KIMBERLY B.

VALSOTE STEM 12 ST GABRIEL

After reading the life of your chosen Saint, answer the following
questions:
1. What makes him/her a Saint?

During the mid-1840s, St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the patron

saint of Korean clergy and the first Korean-born priest,
evangelized and spread the Gospel in Korea. He was
baptized at the age of 15 and went on to study for the
priesthood in Macau and the Philippines. He served the church for only two years
after his ordination in Shanghai in 1844 before being martyred. St. Andrew Kim
Taegon was among several thousand Christians who were executed during the Joseon
Dynasty, which sought to suppress Christianity in Korea during its rule. Nearly 80
years after his death, Pope Pius XI beatified Kim Taegon in 1925. Later, in May 1984,
he was canonized into a saint, along with 102 other Joseon martyrs, by Pope John Paul
II.

2. What Christian values she/he had lived?

Saint Andrew Kim Taegon lived a brief but fruitful life. He was one of those who
practiced their faith in the face of persecution for Christians at the time. He
demonstrated with joyful hope that good always triumphs because God’s love
triumphs over hatred. He also works to bring peace and reconciliation to North and
South Korea. Even though they lived in a society dominated by a hierarchical social
system, St. Andrew Kim and others of our forefathers practiced what they believed.
He was the epitome of living Jesus’s words and the Gospel’s ideals of human dignity
and equality among people.

3. Are the values she/he had lived still relevant in our present life? Why?

Yes, the values he embodied are still relevant in our present life, especially when it
comes to pursuing peace. We all want peace. We all want to know what it’s like to be
at peace. People seek this at home, in school, in our small towns, and throughout our
country. We experience peace through the acts of kindness, generosity, and concern
of our family, friends, fellow citizens, and even kind-hearted strangers. With so many
issues confronting our society today, such as political unrest, unstoppable high living
costs, a severe and high rate of crime, broken homes, an increasing number of jobless
Filipinos, and worsening poverty cases, peace is difficult to achieve. Peace is a divine
gift, a moral order in our society that is aligned with God’s desire for us to be one
community in the spirit of justice, love, and solidarity. Jesus teaches us to promote
peace through nonviolent action. It does not simply invite us to accept injustice, but
rather to stand up for what is right and true. Only through God’s grace is it possible
to achieve peace. Everyone must seek Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and follow in His
footsteps.

REFERENCES :

• Vergonia, J. P. (2017, July 7). Roman Catholic shrine built to honor first Korean
saint. Korea.Net.
https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Society/view?articleId=147762
• https://catholicsaintmedals.com/saints/st-andrew-kim-taegon/
• https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2021-08/korea-
archbishop-prefect-clergy-mass-homily-saint-kim-taegon.html
• https://www.mypope.com.ph/st-andrew-kim-taegon/