Clergy Cemetery

Overview

The Clergy Cemetery of the Archdiocese of Daegu is a cemetery reserved for clergy, established in 1915 within the grounds of the Catholic Archdiocesan Curia of Daegu. It contains clergy who, since the establishment of the Archdiocese of Daegu in 1911, ministered at home and abroad and passed away, including the first diocesan bishop, Bishop Demange (An Sehwa). It is not a martyrs’ shrine where martyrs or those who died in prison are buried.

History

According to the basic source collection 4 for the 100 anniversary of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Daegu, “Official Letters and Documents of the Diocesan Bishops” (first to 6), the first diocesan bishop, Bishop An Sehwa, applied on August 20, 1915 for a clergy cemetery of 400 pyeong in Namsan-dong, Daegu, and received permission on September 4. The commemorative collection 60 for the founding of the Catholic Times, “Diary of Bishop Demange,” records that Bishop An began looking for a clergy cemetery from April of that year and that Sister Teresa spared no effort in obtaining the permission. The cemetery was blessed on November 1, 1915, officiated by Bishop Demange.

Architecture and Space

The cemetery lies inside the Archdiocesan Curia of Daegu and is connected with Our Lady’s Chapel, St. Justin Seminary and the Convent of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, which form the Namsan 100 Hyangsu Road. At the entrance to the cemetery is engraved the Latin phrase “Hodie Mihi Cras Tibi” (“Today it is I, tomorrow it will be you”), taken from Sirach chapter 38, verse 22. On entering the cemetery, a large granite cross is seen, and beneath it is written Matthew chapter 24, verse 30 (“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven”). The tombstones bear “ICI REPOSE” or “HCI JACET,” meaning “Here lies at rest,” and “R.I.P.” engraved on the crosses above the tombstones means “May you rest in peace.”

Significance for Faith and Context of Visit

As of the end of December 2006, 66 clergy were buried in the Clergy Cemetery of the Archdiocese of Daegu, all of them clergy who came to this region after its separation and establishment from the Joseon Vicariate in 1911 and who ministered at home and abroad before passing away. Korean and foreign priests are buried together. The official guide of the Archdiocese of Daegu states that 7 bishops including the first diocesan bishop, Bishop Demange, 6 monsignors, 63 priests and 2 subdeacon lie here.

Related Places and People

• Bishop An Sehwa Demange: as the first diocesan bishop, he applied for and blessed the cemetery and is buried here.
• Bishop Mun Jeman and Archbishop Seo Jeong-gil: as diocesan bishops, they are buried here.
• Monsignors Jeon Seok-jae, Yi Gi-su, Yi Myeong-u and Kim Gyeong-hwan (former president of Maeil Shinmun) and Fathers Yi Im-chun (former principal of Muhak High School) and Seo In-seok (former president of Sogang University and former professor at Daegu Catholic University) are also buried here.
• Father Kim Dong-han: elder brother of Cardinal Kim Suhwan, who operated the Daegu Tuberculosis Sanatorium. Father Yun Im-gyu passed away during mission in China, Father Park Do-sik wrote the catechism for catechumens “What Kind of People Are They,” and Father Yi Yun-geol passed away on the morning of the day he was leaving on a pilgrimage to holy sites with his parishioners.
• Our Lady’s Chapel: a holy site within the same curia grounds.

References and Sources

1. Gwandeokjeong Martyrdom Memorial Hall, “Holy Sites of Daegu - 3. Clergy Cemetery.” Confirmed the background of the 1915 application, permission and blessing, the burial of 66 persons, and the principal persons buried.
   http://www.daegusaint.org/p405/1924
2. Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu, Holy Sites / Historic Sites “Clergy Cemetery.” Confirmed the 1915 establishment, the connection with Namsan 100 Hyangsu Road, the burial of 7 bishops, 6 monsignors, 63 priests and 2 subdeacon, and the entrance inscription and the cross and tombstone inscriptions.
   https://www.daegu-archdiocese.or.kr/page/shrine.html?idx=18&process=read&srl&view_option