The life of Saint Francis Choe Kyong-Hwan, one of the Korean martyrs who was persecuted in the 19th Century and canonized in the 20th, has been used as the inspiration for an opera.

The Korea Concert Orchestra will perform the premiere of ‘Saint Choe Kyong-hwan’ at the Anyang Arts Center near Seoul on Sept. 12, the saint’s feast day.

The opera was composed by Professor Riccardo Giovannini of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, a renowned music institute in Rome. Anyang city government and Suwon diocese are the sponsors. Following its five nights in Anyang, there are plans to take the production to other international venues including the Vatican.

"The opera is intended to show the life and faith of those early Christians, so in our generation we can realize the value of martyrdom during the persecutions," said Father Peter No Hee-cheol, chancellor of Anyang vicariate.

Born in Chungcheong province in 1805, Saint Francis Choe fled to the Surisan Mountain region to escape the anti-Christian purges of the time. He formed a Catholic village community there with around 20 families.

While working as a catechist at the village, he was arrested and executed in 1839. Along with another 102 Korean martyr saints, he was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984.

The Catholic Church in Korea is now seeking the beatification and canonization of another 124 martyrs including his oldest son, Father Thomas Choe, often referred as the ‘Martyr of Sweat.’

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