GWANGJU (UCAN): A museum has opened in Gwangju, South Korea 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 the Gwangju Catholic Museum in the presence of Church leaders, local politicians and government officials on March 19, the 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 programme, 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.
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 as well as 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 lepton [coin] similar to that of the poor widow in the Bible.
Bags and clothes of priests belonging to the Missionary Society of St. Columban missionaries who came to Korea in the 1950s have also been showcased. The society has played a vital role in the history of Gwangju since then.
In the second category of the exhibition, a Face of Mary artwork donated by local Catholics is on display. The third category features historical events such as the propagation of faith by missionaries and martyrdom of early Christians.
Gwangju played an important role in the history of the Church in Korea. During a period of persecution in the 19th century, hundreds of Christians were massacred by imperial forces for refusing to renounce their faith. The archdiocese established a memorial shrine to pay tribute to hundreds of mostly unnamed Catholic martyrs in 2004.
The Archdiocese of Gwangju was established as a separate jurisdiction in 1937 and became an archdiocese in 1962.
In November 2021, 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 has more than 355,000 Catholics. About 5.8 million people out of South Korea’s population of 51.7 million are Catholics. The country has three Catholic archdioceses, 14 dioceses and one military ordinariate.
