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A good example of laying down one's life for others is that of Saint Maximilian M. Kolbe, a Polish priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die for a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz during World War II.
When I recently visited Soyangno St. Patrick's Catholic Church for the Pauline mission, I became acquainted with another example of laying down one's life for parishioners during the 1950-53 Korean War.
He is Fr. Anthony Collier who was born in Clogherhead, County Louth, Ireland on June 20, 1913. He joined the Columbans in 1931 and was ordained on December 21, 1938. In 1939, he was sent to Korea as a Columban Missionary (a member of Missionary Society of St. Columban) and served as an auxiliary priest at Imdangdong and Hoengseong parishes in Gangwon Province.
In January 1950, he was assigned to Soyangno parish which was established as the second Catholic Church in the diocese of Chuncheon. Then, unfortunately, he was killed by North Korean forces on June 27, 1950, during the Korean War. Thus, he became the first martyr of that conflict.
Chuncheon is a city surrounded by beautiful lakes (Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam) but located close to the 38th parallel, a symbol of division. It was the place where the first fierce battle took place during the Korean War.
Fr. Anthony Collier served at Soyangno parish for six months only, but his dedication is remembered to be a good example of giving out his life for others. He volunteered to die for Gabriel Gyeong-ho Kim, an altar server and catechist at the parish. Fr. Anthony let Gabriel be alive because he had a family.
Gabriel gave an eyewitness account of the martyrdom of Fr. Anthony Collier: "They proposed covering his eyes, but Father refused. They shot him in the back. … They fired five times and the first, fourth, and fifth shots were aimed at Father. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon. Father fell down without any words. … I lost consciousness when the Red Army left the place. When I first regained consciousness, Father was still breathing, and the sun was still high. When I came to my senses again, he had stopped breathing, he was covered with a straw mat, and the sun was setting. There were bullet wounds on Father's face and arm."
In 1953, Fr. James Buckley was appointed as the third pastor of Soyangno parish and was asked to build a church in memory of Fr. Anthony. With the help and support of friends and benefactors, Fr. James completed the church building in a semi-circular interior with no supporting pillars inside and dedicated it on September 3, 1956.
With a modern architectural design, Soyangno parish was designated as a Registered Cultural Property No. 161 in 2005. The pews inside are arranged in a fan shape with the altar at the center.
The "Peace pilgrimage route" in Chuncheon starts from Soyangno parish, passes through Nakwon Cultural Park where Fr. Anthony was martyred, and ends in Jukrimdong Cathedral where the parish martyr cemetery is located.
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (fsp.pauline.or.kr.) living and giving the Good News to the world by means of social communication.
