Saints

Christianity first came to Korea through books, sent from China. The first Korean Christians were baptised in Peking in 1784. Ten years later, a Chinese priest visiting Korea found 4,000 Christians. He stayed with them until he was killed in 1801. For the next 30 years, the community did not have a priest. In 1837, Pope Pius VII sent Bishop Laurence Imbert with two priests from the Paris Mission... Read More

Martyr. Patron of Naples. This early saint was Bishop of Benevento when the Emperor Diocletian turned his fury on Christians. One day Januarius visited some deacons and lay people who had been thrown into a dungeon for their faith. The jailers informed the authorities and he was arrested and tried with two others, Festus and Desiderius, who were guests at his home. Draconius, the pagan governor... Read More

Apostle and evangelist. Matthew was called Levi by St Mark and St Luke. He was a Jewish tax collector for the Romans, working and living in Capernum, before he was called by Jesus. St Matthew wrote first of all for his fellow Jews, longing to show them how Jesus had fulfilled their deepest hopes. He brought a message of a Saviour who would never desert his followers. The last words of Matthew's ... Read More