Our Lady of Korea

Although there is not an official apparition attached to this image of Our Lady, she shows the faith of the Korean people and their dedication to the Rosary.

The Korean Catholics obviously have a deep love of Our Lady. During almost 200 years (1590-1790) while Korea was truly a country closed off to the outside world, the prayers which comprise Our Lady's Rosary kept thousands of Korean believers faithful to the teachings of the Church.  The faithful had to continue their efforts to keep the faith through underground churches during this time.

The first Korean contacts with Catholicism came through Korean diplomatic envoys who were regularly sent to China where they met Jesuit priests.  The priests gave them some Catholic books which the envoys took home with them. A group of Korean scholars became interested in the books and began to study the new religion, comparing it with the Neo-Confucianism which was the traditional philosophy in Korea. The study of these writings and the secret baptisms of a few of the Korean nobility in 1592 combined with the power of the Holy Spirit gave rise to a hidden church run entirely by lay people.  The teachings were those of the Catholic Faith, but for almost 200 years, the Church grew without its members ever having seen a priest or receiving the Holy Eucharist.

By the time priests were able to enter Korea in 1790, they were surprised to see that the basic teachings were already understood.  Many of the people who came forward to learn from the priests already knew the basic prayers (Hail Mary and Our Father).

The Catholic community in Korea continued to struggle to openly know the faith with many martyrs. The freedom to practice their religion was not officially granted to Korean Catholics until the 1880s, 100 years after the church was openly presented in the country. In the time in between about 10,000 Catholics were killed in persecutions.

By 2000, there were about 4.5 million Catholics in South Korea, or roughly 9% of the population.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II visited South Korea as the Catholic Church in the country celebrated its bicentennial. During the visit, he canonized 10 French missionaries and 93 Koreans, including the first priest, Kim Tae-gon Andrew (September feast day). It was the first time a canonization ceremony had been held outside the Vatican since the Middle Ages and gave South Korea the fourth highest number of Catholic saints in the world.

I like to think Our Lady of Korea was watching over the country over the years to bring such a miracle to this country.

Our Lady of Korea, pray for us!