721. Visiting Lolomboy, Philippines, Where the Martyred Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon Is Said to Appear

💌 721. Visiting Lolomboy, Philippines, Where the Martyred Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon Is Said to Appear

I had such profound respect and deep love for Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon. During that time, my spiritual director, Father Oh Ki-seon, asked me to contribute to the creation of a statue of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon in Lolomboy, Manila, and to be present at its unveiling ceremony. Because I was extremely busy, I hesitated for a moment. But Father Oh Ki-seon spoke to me firmly.

“Julia, since you love Father Kim Tae-gon, you just cannot skip participating in the making of a statue for the martyred Father Kim Tae-gon. If you do not have the travel funds, even if you have to borrow from the credit union, make sure to attend the unveiling ceremony. Understood?” He urged me to attend in many ways like this. I turned to my husband and said, “Julio, Father is saying I should go even if it means going into debt. What should I do?” And he simply replied, “Then you have to go.”

So, though it was a small amount, I joyfully offered a donation to help with the creation of Father Kim Tae-gon’s statue, honoring the spirit of his martyrdom. He said they would engrave the names of those who helped with the statue’s creation. But I thought to myself, “Since I have already offered this to God, what difference does it make whether my name is written or not?’ and I did not concern myself with it.

Practicing Semchigo as if obeying Jesus’ words and with a heart ready to be martyred like Father Kim Tae-gon—I set out on the journey together with Father Oh. Since it was a trip of about two weeks, I was very worried about elderly man Bong. Still, I had prepared and delivered various dishes to him in advance, given him some money, and earnestly asked my family to look after him. Then, before leaving, I quietly prayed before the Blessed Mother who had shed tears.

“My beloved Mommy! Why are You sending unworthy me all the way to a faraway foreign country? I take it as Your way of telling me to become like the martyr saints, so I will obey with the spirit of martyrdom, just as You wish. Please take good care of elderly man Bong while I am away.” With that, I entrusted him to the Lord and the Blessed Mother and boarded the plane to Taiwan.

At that time, there were no direct flights to the Philippines, so I had to travel via Taiwan as a stopover. The fact that someone as unworthy as I was flying abroad—I considered it a grace from the Lord and the Blessed Mother and gave thanks to Them. When we arrived in Lolomboy, near Manila, in the Philippines, the president of the local Korean association had come out to welcome us. Upon seeing me, he was surprised and turned to Father Oh Ki-seon and asked:

He said, “Wow, how can this sister look exactly like the image of the Blessed Mother who is weeping in Naju, Korea?” Then Father Oh smiled gently and replied, “Yes, this is the very sister who enshrines that statue of the Blessed Mother.” The president was deeply surprised and delighted. And I, too, was utterly astonished.

It was because it had not even been 11 months since the Blessed Mother began shedding tears, yet people in a foreign country already knew about it. Hearing someone say that someone as unworthy as I resembled the Blessed Mother—I was at a loss. I felt sorry toward the Blessed Mother for my unworthiness, but still, I offered my resolution to Her, saying, “I will strive and strive again, doing my utmost with bloody effort to resemble You, dearest Mommy, and become a consolation to You.”

Praying that the Blessed Mother’s messages would spread as soon as possible, I joyfully greeted everyone. Father Oh Ki-seon told us that a very wealthy elderly lady named Mendoza had moved to Lolomboy from elsewhere in the Philippines. Her house had a large garden, and she employed several servants.

Before they knew it, a dog had started barking outside every night. The servants who went out to check would see something, faint from fright, and quit their jobs, saying they could not continue working at that house. It turned out that whenever the dog barked, a headless figure dressed in white would be seen wandering back and forth.

That house, in fact, had once been the villa of the Dominican Order. And it is said that Father Andrew Kim Tae-gon stayed there during his studies in Macao to escape a local rebellion. Father Oh Ki-seon, who was working to document the Korean martyrs, recalled Father Andrew Kim Tae-gon, who had suffered martyrdom, and spoke about him to sister Mendoza.

Then, she decided to dedicate a rather large piece of land as a shrine to Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, and a statue of him was erected there. Amazingly, from the very day the statue arrived at sister Mendoza’s home, the headless figure stopped appearing.

As I heard this story, I received it with a simple heart and prayed for his intercession: “O Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, who suffered martyrdom! You truly live as a citizen of heaven. Is that why you appeared headless, yet showed your presence by no longer appearing from the day the statue was enshrined? Please continue to intercede for us, though we are unworthy, that we—descendants of the martyrs—may also be granted the grace to suffer martyrdom, and that we may receive their spirit to live each moment with a heart ready for martyrdom. And just as Father Kim crossed the seas back and forth in a small boat out of your ardent love for the Lord to study theology, may the weeping Blessed Mother’s message be spread far and wide throughout the world.”

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

Link 👇🏻

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