Teresa Kim Im-i
Saint Teresa Kim Im-i Martyr | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1811 Seoul, Korea |
| Died | 20 September 1846 (aged 34–35) Seoul, Korea |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 5 July 1925 by Pope Pius XI |
| Canonized | 6 May 1984, Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | 20 September (with the 102 martyrs of Korea) |
Saint Teresa Kim Im-i (Korean: 남경문 베드로; 1811 – 20 September 1846) was a Korean lay Christian seamstress who was killed for her faith in 1846. She was declared a martyr and beatified in 1925, and canonized in 1984 along with the Korean Martyrs.
Life
She was born in Seoul, Korea in 1811 into a Christian family.[1][2][3] From a young age, she took an interest in the biographies of saints, and at the age of seventeen, she decided to remain a virgin.[1][3]
Teresa lived for three years in the princess’s palace as a seamstress, and later moved in with relatives or friends, particularly with the foster mother of Saint John Yi-Mun-u.[1] In 1845, she worked as a housekeeper for Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, and Teresa told her sister that if Saint Andrew were ever arrested, she would remain by his side.[1][3]
The following year, in 1846, a persecution of Christians began and despite seeking refuge at her sister’s home and wanting to meet Saint Charles Hyon Song-mun, on 10 July 1846, she was arrested at his home along with three other women.[1][3] Teresa spent more than two months in prison, and official records indicate that she remained steadfast in her faith despite interrogation and torture.[1][3]
On 20 September 1846, along with six others, she was executed at the Seoul prison at the age of 36, following a beating and possibly by strangulation.[1] [2][3]
Canonization
She was declared a martyr following the decree of 9 May 1925.[2] Teresa was beatified on 5 July 1925, by Pope Pius XI along with 79 other Korean martyrs, and canonized by Pope John Paul II in Yeouido square of Seoul on 6 May 1984, along with the rest of the martyrs.[1][2] Her feast day is celebrated on 20 September.[1][2][4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Odden, Einar (6 April 1999). "Den hellige Teresa Kim Im-i (1811-1846)" [Saint Teresa Kim Im-i (1811–1846)]. katolsk.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 3 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Saint Theresia Kim Im-I". Catholic Saints Info. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Lives of the 103 Martyrs Saints of Korea". News Letter of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea: 8. 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
- ↑ "Quién es el santo que se celebra este miércoles 20 de septiembre" [Who is the saint being celebrated this Wednesday, September 20?]. Infobae. 20 September 2023. p. es. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
- 1811 births
- 1846 deaths
- People from Seoul
- Korean martyrs
- Korean Catholics
- Korean Roman Catholic saints
- Korean prisoners sentenced to death
- Executed Korean people
- Executed Korean women
- Korean beatified people
- Korean saints
- Beatifications by Pope Pius XI
- Canonizations by Pope John Paul II
- 19th-century Roman Catholic martyrs