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Korean Catholic museum aims to preserve, promote heritage

Gwangju Catholic Museum will spread truth and Catholic culture, says Archbishop Kim
Korean Catholic museum aims to preserve, promote heritage

Church leaders, government officials and guests mark the opening of Gwangju Catholic Museum on March 19. (Photo: Gwangju Archdiocese)

Published: March 30, 2022 04:36 AM GMT
Updated: March 30, 2022 09:42 AM GMT

Gwangju Archdiocese has opened a museum to preserve, promote and study the history and heritage of the Korean Church including valuable records, artifacts and sacred relics.

Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-jong of Gwangju opened and blessed Gwangju Catholic Museum in the presence of church leaders, local politicians and government officials on March 19, Catholic Times of Korea reported on March 27.

“The museum will strive to develop Catholic culture through historical relics and become a place to explore and spread the truth,” Archbishop Kim said during the opening ceremony.

Father Stephen Kim Young-soo, who is in charge of the museum, said the new initiative seeks to spread the Gospel through various activities with an aim for universal human development.

Gwangju city mayor Lee Yong-seop, who attended the program, commended the church authority for opening the museum.

“I hope Gwangju Catholic Museum will become a space for spreading the truth and a space for communication and solidarity,” he said.

Bags and clothes of priests belonging to St. Columban missionaries who entered Korea in the 1950s have also been showcased

On the same day, the museum kicked off a special exhibition titled “Light on this Earth.” It features Catholic relics from the first century to modern times and artifacts donated to the museum by local Catholics.

Among the materials displayed are Roman-era coins, earthenware from Qumran excavations, a Roman Missal, a Gregorian hymn book of the 18th century and a poor widow’s lepton in the Bible.

Bags and clothes of priests belonging to St. Columban missionaries who entered Korea in the 1950s have also been showcased.

In the second category of the exhibition, a Face of Mary artwork donated by local Catholics is displayed. The third category features historical events such as the propagation of faith by missionaries and martyrdom of early Christians.

Gwangju has played an important role in the Church's history in Korea. During a period of persecution against early Christians in Korea in the 19th century, hundreds were massacred by imperial forces for refusing to renounce their faith.

Gwangju Archdiocese was established as a separate church jurisdiction in 1937 and it became an archdiocese in 1962. The Missionary Society of St. Columban has played a vital role in the history of Gwangju Archdiocese since 1950s.

The archdiocese established a memorial shrine to pay tribute to hundreds of mostly unnamed Catholic martyrs in 2004.

Last November, the archdiocese inaugurated 14 catacomb murals in a church cemetery to remind Catholics to remember the early days of the Church and the persecution of Christians.

Gwangju Archdiocese has more than 355,000 Catholics. About 8 percent of 5.6 million South Koreans are Catholics out of a population of about 58 million. The country has three Catholic archdioceses, 14 dioceses and one military ordinariate.    

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