Catholic saint biography
St. John Pak Hu-jae
- Lived:
- 1798 or 1799-1839 — 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.
Read the sources for this biography
Biography
John Pak Hu-jae was born in Yongin and later earned a living making straw shoes in Seoul. His father, Laurence Pak, had died for the faith during the earlier persecution. John married and practiced Catholicism while supporting his household through his trade.
As the 1839 persecution approached, he divided his remaining money with his wife and arranged for her to stay with a relative. He was then arrested. During interrogation he refused to identify other believers or abandon his religion, and was executed in September. The bishops' biography gives two possible birth years; both possibilities are retained here.
From the Saint Discovery blog
Keep exploring your faith
Practical guides to prayer, the saints, and living the Catholic faith.
Why Do Catholics Pray to Saints? Intercession Explained
Why do Catholics pray to saints? Learn how intercession differs from worship, how it relates to Jesus, and a simple way to ask a saint to pray for you.
A next step with your saintRead the article Living the seasonsHow to Celebrate Your Patron Saint's Feast Day at Home
Celebrate your patron saint's feast day with prayer, a short biography, and an act of kindness. A practical plan for families, sponsors, and individuals.
A next step with your saintRead the articleFrom reading to reflection
What will you carry with you?
After reading about St. John Pak Hu-jae, 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 27 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.
Suggest a correction to this biography
How we research these pages and handle corrections · Directory corrections log