On a day when he blessed a striking new statue of St. Andrew Kim at the parish in Olney, Maryland named for that saint, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville encouraged the Korean Catholic parishioners there to emulate their patron saint by following Jesus in today’s world.
“This parish has a statue that reminds us how important it is to be disciples of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Dorsonville said in his homily at a Sept. 26, 2021 Mass at St. Andrew Kim Church. “He (St. Andrew Kim) didn’t hesitate to give his young life in service to the Church and in service to Jesus Christ.”
The gleaming statue of St. Andrew Kim, unveiled in a ceremony after Mass that drew the applause of parishioners, is part of a new exhibition hall by the entranceway to the church that honors the life and legacy of Korea’s first priest and martyr as part of the bicentennial commemoration of his 1821 birth.
The statue – sculpted by Father Dong-guk Yeom, the nephew of Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, the archbishop of Seoul, South Korea – depicts St. Andrew Kim bowing slightly, and holding a small façade of the Catholic church in Shanghai, China, where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1845, days before his 24th birthday. He was martyred the next year at the age of 25.
St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon was among 103 Korean martyrs canonized by Pope St. John Paul II when he visited South Korea in 1984. St. Andrew Kim Church has a large painting depicting the martyrs, and another statue of their patron saint outside the church. The Maryland parish named for him has about 2,500 parishioners. Blessed Andrew Kim Pastoral Mission was founded in 1974 for Korean Catholics in the Washington area, and in 1984 it became St. Andrew Kim Parish. The parish moved from College Park to Olney, where its new church was dedicated in 2002.
In his homily, Bishop Dorsonville said the statue of the saint could be cherished like someone having a photo of their parents on their night stand. He encouraged the parishioners to draw inspiration from the faith and love of St. Andrew Kim, their ancestor in the Catholic faith who didn’t hesitate “to bring the message of God to his brothers and sisters.” The bishop said parishioners could emulate the example of the young priest and his martyred companions by living as missionary disciples of Jesus in their everyday lives and passing on their faith to future generations.
Bishop Dorsonville, the chairman of the Migration Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, celebrated a special Mass later that day at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington to mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Earlier that day, addressing the immigrant Korean Catholic community at St. Andrew Kim Parish, he praised immigrants for being on the front lines selflessly serving others during the pandemic, and he encouraged them to help build love and unity in a world that is too often polarized and divided.
“Remember, Jesus Christ counts on you to build up this Church, full of solidarity and love,” he said.
Highlighting the example of St. Andrew Kim, the bishop encouraged young people there to be open to vocations to the priesthood and religious life. “Don’t be afraid to give up your lives for the sake of our Lord,” said Bishop Dorsonville.
Earlier in the Mass, Bishop Dorsonville said, “As we continue to go through this pandemic, it’s important to remember to love and care for each other,” reflecting Christ to others.
The hundreds of people attending the Mass wore face masks and maintained social distances in accord with COVID-19 safety guidelines. They reverently prayed the Creed in Korean and sang the Our Father in their native language, and at the sign of peace, people smiled and bowed toward each other.
Before the Mass, Stephano Chung, the former president of the parish council and former chairman of the church construction committee at St. Andrew Kim, said Korean Catholics continue to draw inspiration from their patron saint. “Everybody in Korea admires him for his Catholic faith,” he said.
Vatican News reported in January 2020 that South Korea has about 5.8 million Catholics, about 11 percent of that nation’s population, and that the number of Catholics there has grown by 50 percent in the past 20 years.
In an email interview, Father Joseph Lee, a priest of the Archdiocese of Seoul who has served as the pastor of St. Andrew Kim Parish since 2017, said St. Andrew Kim continues to serve as a role model to Korean Catholic priests and laypeople for his obedience to Christ and as “a good shepherd who would give his life for the flock.”
Father Lee, who celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest in 2020, said, “The clergy and the laity are in a relationship of love in which they sacrifice for each other.” He said St. Andrew Kim and the early Catholics in Korea reflected that, and “I hope our community holds the example close to their heart and stays true to it.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea announced a jubilee year for the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon from Nov. 29, 2020 through Nov. 27, 2021.
St. Andrew Kim Church in Olney has relics of their patron saint in the main sanctuary, and the Archdiocese of Seoul has designated it as an overseas sanctuary, where pilgrims can receive a plenary indulgence during the jubilee year.
To mark the Sept. 20 feast day of St. Andrew Kim, St. Paul Chung and the other Korean martyrs, St. Andrew Kim Parish held an outdoor Mass on the day before in the church yard in front of the statue of St. Andrew Kim, followed by fellowship and lunch, and the children there had writing and drawing contests about their patron saint.
Also during the jubilee year, St. Andrew Kim parishioners from June 15 to Sept. 20, 2021 offered 100-day prayers, remembering and reflecting on their patron saint’s example, and offering a St. Andrew Kim jubilee prayer before each Mass.
