ordained a priest in Shanghai in 1845, the first Korean-born priest in history.

Ordination did not bring safety but rather a mission filled with risk. Andrew Kim returned to Korea in secret, guiding missionaries through hidden coastal routes and ministering to Christians who had long been deprived of the sacraments. His presence was a source of courage for the underground Church, reminding them that God had not abandoned them.

Two years later, while scouting safe passage along the Korean shoreline, Andrew Kim was discovered, arrested, and tortured. On September 26, 1846, he was beheaded.

From his prison cell, Andrew Kim wrote to the faithful, “We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honor of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?”

These words remain a challenge for Christians today, not to live the faith only in name, but with courage, love, and perseverance.

During these trying times, Andrew Kim was not alone in his witness. Lay leader Paul Chong Hasang also gave his life for the faith, tirelessly advocating for missionaries to come to Korea. He was executed in 1839, along with his mother, Cecilia Yu Sosa. By the late 19th century, nearly 10,000 Christians in Korea were martyred, most of them lay people.

In 1984, Pope St. John Paul II canonized Andrew Kim, Paul Chong Hasang, and 101 other Korean martyrs during his visit to Seoul, recognizing their extraordinary witness of faith. Of the group, nearly half were lay women and men, proof that holiness is not limited to priests and religious but is a universal call.

Up to this modern time, St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Hasang, and the Korean martyrs continue to inspire Christians throughout Asia. Their lives remind the faithful that the Gospel can take root even in the harshest conditions, and that true discipleship calls for courage and fidelity to Christ, even to the point of death.