◇ From Birth to Priestly Ordination

Bishop Barthélémy Bruguière was born on February 12, 1792, in Raissac d'Aude, near Narbonne belonging to the Diocese of Carcassonne, France. He was the eleventh son of farm owner François Bruguière and Thérèse Bruguière. The Chinese surname he chose later was “So” (蘇).

He entered the Minor Seminary of Carcassonne in 1805 at the age of 13. The directors appreciated him not only for his academic excellence, but also for his deep piety, courage and honesty. After finishing his studies at the minor seminary, he continued his studies at the Major Seminary of Carcassonne, where he was ordained a subdeacon on March 26, 1814. Then, he was appointed as teacher for the third-year students at the Minor Seminary of Carcassonne, and taught for five years. On December 23, 1815, he was ordained priest, and from 1819, he was appointed professor of the Major Seminary of Carcassonne, where he served for six years.

◇ Pastoral ministry in the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam

Fr. Bruguière got deeply interested in foreign missions while serving as a professor at the Major Seminary of Carcassonne. Accordingly, on September 17, 1825, at the age of 33, he joined the Paris Foreign Missions Society (Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris: hereafter M.E.P.), and after four and a half months of training he completed his studies to become a missionary. Then, on February 26 of the following year, he set out to the Port of Bordeaux and arrived at the Far Eastern headquarters of the M.E.P. in Macau which was the base of missionary activities in Asia. There he was dispatched to the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam and arrived in Bangkok, the capital of Siam (now Thailand), on June 3, 1827.

Fr. Bruguière’s first task in Bangkok was to work as a professor at the Seminary. After familiarizing himself with the Siamese language, he also served as a pastor in Bangkok and took charge of the affairs of the Curia as well. Under the circumstances of the time, it was very difficult to carry out multiple duties concurrently, but he fulfilled his duties in silence.

At that time, the Apostolic Vicar of Siam was Bishop Esprit M.J. Florens (1762-1834), who was older than other missionaries. So, not long after Fr. Bruguière had been working as pastor in the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam, Bishop Florens sent a petition letter to the Holy See requesting permission to appoint Fr. Bruguière as a Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Siam.

◇ Volunteering for the Mission in Korea and the Episcopal Ordination

At that time, the Holy See was planning to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Korea separating the mission in Korea from the Diocese of Beijing. On September 1 and November 17, 1827, Cardinal B.A. Cappellari (1765-1846), the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, sent a letter to Fr. C.F. Langlois, Director of the Seminary of the M.E.P. asking him if the M.E.P. could take charge of the mission in Korea. However, the M.E.P. gave negative response due to the lack of missionaries and the scarcity of financial resources as well as the uncertainty of possible entrance to Korea.

When Fr. Bruguière was a professor at the Major Seminary of Carcassonne, he already knew about the situation of the mission in Korea and the hopes of the faithful in Korea through the Annals of the Propagation of Faith (Annales de la Propagaion de la Foi). So, “many times he had a desire to go to help the faithful in Korea”[1]. In the meantime, he learned through an open letter sent by the General House of the M.E.P. in Paris on January 6, 1828 to the missionaries in Asia that the M.E.P. General House had a negative outlook towards the mission in Korea.

On May 19, 1829, Fr. Bruguière sent a letter to the General House of the M.E.P., expressing his view that the mission in Korea and the Korean faithful should not be abandoned. Moreover, he expressed his strong will for the mission in Korea as follows:

In 1829 and 1830, Fr. Bruguière repeatedly sent letters to the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, explaining his decision to go to Korea, and asking for permission. He also explained this decision to Bishop Florens, and Bishop Florens, who was moved by his passion, sent a letter to the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in 1829, saying that ‘he agrees to send Fr. Bruguière to Korea.’

On the other hand, Bishop Florens received a Papal Bull in 1828, announcing that ‘Fr. Bruguière is appointed a Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Siam and Titular Bishop of Capsa, who has the right to succeed the Apostolic Vicar of Siam. Fr. Bruguière also accepted the appointment of his episcopate under the judgment that it would be advantageous for him to go to Korea. He was consecrated bishop in Bangkok on June 29, 1829. And soon after that, he went to the major seminary on the island of Penang to carry out the mission entrusted to him.

◇ Appointment as the Apostolic Vicar of Korea and the first step towards Korea

On September 9, 1831, Pope Gregory XVI (Papacy: 1831-1846) established the Apostolic Vicariate of Korea and appointed Bishop Bruguière as its first Apostolic Vicar. Gregory XVI was the very Cardinal Capellari, former Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, who had been elected Pope seven months ago.

