Euni Holy Ground (Youth Kim Dae-geon Road)

Euni means 'hidden village,' and it is a Catholic village formed by Catholics who hid during the persecution of Catholicism. Surrounded by mountains, this quiet and secluded holy ground features a statue of Father Kim Dae-geon in a small courtyard, with the Kim Dae-geon Memorial Hall and Kim Ga-hang Church located further inside. This is the place where Father Kim Dae-geon received the sacrament of baptism and his first Holy Communion from Father Maubant in 1836, and where he was selected as a seminarian at age 15 and sent to Macau. It is also the first pastoral site of Father Kim Dae-geon as the first Korean priest after his ordination and return to Korea, and the place where he celebrated his last official Mass before martyrdom. It can be considered the first parish in the history of the Joseon Catholic Church to be served by a native priest. In 2016, the Kim Ga-hang Church in Shanghai, China, where Father Kim Dae-geon was ordained, was faithfully restored and built here, making it an even more meaningful holy ground for the faithful.

Youth Kim Dae-geon Road is the path that Saint Kim Dae-geon Andrea, Korea's first priest, carefully walked every night over Samdeok Pass amid the dangers of persecution to carry out his pastoral activities. This road is imbued with the footsteps of the priest, a path where young Kim Dae-geon burned with passion for the faithful as a priest, and the route for transferring his body after martyrdom until his burial. Walking along Youth Kim Dae-geon Road, one can reflect on the life and passion of Father Kim Dae-geon, who loved his nation, and starting from the refreshing Euni Valley, one can walk through the lush forest path and take time to listen to the stories of a heart weary from daily life.