French missionary priest of the Paris Foreign Missions Society who served the faithful in Korea and was martyred on September 21, 1839.
Life
Father Jacques-Honoré Chastan was born in France in 1803 and became a priest of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Secretly entering Korea at the end of 1836, he was the second Western priest to serve there, after Father Maubant.
Learning an unfamiliar language and customs, he visited Catholic villages in many provinces and brought the sacraments to believers living in hiding. In 1839, following Bishop Imbert's counsel, he gave himself up to the authorities, and on September 21, 1839, he was beheaded at Saenamteo with the bishop and Father Maubant.
Spirituality
The spirituality of Father Chastan is a love that stays to the end in a foreign land. Leaving his homeland, he entered among people of another language and culture, became their shepherd, and in the end gave his life alongside them.
Reflection
Father Chastan loved the people of a foreign land to the very end. As immigrants ourselves, are we opening our hearts to neighbors who are strangers to us? This week, could I reach out to a neighbor from a different culture?