Catholic saint biography
St. John Baptist Yi Kwang-nyol
- Lived:
- d. 1839 — Korea
A Catholic liturgical calendar date has not yet been verified for this entry. Execution dates are not treated as feast days; a shared celebration requires a scoped calendar citation.
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Biography
John Baptist Yi Kwang-nyol embraced Catholicism with his older brother Augustine Yi Kwang-hon. He traveled to Beijing, where he was baptized. On returning to Korea he chose an unmarried life marked by prayer and religious discipline.
He was arrested in April 1839 and remained committed to his faith through repeated interrogation and torture. The bishops' biography explains that he and Augustine were not executed together because of a rule concerning brothers. Augustine died first; John remained in prison until his own execution in Seoul in July. His separate identity is preserved despite the brothers' closely connected accounts.
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What will you carry with you?
After reading about St. John Baptist Yi Kwang-nyol, take a moment to consider:
- Which event or decision in this life stood out to you?
- What virtue would you like to understand or practice more deeply?
- What small action could you take today in response?
These are reflection prompts from Saint Discovery, not quotations from the saint.
Sources and further reading
Biography source comparison recorded on . This is an AI-assisted comparison, not independent human or ecclesiastical approval.
What the recorded review covers
Individual Catholic institutional source review; original concise factual summary. Compared canonical and source name variants, family relationships and death details against 486 legacy records and all 21 prior additions (447 published records). CBCK individual 21 is a distinct person, not either existing Korean saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon or Paul Chong Ha-sang.
A source list helps you check an account; it does not establish that every claim is certain. Follow the biography’s qualifications about historical evidence, traditions and feast calendars.
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