The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul announced on the 23rd that it will promote additional beatification and canonization processes for three major figures in Korean Catholicism. The subjects are Bishop Barthelemy Bruguiere (1792?1835), Father Bang Yu-ryong (1900?1986), and Cardinal Kim Soo-hwan (1922?2009).
Beatification and canonization refer to the Catholic Church's process of posthumously elevating martyrs or those of high sanctity to the dignity of Blessed or Saint. Blessed is the stage before sainthood.
Archbishop Jung said at the beatification and canonization committee meeting held on the 23rd at the Seoul Archdiocese Office in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, "Although it is a journey that requires formal procedures and long efforts and prayers, we will begin to promote the beatification and canonization of the three from this time."
Beatification and canonization proceed based on strict examination by collecting evidence and materials that can verify the candidate's life and sanctity, with the final decision made by the Holy See.
Bishop Bruguiere was appointed as the first Apostolic Vicar of Joseon when the Holy See established the Apostolic Vicariate of Joseon in 1831. It took him three years to pass through China, where missionary activities were strictly prohibited, and he died of illness in a Christian village in Magaja (馬架子), located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, just before entering Joseon.
Father Bang was the founder of the Korean Martyrs' Family Religious Congregation and successively established the Sisters' Congregation (1946), the Clerical Religious Congregation (1953), the Secular Martyrs' Association (3rd group, 1957), and the Palma Sisters' Congregation (1962).
Cardinal Kim served as the 11th Archbishop of Seoul from 1968 until his retirement in 1998, shepherding the archdiocese for 30 years. He is recognized for his dedication to improving human rights and establishing democracy in Korean society.
The Korean Catholic Church has 103 saints and 124 blesseds, including the first Korean priest, Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea (1821?1846).
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