Saint Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert

Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert (Born: 23 March 1796 – Died: 21 September 1839), affectionately known in Korea as Bishop Laurentius Bum Sehyeong (Korean: 범세형 라우렌시오) was a Roman Catholic French bishop in Asia. He was most notable for his Christian missionary work among the Koreans, he was appointed by Pope Gregory XVI in August 1836 when first Bishop Barthélemy Bruguière died in Manchuria. Eventually, he was executed in the Kingdom of Joseon for his Catholic faith; it is estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 were killed for their faith in 19th-century Korea - the Korean Martyrs. 103 of them, including Imbert, were canonized by the Catholic Church as saints in 1984. His feast day is 21 September, and he is also venerated with the rest of the 103 Korean martyrs on 20 September. Imbert was born at Marignane, to parents who were residents of the hamlet of Callas, in the commune of Cabriès in the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône. When he became of age, he was sent to Aix to pursue his studies. According to reports, he paid his expenses by making and selling rosaries. He then enrolled at the seminary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society on 8 October 1818. On 5 March 1819, Imbert was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Paris, and ordained on 18 December of that same year, having received an indult from the Holy See due to his not having reached the legal age. He then set sail from France on 20 March 1820, bound for missionary service in China. Imbert's first stop was in Penang, Malaya, where he was asked to replace a teacher at the College General (Major Seminary), who had taken ill. He taught there from April 1821 to January 1822 In 1821, Esprit-Marie-Joseph Florens, the Vicar Apostolic of Siam, requested for him to call at Singapore. The bishop had been contemplating opening a missionary station in Singapore. He was not very certain, though, whether there was any urgency or he was aware of the circumstances prevailing in the island.