Poster for the special exhibition "A Foreigner Who Loved Joseon, Remembered — The Friendship Between a French Priest and a Joseon Believer Forged Through Persecution" at Daegu Catholic University Museum. [Daegu Catholic University]
Poster for the special exhibition "A Foreigner Who Loved Joseon, Remembered — The Friendship Between a French Priest and a Joseon Believer Forged Through Persecution" at Daegu Catholic University Museum. [Daegu Catholic University]

Daegu Catholic University Museum announced Sunday that it will hold a special exhibition titled "A Foreigner Who Loved Joseon, Remembered — The Friendship Between a French Priest and a Joseon Believer Forged Through Persecution," running through Nov. 27. The exhibition explores the bond between a French missionary and a Joseon Catholic believer that blossomed amid the trials of the Byeongin Persecution.

Organized as part of the 2026 University Museum Promotion Support Project, the exhibition chronicles the introduction and persecution of Catholicism in 19th-century Joseon, centering on the stories of French missionary Father Nicolas Adolphe Calais (1833–1884) and Blessed Park Sang-geun (Matthias, 1837–1867).

Particularly notable are letters Father Calais sent to his hometown of Crion from 1856 — when he was a seminary student in the Diocese of Nancy — through 1883, the year before his death.

The letters contain archaic hangul expressions used by the Joseon Catholic Church of the era, including "mudang" (shaman) and a rendering of "Our Father in Heaven," lending them significant historical value.

Among the rare relics on display are a fragment of the rabat — a French clerical collar — that Father Calais wore during his lifetime, a rosary he sent to his brother Dominique in 1858, and photographs taken before and after his mission to Joseon, offering a glimpse into the missionary's life.

Through the "Martyrs' Diary" (1895), which records the deeds of martyrs, visitors can trace the faith of Blessed Park Sang-geun and other Catholics who held firm to their beliefs amid persecution.

In 2024 — 158 years after Father Calais and Blessed Park Sang-geun parted ways — descendants of Father Calais's brother Dominique and of Blessed Park's older brother Park Wang-geun gathered at Mawon Shrine.

That reunion rekindled interest in the long-forgotten bond between Father Calais and Blessed Park Sang-geun, and the exhibition will also introduce that story to visitors.

Son Gye-yeong, director of the Daegu Catholic University Museum, said she hopes "the footsteps of Father Calais, who was a beacon during the darkest period in the history of the Korean Catholic Church, will resonate with many people today."

The opening ceremony will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the first-floor lobby of the museum. University President Seong Han-gi, Honorary Director Kim Seong-ae, Alumni Association President Lee Nan-hui, Father Hwang Yeong-hwa of the Andong Diocese's pastoral office, and representatives from local museums and libraries are expected to attend.


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