INTERNATIONAL SHRINE OF HAEMI MARTYRS
This magnificent church, in South Korea’s central Chungcheong provincial city of Seosan, is one of the only seventeen Sanctuaries in the world that were declared International by the Holy See ( http://www.haemi.or.kr/ ).
It commemorates the nearly two thousand Catholic martyrs who were buried alive in 1868, during the last stretch of the persecutions that extended over nearly a century in Korea ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Martyrs ); many of whom remain anonymous.
The shrine’s Rector, Fr. Han Ore Mari Joseph, explained the historical events in his message to the World Rosary Day (link), and can be seen leading the prayer celebration in the short video teaser below.
It’s moving to witness how the blood of those saints has kept the Catholic faith alive and strong in Korea; it resonates the truth in Tertullian’s words to their tormentors: «your cruelty serves no purpose. On the contrary, for our community, it is an invitation. We multiply every time one of us is mowed down. The blood of Christians is effective seed» (semen est sanguis christianorum!, Apologeticus, 50:13).
Yours truly,
Umberto Angeloni
(of the WRD action team)
HERE FOLLOWS A SHORT VIDEO OF THE CEREMONY OF OCTOBER 07, 2024