Bishop Bruguière knew his appointment as the Apostolic Vicar of Korea through a letter of Fr. J. Dubois (1766-1848) dated July 25, 1832. So, he set out to Singapore on August 4, 1832, together with Fr. Pierre Clémenceau, a new missionary of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam, and Joseph Wang, a Chinese believer who had dropped out of the Penang Seminary. At that time, Fr. J.H. Chastan (1803-1839) of the Penang Seminary expressed his desire to follow him, but Bishop Bruguière, instead of accepting him immediately, promised a future date.

In those days, mission in Singapore had been going through conflict with Portuguese missionaries who refused the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicar of Siam. Bishop Bruguière tried to mediate this conflict, but he could not succeed it. So, he had to set off for Macau after securing Fr. Clemenceau a place to stay.

Arriving in Macau on October 18, 1832, Bishop Bruguière visited the House of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and met Fr. R. Umpierres. And on November 21, he received a Papal bull on the creation of the Apostolic Vicariate of Korea and his appointment as its Apostolic Vicar.

As the Apostolic Vicar of Korea, Bishop Bruguière did two things. First, he wrote a letter to his predecessor Bishop Pires-Pereira (1769-1838), informing of the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Korea and his appointment as its Apostolic Vicar. Bishop Pires-Pereira was the Bishop of Nanjing and at the same time the Apostolic Administrator of Beijing, who had a jurisdiction over mission in Korea. Second, he wrote his first pastoral letter to the faithful in Korea. Bishop Bruguière entrusted the delivery of these letters to Joseph Wang and sent him to Beijing.

During his stay in Macau, Bishop Bruguière faced several problems that were blocking his journey towards Korea. However, as he had already expected many difficulties, he was neither surprised nor frustrated by varied assumptions and dissuades.

◇ From Fujian to Nanjing

On December 19, 1832, Bishop Bruguière boarded a ship sent by Bishop R.J. Carpegna Díaz (1760-1845), Apostolic Vicar of Fujian. He embarked on a journey across the Chinese continent from south to north in order to go to Korea. In that ship, five missionaries, including Fr. Pierre Maubant (1803-1839), boarded together, each one heading for his mission field in China. Their destination was Dingtoucun town[4] of Fuan County, Fujian Province, where the Apostolic Vicar of Fujian was residing. They arrived there on March 1, 1833.

Eight days later, on March 9, 1833, Fr. Maubant gave up going to his assigned mission in the Apostolic Vicariate of Sichuan, and volunteered for the mission in Korea. So, Bishop Bruguière sent a letter to Bishop G.L. Fontana (1780-1838), Apostolic Vicar of Sichuan, to inform of Fr. Maubant’s intentions, and in the meantime, he allowed Fr. Maubant to carry out pastoral ministry in the region of Xinghua, Fujian. It was until August of the following year that Bishop Fontana gave permission to Fr. Maubant to go on missionary work in Korea.

On April 27, Bishop Bruguière set sail for Nanjing, and arrived near Nanjing in mid-May, where he met Fr. Castro, Vicar general of the Diocese of Nanjing. Bishop Bruguière asked him for a guide, but he could not get a positive response.

Meanwhile, Joseph Wang arrived in Beijing on February 17, 1833 and delivered Bishop Bruguière’s letter. Then, he escorted a Chinese priest Pacificus Yu Heng-de (1795-1854) to Liaodong, Fr. Yu was on his way to Korea following Bishop Pereira’s instructions. In Liaodong, Joseph Wang searched for a residence for Bishop Bruguière, and arrived near Nanjing where the bishop stayed. Later, thanks to Joseph Wang’s arrangements and Bishop Pires Perreira’s letter, Bishop Bruguière was able to meet with the old Paul Do and John Yang to guide him.

◇ He overcame the illness and stayed at the Bishop’s House in Shanxi

On July 20, 1833, Bishop Bruguière set off north, accompanied by Joseph Wang and two guides. The destination was Beijing, where he was supposed to meet with the secret envoys from the Church in Korea. After traveling for several days, they crossed the canal and the Yangtze River by boat and disembarked on the northern bank of the river on July 31. At that time, Bishop Bruguière was suffering from a fever that he had suffered since he had been near Nanjing.

