Territorial Abbey of Tokwon
Territorial Abbey of Tŏkwon Territorialis Abbatia Tokvonensis 천주교 덕원자치수도원구 | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | St. Benedict |
Secular priests | none |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Abbot | Apostolic Administrator Abbot Blasio Park OSB |
Map | |
Territorial Abbacy of Tokwon |
Tokwon Abbey was a
Foundation
In February 1909,
When the Vicariate Apostolic of Seoul was divided in 1920, the monks of the Abbey of St Benedict took charge of the newly created Vicariate Apostolic of Wonsan. By 1927, the original monastery in Seoul was closed, the community of around forty monks having relocated to Tokwon. Between 1927 and 1928, the monks built a minor and major seminary to train indigenous secular priests, while from 1929 to 1931 a church in the neo-Romanesque style was constructed.[5] Around this time, the community began to cultivate local monastic vocations.
In 1940, the Territorial Abbacy of Tokwon was created, covering the cities of Wonsan (where Tokwon is located) and
Martyrdom
In May 1949 under the rule of Kim Il Sung, the North Korean Ministry of State Security occupied the monastery, arrested all monks and sisters and moved them to prisons and internment camps.[8] In July 1950, the Abbey church of Tokwon was destroyed by American bombs.[9] From 1949 to 1952 14 monks and two sisters were executed after harsh imprisonment and torture.[10] During the same period, 17 monks and two sisters died of starvation, illness, hard physical labour and bad living conditions in the camps.[11] Abbot-Bishop Boniface Sauer died on 1 February 1950, in a prison in Pyongyang, ahead of the execution of all senior monks in October 1950.[5] In January 1954, the surviving 42 German monks and sisters were repatriated to Germany via the Trans-Siberian Railway.[2]
In May 2007 the process began for the beatification of the 36 North Korean Servants of God from the Abbey of Tokwon, martyred during the wave of anti-Christian persecution under the rule of Kim Il Sung. The process is entitled “beatification Abbot Bishop Boniface Sauer (O.S.B.), Fr. Benedict Kim (O.S.B.) and companions”.[12]
Current situation
This section may relate to relocate relevant information and remove irrelevant ones. (September 2022) |
The
In 1952, some surviving Benedictine monks and sisters founded a new
See also
- Freedom of religion in North Korea
- Order of Saint Benedict
References
- ^ "North Korean Martyrs, the first process for beatification gets underway". Asia News, May 25, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Diocesan Directory: Territorial Abbacy of Tokwon". UCA News, August 2, 2006. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Catholic Dioceses in the World by Type: Territorial Abbacies". Giga-Catholic Information, January 14, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ISBN 3-88096-645-1.
- ^ a b "The Martyrs of Tokwon: Biographies (1-part)". Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien, June 10, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ Sieber, OSB. The Benedictine Congregation. p. 37.
- ^ Sieber, OSB. The Benedictine Congregation. p. 38.
- ^ a b "The Martyrs of Tokwon: Historical Preliminary Notes". Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien, June 10, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Destroyed Church in Wonsan Vicinity". Willibrord’s Gallery. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ "The Martyrs of Tokwon: Biographies (2-part)". Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien, June 10, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "The Martyrs of Tokwon: A Chronology of the Martyrdoms (German)". Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien, June 10, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "N. Korea martyrs slated for sainthood". Religion and Spirituality, May 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Wonsan University of Agriculture". Flickr Photo Sharing, March 6, 2008. 6 March 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Former Tokwon Church & Seminary (Wonsan)". Wikimapia, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Main building of Wŏnsan Agricultural University, the former German Benedictine abbey Tŏgwon". Panoramio, October 5, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "St. Maurus and St. Placidus' Abbey, Waegwan, South Korea". Inkama Abbey, April 2, 2011. Archived from the original on June 10, 2004. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Territorial Abbacy of Tokwon (덕원)". Giga-Catholic Information, January 15, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "North Korean Martyrs, the first process for beatification gets underway". Asia News, May 25, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ "Korea, for a reconciliation between North and South". 30 days, March 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ "North Korea: A case to answer, a call to act; section H. Persecution (p. 52)" (PDF). Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ "50,000 Christians imprisoned in North Korea". Vatican Radio, April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ "Thank You Father Kim Il Sung (p. 40 - 42)" (PDF). U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, November 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
External links
- UCA News: Diocesan Directory: Territorial Abbacy of Tokwon – Portrait of Tokwon Territorial Abbacy
- Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien: The Martyrs of Tokwon: Historical Preliminary Notes Archived 2014-10-17 at the Wayback Machine – Detailed biographies for the beatification of 36 martyrs from Abbey of Tokwon
- Christian Solidarity Worldwide: North Korea: A case to answer – a call to act – Report to emphasize the urgent need to respond to mass killings, arbitrary imprisonment, torture and related international crimes
- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom: Thank you father Kim Il Sung – Eyewitness accounts of severe violations of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in North Korea