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Yeoju Catholic Church: Faith Built on the Land of Martyrdom | Planning / Production | Public Relations Bureau, Diocese of Suwon | Filming / Editing / Narration | The Pilgrim Man (Peter Lee Min-ho) | Text (Commentary) | Andrew Lee Seon-gyu Yeoju is one of the most important regions in the history of the Korean Catholic Church. It is the site of Jueosa, where the Patriarch Yi Byeok, Kwon Cheol-sin, and Kwon Il-sin held a Catholic study group together, and it is also the birthplace of Paul Yun Yu-il, who brought Father Ju Mun-mo to this land. Furthermore, the nine Blessed Martyrs from Yeoju, who were beatified by Pope Francis in 2014, nurtured their faith and suffered martyrdom here. Built upon this foundation of martyrdom, Yeoju Catholic Church was established in 1950 and marks the 76th anniversary of its founding this year. The Yeoju Blessed Martyrs Memorial Hall, located within Yeoju Catholic Church, opened in 2017 alongside the proclamation ceremony of the Yeoju Martyrdom Shrine. This is a meaningful space that commemorates the noble faith of nine martyrs from this region who were beatified, alongside the region's Catholic history, by displaying their portraits as icons. Furthermore, Yeoju Cathedral and various locations throughout the Yeoju area are filled with monuments honoring the martyrs. Walking through the ‘Bigak-geori Martyrdom Site’ near the marketplace, where beheadings were carried out during the Shinyu Persecution, and ‘Yangseom,’ where the Yeoju Martyrs Monument stands, leaves a profound impression that the entirety of Yeoju resembles one vast sanctuary of martyrdom. Yeoju Cathedral elevates the sanctity of martyrdom and the artistic value of the church through the stained glass by artist Lee Nam-gyu and the beautiful Stations of the Cross by painter Sim Sun-hwa, in addition to its sanctity as a sanctuary of martyrdom. The mysterious light created as natural light passes through the special mosaic-style colored glass is, in itself, sufficient to grant the grace of experiencing holiness and inner peace. Furthermore, unlike the Stations of the Cross often depicted in a dark and painful manner, Artist Sim Sun-hwa’s beautiful depictions of the Fourteen Stations naturally project the suffering and nobility of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to defend their faith onto the journey of Jesus’s Passion on the Cross, thereby helping visitors to deeply meditate on the faith of martyrdom. A pilgrimage to Yeoju Cathedral goes beyond merely looking back on past history. It becomes a journey of blessing and grace where pilgrims feel the breath of the martyrs, sublimated through light and art, and renew their own faith. #YeojuCatholicChurch #YeojuMartyrdomShrine #YeojuBlessedMartyrs #KoreanCatholicChurch #CatholicShrine #CatholicSite #Pilgrimage #CatholicHistory #KoreanChurchHistory #Yeoju #Catholic #Catholicism #Martyr #BlessedMartyr #PopeFrancis #SinyuPersecution #YeojuMartyrMemorialHall #YeojuMartyrs #BigakgeoriMartyrdomSite #Yangseom #Jueosa #PatriarchLeeByeok #KwonCheolsin #KwonIlshin #PaulYunYuil #StudyGroup #MartyrdomFaith #FaithHeritage #CatholicCulturalHeritage #PilgrimageRoute #ChurchTravel #HistoryTravel #ReligiousCulture #StainedGlass #LeeNamgyu #SimSunhwa #14StationsOfTheCross #14Stations #ChurchArt #ChurchOfLight #EmotionalDocumentary #HistoryDocumentary #PilgrimageVlog #KoreaShrine #GyeonggiDoShrine #PlacesToVisitInYeoju #CatholicKorea #KoreanCatholic #YeojuCatholicChurch #Pilgrimage #Martyrs #CatholicHeritage #FaithJourney #ChristianHistory #LightOfMartyrdom #JourneyOfFaith