St. Paul Chung Hasang was born in 1795 as the second son of Chung Yak Jong (Augustine) and Yoo So Sa (Cecilia) in Kyeong Ki Providence. His father Chung Yak Jong had a strong faith in God, and was the first Parish Council president of the Korean Catholic Church. He published the Principal Religion Doctrine or “Joo Kyo Yo Ji” in Korean. St. Paul Chung Hasang had an older brother, Chul Sang, and a younger sister, Chung Hye. His father had three brothers, Chung Yak Hyun, Chung Yak Jun and Chung Yak Yong, all of whom were talented and outstanding scholars of the time.

During the Shin Yu Persecution (1801), then 7 year old Hasang and his family moved to Seoul. But the family was captured, and his father, Yak Jong and his brother, Chul Sang were martyred. His uncles, Yak Jun and Yak Yong, were placed in exile and the entire family assets were seized. Although the Hasang’s family received the harshest punishment and became poor and hungry, they had an unwavering faith in God.

Following the Shin Yu Persecution of 1801, the first priest, Fr. Zhou Mun Mo (Chinese priest sent from Beijing) was martyred, and the church’s infrastructure was virtually destroyed. At that time, Chung Hasang began the work of reconstructing the devastated Korean Catholic community and initiated a movement for the Beijing Bishop to send priests to Korea. To accomplish this mission, the noble-born Chung Hasang disguised himself as a lowly servant to the Korean diplomatic members and entered the China’s rough terrain 9 times.

In 1816, He met Bishop Pierres, in Beijing and requested him to send priests to Korea. At that time, Chung Hasang was baptized and confirmed. Finally in 1833, he brought a Chinese priest, Yoo Bang Je to Korea. After the establishment of the new Korean Catholic Archdiocese, separate from the Beijing diocese, the first bishop of Korea was appointed. His name was Bishop Bruguiere. But before Bishop Bruguiere was to arrive in Korea, he died of illness. As a replacement, Chung Hasang, in 1836, received Fr. Maubant from France. In 1837, after Fr. Yoo Bang Je returned to China, Fr. Chastan and Bishop Imbert came to Korea. Thus the Korean Catholic church at that time had 3 clergymen. This was the result of over 20 years of Chung Hasang’s unrelenting effort to bring priests to Korea.

Even though they had clergies, they faced many difficulties, such as keeping their activities clandestine and overcoming the language barrier by continually seeking for interpreters for translation. Chung Hasang had to continually be on his toes to keep them together. Chung Hasang did not stop at the effort to bring priests into Korea. He was a spiritual leader of his people with faith, virtue, strong conviction and ingenuity. He was in the forefront of all church related activities in Korea. He also spent a lot of time and effort to breed Korean priests by sending three young people including, Kim Taegun and Choi Yang Up to China.

Bishop Imbert, on the other hand, began to teach 4 seminarians including Chung Ha Sang and Lee Shin Kyu, the son of Lee Sung Hoon and the first baptized person in Korea, to quickly bring them to priesthood in Korea. As a 44-year old seminary student and still unmarried, Chung Hasang was grateful and hopeful for the opportunity and studied very hard. The teaching was held in a secret pottery factory in Beron City within the Choong Chung providence. But the next year, 1839, the Gi Hye Prosecution, also known as the 3rd major prosecution, took place. Under the nationwide search and persecution, Chung Hasang, was captured. His sister and mother were also captured. His interrogators demanded to know the whereabouts of the foreign clergymen.

However, after being shacked and whipped to a bloody mess, and scourged so hard that his bones were crushed and his flesh was torn apart, Chung Hasang did not only refuse to succumb, he continued to proclaim the teachings of the Catholic faith. Chung Hasang told them that “it is not right to boycott the teaching of the truth just because it came from abroad. Catholic is the religion that embraces everyone’s faith.” He received the death penalty, and was martyred on September 22, 1839 at the age of 45.

The record on his death says, “his blood flowed onto ground, but his complexion was calm and composed.” His mother, Yoo So Sa, could not overcome the old age and constant interrogation, and died in prison at the age of 79 in November of that year. His sister Chung Hye also was martyred in December of that year at the same place where her brother was martyred. Thus, all 5 members of Chung Ha Sang’s family were martyred singing glory to God.

Chung Ha Sang, who dedicated his life for the development of the Korean Catholic Church and to bring priests into Korea, is well known for his writing of a document called the “Sang-Je-Sang-Su.” On the day of his capture, he quoted the passages from the Sang-Je-Sang-Su and clearly explained the gospel by declaring the position of the Korean Catholic Church that the Catholic faith was good for the nation, and it was not a threat. Therefore the persecution of the Catholics was wrong.

The Sang-Je-Sang-Su was printed and published in Hong Kong in 1887, and it was widely used in China for evangelical work. This value of document was recognized more in the outside Korea than inside.

Through the spontaneous sacrifice, hard work and struggle of a lay person named Chung Hasang, the Korean Catholic Church, without any established clergy leader, withstood wave after wave of fierce and unfair persecution, maintained the existence of Catholic faith throughout, and has grown miraculously.

It is an honor for St. Paul Chung Catholic Church to have Chung Hasang, whose indomitable passion as a martyr kept the Catholic spirit alive and planted the everlasting monument of faith within our hearts, as our patron saint. We also should not forget such grace was granted to us through the love of God.