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Saint Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy

portait of Saint Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy, date and artist unknown; swiped from the Vatican web site Also known as

Antonio Daveluy

Memorial

30 March
20 September as one of the Martyrs of Korea

Profile

Born to a prominent and pious family, his father was a factory owner, city councilman, and government official; Antoine and two of his brothers became priests. He studied at the Saint Sulpice Seminary in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris, France in October 1834, and was ordained a priest on 18 December 1841. Assistant pastor in a parish in Roye, France. Joined La Société des Missions Etrangères (Paris Foreign Missions Society) on 4 October 1843, and left for missionary work on 6 February 1844, intending to work on the Japanese Ryuku Islands. However, in Macau he was convinced by Bishop Jean-Joseph-Jean-Baptiste Ferréol to go to Korea instead; he travelled there with Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, and arrived in October 1846.

As part of his work, Father Antoine became fluent in Korean, and wrote a French–Korean dictionary, a history of Catholicism in Korea, revised material intended for new converts, and translated a number of works to Korean. Seminary rector in 1848. Appointed co-adjutor bishop of Korea and titular bishop of Akka by Pope Pius IX on 13 November 1855. In the late 1850’s he researched and wrote biographies of the martyrs and confessors of Korea. His missionary work in the Haut Nai-hpo region in 1865 and Keu-to-ri region in the spring of 1866 brought many converts to the faith. He became Apostolic Vicar of Korea on 8 March 1866 following the martyrdom of his predecessor, Saint Siméon-François Berneux. Bishop Antoine was arrested three days later on 11 March 1866; he was imprisoned and tortured for his faith and his work. He was given a chance in court to denouce Christianity, but instead he explained it to the judges in simple terms. Martyr.

Born

16 March 1818 in the parish of Saint-Leu, Amiens, Somme, France

Died

beheaded on Good Friday, 30 March 1866 at the Galmaemot naval base, Boryeong, Chungcheong-do, South Korea
the executioner took three blows to kill him, with long pauses to argue over what he was being paid for the job
buried in the sand at the execution site
body exhumed in June 1866 and re-buried in the district of Hong-san, Korea
body exhumed in March 1882 and sent to Nagasaki, Japan to prevent desecration in a renewed persecution
relics enshrined in the cathedral in Seoul, South Korea in 1900