Bishop Yu Kyungchon, Who Stood With the Poor, Passes Away After Illness

Bishop Yu Kyungchon Passes Away at 63
Diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer in 2024
Before Passing: "It Pains Me That I Could Not Be With the Poor"
A Life Devoted to Walking With the Lowly

Auxiliary Bishop Yu Kyungchon of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul passed away on August 15. He was 63 years old.

The late Bishop Yu Kyungchon. Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul

According to the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul, Bishop Yu passed away at 12:28 a.m. that day at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital of the Catholic University due to illness. Before his passing, he expressed, "There were many more things I wanted to do alongside the poor, and it pains me that I could not be with them."

In January 2024, Bishop Yu was diagnosed with stage 2 bile duct cancer and underwent both surgery and chemotherapy. The cancer later metastasized to his abdomen, and he resumed chemotherapy in October of the same year.

Born in Seoul in 1962, Bishop Yu graduated from the Catholic University of Seoul and, after completing his military service, studied abroad at the University of W?rzburg in Germany. He was ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Seoul in January 1992, and later earned a doctorate in theology from Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany.

He went on to serve as assistant pastor at Mok 5-dong Parish in Seoul, professor at the Catholic University (Seminary), director of the Integrated Pastoral Research Institute of the Archdiocese of Seoul, pastor of Myeongil-dong Parish, and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul. After being formally ordained as bishop in February 2014, he served as head of social pastoral work and as vicar for the East Seoul region in the archdiocese.

The late Bishop Yu Kyungchon is volunteering to serve meals at Myeongdong Soup Kitchen. Archdiocese of Seoul

As chairman of the One Body One Spirit Movement and CEO of the Seoul Catholic Social Welfare Society, he consistently supported and volunteered for the poor and marginalized. During his lifetime, Bishop Yu aspired to be "a priest who walks with the lowly," and according to the Archdiocese of Seoul, he became a role model for fellow priests through his simplicity, humility, and care for the socially disadvantaged. In particular, he listened attentively to the stories of the vulnerable in the field and sought to provide comfort and assistance. Since 2006, he donated about 15 million won to the One Body One Spirit Movement, and since 2015, about 12 million won to the Seoul Catholic Social Welfare Society.

He also stood with those suffering from tragedies. At the memorial mass held at Myeongdong Cathedral in October 2023, marking the first anniversary of the Itaewon disaster, Bishop Yu urged society to show care for the bereaved families, saying, "In order for them to overcome their pain, proper and sufficient remembrance of the victims must be ensured."

On the second anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster in April 2016, he presided over a memorial mass at Myeongdong Cathedral, which was jointly celebrated by the priests of the Social Pastoral Department of the Archdiocese of Seoul.

The late Bishop Yu Kyungchon (center in the photo) smiling brightly while participating in the Holy Oil Consecration Mass during his lifetime. Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul
Photo by Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul

His publications include "To Believers in the 21st Century," "Lent, a Gift Renewed Each Day," and a collection of sermons and papers titled "We Are the Lord's Ecological Apostles."

Bishop Yu was also the younger brother of Yu Inchon, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The funeral parlor will be set up in the underground chapel of Myeongdong Cathedral, the episcopal seat in Seoul, and visitors may pay their respects from 3 p.m. on August 15.

The funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on August 18 at Myeongdong Cathedral, jointly celebrated by the Korean Bishops' Conference and priests of the Archdiocese of Seoul. The mass will be presided over by Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick, head of the Archdiocese of Seoul.

The burial site will be the clergy section of the Catholic Yongin Memorial Park in Mohyeon-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.