The journey continued. Passing across the plains stretching north from Zhejiang Province, Bishop Bruguière crossed the Yellow River on August 13. He was still suffering from the disease, sometimes so weak that he was unable to move even a step, and would lie down sick for a day or two. Bishop Bruguière continued his journey in such condition led by the guides, and after passing through Shandong Province, he arrived at Zhili region, not far from Beijing, and had to stay at a house of faithful. That was the 26th of August.

Bishop Bruguière was able to recover to some extent after lying down sick for about a month. He first sent Joseph Wang to Beijing, and on September 29, he departed for Shanxi, where Bishop J. Salvetti (1769-1843) was carrying out his ministry. At that time, Bishop Salvetti’s residence was in Jiujicun[5]of Taiyuan city.

Arriving at the Bishop’s House in Shanxi on October 10, 1833, Bishop Bruguière stayed there for about a year with the help of Italian Franciscan missionaries. During this period, he received two letters from the Catholics in Korea, but to his regret, the content of letters was to dissuade him from entering Korea. However, he sent Joseph Wang back to Beijing so that he could meet with the secret envoys of the Church in Korea and find out its situation.

On the other hand, Fr. Chastan, who early volunteered for the mission in Korea, got permission from Bishop Florens, Apostolic Vicar of Siam to enter Korea, and departed from Penang in May 1833. Then he went to Fujian via Macau, and joined Fr. Maubant. They departed from Fujian on December 4, 1833, and went north by different routes. Fr. Maubant went to Beijing by land, and on June 8, 1834, he arrived at a Christian village in Xiwanzi[6]of Zhangjiakou near the Great Wall. Fr. Chastan, who went to Shanghai by sea, continued going north, and arrived to Liaodong and Beijing, and then went to Shandong where he did a missionary work.

◇ Bishop Bruguière receives an inspiring letter from the Catholics in Korea while in Xiwanzi

On September 22, 1834, Bishop Bruguière bid farewell to Bishop Salvetti and headed to a Christian village in Xiwanzi, the pastoral area of ​​the missionaries of the Order of Saint Lazarus. The reason was that this place was thought to be much easier to contact with the Catholics in Korea because of its closeness to Beijing. Arriving in Xiwanzi on October 8, Bishop Bruguière met with Fr. Maubant, who was there before him. On January 9 of the following year, he sent Joseph Wang back to Beijing.

On January 19, 1835, in Beijing Joseph Wang could meet with the secret envoys of the Church in Korea. According to Bishop Bruguière’s instructions, he inquired about the situation of the Church in Korea and handed over the bishop's letter to them. The letter contains the firm determination of Bishop Bruguière to enter Korea.

Reading the letter, the secret envoys Yu Chin-gil (Augustine, 1791-1839), Cho Shin-chol (Charles, 1796-1839), and Francis Kim resolved to bring the bishop to Korea at the end of the year. And they asked Joseph Wang to deliver the letter dated January 21, 1835 (December 23, 1834 by the lunar calendar) containing such a content to Bishop Bruguière. Joseph Wang returned to Xiwanzi on January 26 with the letter, and then went back to Beijing three days later to meet with the secret envoys of Korea again.

During his stay in Xiwanzi, Bishop Bruguière had to face the danger of persecution several times. In the midst of that, he always thought of Korea and decided to set out for Korea without hesitation, especially after receiving the inspiring letter from the Catholics in Korea that Joseph Wang delivered to him.

Bishop Bruguière took very special steps before leaving Xiwanzi. First of all, in case that he could not enter Korea, he made sure that Fr. Maubant go to Korea in his place. Second, he sent a letter to Rome requesting to separate Liaodong region which borders on Korea, from the Diocese of Beijing and put it under the administration of the Apostolic Vicar of Korea.[8] This is because the Liaodong region was the last entrance to wards Korea for missionaries who crossed the Chinese continent.

◇ The death of Bishop Bruguière and the transfer of his remains

The problem was Bishop Bruguière’s health. He was suffering from dropsy and severe headache. So, he even thought, “It could be possible that I die in the remote Tatar region before entering Korea.”[9] That’s why he took measures for Fr. Maubant to go to Korea after him. He did not stay there longer because his only thought was that of going to Korea.

On October 7, as soon as his headache had subsided for a moment, Bishop Bruguière left Xiwanzi. The destination was Byeonmun[10], a border town, where he was supposed to meet with the secret envoys of the Church in Korea. Fr. Ko, a Chinese Lazarist and Joseph Wang would accompany him. Bishop Bruguière was hoping to reach the destination before the end of December. However, his headache had a relapse and his condition was getting worse due to severe cold, so he had to take a break occasionally on his way. Twelve days later, on October 19, with this condition, he arrived in Majiazi, a small Christian village in Inner Mongolia. He was planning to take a break there for 15 days and then hit the road again.

