St. Siméon-François Berneux (1814-1866)

Today in 1866 marks the death of St. Siméon-François Berneux (1814-1866), who was martyred in Korea. Born to a poor family in France, he studied for the priesthood in Mans and was ordained in 1837. In 1839 he joined the Paris Foreign Mission Societyand volunteered for the missions in Vietnam. There he was captured, beath and sentenced to death, but was reelased through the influence of a French naval officer. He then went to Korea, where in 1854 he was named a Vicar Apostolic (a missionary bishop). In Korea he started a seminary and translated several relifious books into Korean. In 1866 a persecution broke out and Berneux was among those executed. In 1984 he was one of the Korean Martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II.