Blessed James Zhou Wenmo

Jakub Zhou Wenmo (1752–May 31, 1801) was a Chinese Catholic priest, missionary, martyr, and blessed of the Catholic Church. Orphaned in childhood, he was raised by his grandmother. He graduated from the seminary in Beijing and was ordained as a member of its first graduating class. At that time, Alexandre de Gouvea, the Vicar Apostolic of Beijing, decided to send missionaries to Korea. He chose Zhou Wenmo, who thus became the first Catholic missionary in Korea. Zhou Wenmo left Beijing in February 1794. He met with two secret envoys of Korean Catholics, Saba Ji Hwang and John Pak, but because they had to wait for the Yalu River to freeze, they did not reach Korean soil until December 24. Upon arriving in Seoul, Zhou Wenmo stayed at the home of Matthias Choe In-gil, where he learned the Korean language. He celebrated his first Mass for Korean Catholics on Easter Sunday in 1795. His presence in Korea became known to authorities hostile to Christians, forcing him to relocate and hide in the home of Columba Kang Wan-suk, while Saba Ji Hwang, Matthias Choe In-gil, and Paul Yun Yu-il were imprisoned and martyred. During Zhou Wenmo’s six years of ministry, the number of Catholics in Korea grew from 4,000 to 10,000. In 1801, large-scale persecutions of Catholics began in Korea. Arrested believers were tortured to force them to renounce their faith and reveal the whereabouts of priests. Believing that Catholics were being killed because of him, Zhou Wenmo initially intended to leave Korea and return to China. After reflection, however, he changed his plans and decided to surrender to the Korean authorities, which he did on March 11, 1801. He was subjected to brutal interrogations and subsequently sentenced to death under military law. He was beheaded on May 31 at Saenamteo, and his head was hung on the city gate. Jakub Zhou Wenmo was beatified by Pope Francis on August 16, 2014, as part of a group of 124 Korean martyrs.