The next day, after arriving in Majiazi, Bishop Bruguière had begun a day in a serene ambience. His condition seemed to get better. He read a book, talked with Fr. Ko and after dinner, he lay down for a while. After that, he got up, washed his feet, and finished shaving with the help of a Chinese faithful. Then, as he was given the last touches for a Chinese hair-do, Bishop Bruguière suddenly collapsed on the bed, covering his head with his hands. Then he lost consciousness while calling “Jesus, Mary, Joseph” in French. Chinese priest Fr. Ko hurriedly performed the sacrament of anointing of the sick and prayed for him on his deathbed. Bishop Bruguière passed away around 8:15 in the evening of October 20, 1835. He was 43 years old.

It was on November 1, that Fr. Maubant heard the news of Bishop Bruguière’s death. At that time, he was in Xiwanzi. He sent letters to Macau and Rome, and immediately departed for Majiazi and arrived there on November 17. Then, on November 21, he celebrated the funeral mass with the faithful, then buried the bishop’s body in a cemetery for Catholics. Fr. Maubant explained the cause of Bishop Bruguière’s death as a result of the “privation, exhaustion, and all sorts of suffering while traveling north across the vast Chinese continent.” [11]

Afterwards, Fr. Maubant met with the secret envoys of the Church in Korea in Byeonmun and entered Korea on January 13, 1836. In 1931, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Korea, the remains of Bishop Bruguière were excavated in Majiazi, transferred to Korea, and placed in the Yongsan Cemetery of Clergy in Seoul, on October 15, 1931.

Fr. Maubant who had lived with Bishop Bruguière and watched him closely during his stay in Xiwanzi, later recalled the bishop’s faith life as follows, which shows well the bishop’s earnest desire to enter Korea.

• [1]Fr. Barthélémy Bruguière to Fr. F.M.E. de Gualy, Vicar General of the diocese of Carcassonne, late 1826 to early 1827, in Collectionof Letters of Mgr. Bruguière, translated by Fathers Jung Yang-mo and Youn Jong-kuk, Seoul: Catholic Publishing House, 2007, p. 84.
• [2]Fr. Barthélémy Bruguière to the Superiors of the M.E.P. General House, May 19, 1829, in Collection of Letters of Mgr. Bruguière, pp. 133-134.
• [3]Travels of Mgr. Bruguière, Seoul: Research Foundation of Korean Church History, 2008, p. 31
• [4]Dingtoucun (頂頭村): now Fujian Province, Ningde (寧德市), Fuan (福安)
• [5]Jiujicun (九汲村): now [Shanxi Province], Taiyuan (太原) Prefecture, Jinzhong city(晉中市), Qíxian (祁縣)
• [6]Xiwanzi (西灣子): now Hebei Province (河北省), Zhangjiakou (張家口) city, Chongli Qu (崇禮區)
• [7]Travels of Mgr. Bruguière, p. 365.
• [8]Bishop Bruguière to the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, October 1, 1835, and Bishop Bruguière to Fr. P.L. Legrégeois, October 6, 1835, in Collection of Letters of Mgr. Bruguière, pp. 346, 354.
  * Fr. Legrégeois (1801-1866) was a representative priest of the Far Eastern headquarters of the M.E.P. in Macau.
• [9]Bishop A.M. De Donato to Fr. Langlois, Superior general of the MEP, October 1835, in Collection of Letters of Mgr. Bruguière, p. 360.
  * Bishop A.M. De Donato (1783-1848) was appointed the Auxiliary Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Huguang (湖廣)⋅Shanxi (山西)⋅Shanxi (陝西), in September 1831, and succeeded the Apostolic Vicar of Shanxi on September 21, 1843.
• [10]Byeonmun (邊門): now Liaoning Province (遼寧省), Fengcheng city (鳳城市), Bianwen-jin Majiazi is also known as Pie-li-Keou (別拉溝): now Chifeng city (赤峰市), Songshangu (松山區), Dongshan xiang (東山鄕)
• [11]Fr. Maubant to Fr. Legrégeois and the priests of the General House of the M.E.P., dated November 9, 1835, in Collection of Letters of Mgr. Bruguière, ​​p. 361.
• [12]Collection of Letters of Mgr. Bruguière, ​​p. 362.