South Korea has been chosen as the esteemed host for World Youth Day 2027. The International Shrine of Haemi Martyrs, at just 4 years old, is fervently laying its foundations to embrace the Pilgrims of Ho pe in 2025 and the participants of World Youth Day in 2027. It is young not only in its status as an international shrine bu t also in its core identity as a shrine. This brief history is due to the comparatively recent timeline of the Catholic Church in Korea. It was not until 1784 that the first baptized Catholic believer appeared in Korea. These dedicated individuals, who embraced Christianity without m issionaries’ guidance, maintained their commitment, even when confront ed with the immense challenge of mortality. The history of the Korean church is a history of martyrdom. The Haemi Shrine eloquently embodies this divine tale of the Korean Church, resonating with God’s grand ac t of self-revelation. The hallowed grounds of Haemi serve as the resting place for mar tyrs who were executed. The horrors and martyrdoms stemming from the 1 868(Thousands were martyred) were unmatched in their cruelty and scale, closely linked with the origin of the Haemi Shrine. The Catholic idea of equality was unacceptable in a Confucian society with a strict hie rarchy. Rosaries were excavated from most of the graves of martyrs. It c an be said that most of the martyrs in Haemi prayed the rosary while w aiting for martyrdom. In this way, during the persecution when it was not east to get Bible, devotion to the Virgin Mary and the rosary were important parts of the prayer life of the martyrs. Therefore, I’d like to participate on World Rosary Day on the 7th of October 2024, while remembering the martyrs. website https://www.haemi.or.kr Photo1: International Shrine of Haemi Martyrs Photo2: Jindongbeong – a pond where martyrs were buried alive.
