Martyr Patrick Reilly Priest Martyrdom Shrine

Overview

The Martyrdom Site of Father Patrick Reilly is a pilgrimage site of the Diocese of Chuncheon established in Nakpung-ri, Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. It is the place where Father Patrick Reilly of the Missionary Society of St. Columban was shot to death and martyred at Bamjaegol on August 29, 1950, during the Korean War while being transferred from Mukho to Gangneung, and the parish in charge is Mukho Parish.

History

According to the Chuncheon Diocese shrine introduction, Father Patrick Reilly was ordained to the priesthood on December 21, 1940, entered the country in 1948 and began ministry as pastor of Wonju Parish, and was appointed pastor of Mukho Parish in 1949. The Catholic Times reported that he took office as pastor of Mukho Parish in August 1949, and the Chuncheon Diocese introduction to Mukho Church also records his arrival in August of the same year.

When the Korean War broke out, the faithful prepared a boat and urged him to flee, but the Father refused, saying, “A shepherd cannot abandon his sheep and flee alone.” The Catholic Times reports that Nam Bong-gil (Francis), who was then president of the lay evangelization association, repeatedly asked him to take refuge, and that the Father reluctantly left the church that had been set up in a Japanese-style house and stayed at the house of President Nam in Manu-ri, where he celebrated Mass. The Chuncheon Diocese shrine introduction records that he was arrested together with the lay association president after being reported by a villager who sympathized with the communist forces.

The arrested Father was shot to death at Bamjaegol on August 29, 1950, while being transferred from Mukho to Gangneung together with other prisoners. The Catholic Times presumes that the Father, weakened after nearly a month in prison, was shot when he could no longer walk during the transfer, and reported that after Gangneung was retaken on September 28, 1950, his remains were found through the efforts of the faithful. The Chuncheon Diocese records that villagers found the body and buried it temporarily nearby, and then transferred it to the clergy cemetery in Jukrim-dong on October 10, 1951, with a funeral Mass.

The faithful of Mukho Church erected a martyrdom monument at Bamjaegol and made walking pilgrimages there, but the monument stood at the entrance to a Yeongdong Line tunnel, so the danger from passing trains became a problem. The diocese therefore established a new pilgrimage site in 2021 at mountain lot 47-3 in Nakpung-ri, Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si.

Religious Significance and Context for Visiting

According to the Chuncheon Diocese “Witnesses of Faith” introduction, Father Patrick Reilly is a priest of the Chuncheon Diocese included in the cause of “Servant of God Bishop Francis Borgia Hong Yong-ho and 80 Companions,” together with Fathers Timothy Yi Gwang-jae, Benedict Kim Gyo-myeong, Damasus Baek Eung-man, Anthony Go, James Jin, and Francis Son. This cause promotes the beatification and canonization of those sacrificed by North Korean communism during the Korean War and the liberation period (introduction to the Jukrim-dong Martyrs’ Shrine of the Chuncheon Diocese).

Related Places and People

• Mukho Church (Mukho Pilgrimage Church): the parish where the Father ministered. Bishop Thomas F. Quinlan decided to build new churches in Soyang-ro, Mukho, and Samcheok in memory of the martyred priests, and Mukho Church was completed in June 1957. The parish faithful erected a monument to Father Patrick Reilly in 1974 and observe a memorial day around the anniversary of his martyrdom.
• Jukrim-dong Martyrs’ Shrine (diocesan clergy cemetery): proclaimed a diocesan shrine on September 17, 2017, where the remains of Fathers Anthony Go, Patrick Reilly, and James Jin are enshrined.

References and Sources

1. Catholic Diocese of Chuncheon, Shrines – Martyrdom Site of Father Patrick Reilly. Confirmed the Father’s biography, arrest and martyrdom, transfer of remains, and establishment of the new pilgrimage site in 2021.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/holyland/11
2. Catholic Times, Tracing the Footsteps of the Korean War Martyrs (2) Martyrdom Site of Father Patrick Reilly and Mukho Church of the Diocese of Chuncheon (2020.9.13). Confirmed the refusal to flee, arrest, and recovery of remains.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/202009080243381
3. Catholic Diocese of Chuncheon, Shrines – Mukho Church (Martyr Father Patrick Reilly). Confirmed the history of Mukho Parish, completion of the church in 1957, and erection of the martyrdom monument in 1974.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/holyland/12?t=3
4. Catholic Diocese of Chuncheon, Witnesses of Faith. Confirmed the priests of the Chuncheon Diocese included in the beatification and canonization cause.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/diocese/history/witness
5. Catholic Diocese of Chuncheon, Shrines – Jukrim-dong Martyrs’ Shrine (diocesan clergy cemetery). Confirmed the enshrinement of remains and the beatification and canonization cause.
   https://www.cccatholic.or.kr/parish/holyland/21