Bishop Cho Kyu-man at the blessing and unveiling of a statue of Columban martyr Fr James Maginn as well as a large mural depicting his life at the site of his martyrdom. Photo: Columban Missionaries Ireland/Catholic Peace Newspaper The Diocese of Wonju, South Korea, held a ceremony last July, blessing the martyrdom site and unveiling a life-size statue of ‘Servant of God’ Fr James Maginn SSCME (1911-1950), who was martyred while guarding the church during the Korean War.
Fr Maginn, whose beatification is being promoted by the Korean Church, was raised in Belfast and arrived in Korea in 1936 as a missionary and in October 1949 was appointed as the first pastor of Samcheok Parish (now Seongnae-dong Parish).
After the outbreak of the Korean War, Fr James refused his parishioners’ pleas to flee, stating, “We must stand firm in our faith and protect the Church until the end to bear witness to God’s truth before the communists.” He was martyred in 1950, by the North Korean army.
In his homily, Bishop Kyu-man Cho stated, “Fr Maginn demonstrated through his death what a priest should do for God and for others.” He continued, “We often say we think about the suffering of others, but it is difficult to accept and sacrifice that suffering when it comes to us unless we are disciplined in our daily lives. Let us pray more for the beatification of Fr Maginn.”