Paul Chong Hasang

Who they were

Paul Chong Hasang was born in 1795 into one of the first Christian families of Korea. As a boy he saw half his family martyred, and was imprisoned with his mother and sister and stripped of everything. Freed, he went to Seoul, joined the Christian community and worked to win converts.

A lay catechist, he walked to China at least fifteen times, through great hardship, to beg Beijing to send priests to Korea, and helped bring in the French bishop Imbert, who wanted to ordain him. He was arrested in the persecution and martyred on 22 September 1839.

The miracles

As a martyr he was canonised with St Andrew Kim Taegon and 101 other Korean martyrs without the need of approved miracles. Their memorial is 20 September.

Why that counted as sanctity

Paul Chong, a layman in a Church founded by lay people, spent his life bringing priests to his country so that it could have the sacraments, and died for the faith his family had died for.

Connected on this site

• Cecilia Yu So-sa Saint Mother, Parent
• Elisabeth Chŏng Chŏng-hye Saint Brother or sister
• The Korean Martyrs Saint honoured together
• Jeong Yak-jong Blessed Parent, Father
  “He was the older brother of Chŏng Yagyong and the father of Paul Chong Hasang.” — Wikipedia
• Andrew Kim Taegon Saint
  “As martyrs, he and his 102 companions, including the lay catechist Paul Chong Hasang, were canonised together in Seoul without the need of approved miracles.” — this site's research
• Augustin Yu Chin-gil Saint
  “At Seoul in Korea, the passion of Saints Paul Chong Hasang and Augustin Yu Chin-gil, martyrs, of whom the first was for twenty years, in time of persecution, the guide of the first community of Christians, while the other wrote a letter to Pope Gregory XVI asking him to send priests to Korea: both catechists, after…” — this site's research
• The Korean Martyrs Saint
  “Among the thousands who died, 103 were canonised together, among them the first Korean-born priest, St Andrew Kim Taegon, martyred on 16 September 1846, and the lay catechist St Paul Chong Hasang, who walked to China fifteen times to beg for priests and was martyred on 22 September 1839.” — this site's research