Martyred for the faith at Daegu in the Byeongin persecution, October 12, 1868. Beatified by Pope Francis on August 16, 2014.
Life
Victorinus Pak Dae-sik was a lay Catholic. Few stories of his life have come down to us.
During the Byeongin persecution in 1868 he was arrested and taken to Daegu in Gyeongsang Province. Refusing to deny God through interrogation and punishment, he was martyred at Daegu on October 12, 1868. Daegu was a place where many believers bore witness to the faith in persecutions from Jeonghae to Byeongin.
Pope Francis declared him Blessed on August 16, 2014.
Spirituality
The spirituality of Victorinus Pak Dae-sik is faith that overcomes; his name carries the meaning of victory. To the world his death looked like defeat, but by faith he shared in the victory of Christ, who conquered death.
Reflection
Victorinus Pak Dae-sik shared in Christ's victory through a death that looked like defeat. Could what seems like failure in my life take on new meaning in God? Why not entrust it to the Lord today?