The Church remembers Saint Caecilia Yu So-sa as a married laywoman martyred at Seoul, put to death for the faith in South Korea around November 23, 1839.

Saint Caecilia Yu So-sa was a married laywoman martyred at Seoul, remembered by the Church as lay martyr. The surviving record places this life in South Korea, with death recorded at November 23, 1839, in Bo-jeong Prison, Seoul, South Korea. Recognition came through a documented process: canonized in 1984; beatified in 1925.

Quick Facts

• Died: November 23, 1839, in Bo-jeong Prison, Seoul, South Korea
• Lived to approximately 77 years of age, according to the source record
• Venerated as: Lay martyr
• Associated country/region: South Korea

Who Was Saint Caecilia Yu So-sa?

Saint Caecilia Yu So-sa is remembered in the Church’s tradition as a married laywoman martyred at Seoul, associated with South Korea and with the death traditionally placed at November 23, 1839. She died during the nineteenth-century persecutions of Korean Catholics and is counted among the 103 Korean Martyrs canonized together by Pope John Paul II in Seoul in 1984.

Historical Setting

The record of the early Church is dotted with local persecutions that never made it into the history books in detail, yet claimed real lives in real cities across the Roman world.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Caecilia Yu So-sa

What the Church preserves of Caecilia Yu So-sa is essentially the fact and manner of a martyr’s death: a married laywoman martyred at Seoul, a witness whose fidelity under threat of execution the faithful judged worth remembering by name.

Canonization and Feast Day

Canonized in 1984; beatified in 1925. This places Caecilia Yu So-sa among the smaller number of Tier-2 saints whose cause was formally recorded rather than resting solely on ancient or immemorial local cult.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Caecilia’s martyrdom challenges Catholics to examine where their own faith might be softened by fear of inconvenience or ridicule, however far that falls short of the ultimate test this saint faced.

A Prayer to Saint Caecilia Yu So-sa

Saint Caecilia Yu So-sa, who lived as a married laywoman martyred at Seoul, intercede for us. Obtain for us a faith steady enough to endure hardship and humble enough to serve unnoticed, just as you did in your own time and place. Help us to be faithful in small things, trusting that God sees what the world forgets. Amen.

Sources

• the Vatican’s official canonization records (vatican.va), the Church’s official list of saints and their commemoration dates.
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints, a standard reference work for the lives of the saints.
• EWTN, consulted for biographical and historical context.