Saint Andrew Kim Taegon:
The Boy Who Crossed the Mountains
Paddy Bréagnamh
Mini Saints & Missionaries Library
ISBN 9798899681318
ASIN B0GZDM74K8
ASIN B0GXGZ3R97
There are currently 11 volumes available in this series dedicated to specific saints and 3 the focus on 52 female saints. I have enjoyed them a lot and keep checking for when new ones are released. I have benefited from reading them all and recommended each of them to several people. I especially loved the volume on Pope Leo XIV. This volume I picked up shortly after it released and read it the within a few days. It was one of 4 new titles that released in 2026. A few years back I read The Martyrs of Korea by Father Richard Rutt from the Catholic Truth Society. There was a chapter on Saint Andrew Kim, but this biography was able to go into a lot more detail. And I am so thankful I was able to read it.
The description of the book is:
“Saint Andrew Kim Taegon: The Boy Who Crossed the Mountains tells the powerful true story of the first Korean Catholic priest—and the dangerous journey that changed a nation’s faith forever.
Born in 1821 during a time of intense religious persecution in Korea, Andrew Kim Taegon grew up in a hidden Christian community where belief in Jesus could lead to prison—or death. At just fifteen years old, he left his home in secret, traveling across mountains and through China to study for the priesthood.
Years later, he returned to Korea in disguise, determined to serve underground Catholic communities who had no priests and no protection. Moving from village to village under cover of darkness, he baptized, taught, and encouraged believers—until he was captured.
At just twenty-five years old, he gave his life for his faith.
Inside this Mini Saints & Missionaries Library book:
• A true, historically grounded biography of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon
• His dangerous escape from Korea and journey to Macau
• Life in a secret underground Church during persecution
• His ordination as the first Korean-born Catholic priest
• His arrest, prison letters, and martyrdom
• Reflection questions to build faith, courage, and character
Perfect for:
• Ages 8–12 (independent readers)
• Catholic families and homeschoolers
• Religious education classrooms (CCD, Sunday school)
• Readers interested in saints, church history, and world history
• Parents looking for faith-based chapter books with real stories
Part of the Mini Saints & Missionaries Library, this book brings to life the stories of young men and women who chose courage, truth, and faith—no matter the cost. Click on the series name above to discover more inspiring Catholic saints stories for kids.”
I now suspect that the author, Paddy Bréagnamh, is a pen name, but have yet to confirm that. I can only find these volumes in this series and the previous one on Saint Patrick in several bookstores online. This is the eleventh volume I have read in the series, I read it shortly after it was released, it was one of four released in the middle of 2026.
The chapters and sections in the volume are:
Introduction
1. Born In Secret Faith
2. A Dangerous Dream
3. Over The Mountains
4. Far From Home
5. The First Korean Priest
6. Faith In Hiding
7. Captured
8. Martyrdom And Sainthood
9. Be Brave Like Andrew
Reflection Questions
Timeline Of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon
Glossary
Activity: Write Your Own Letter Of Encouragement
Author’s Note
Mini Saints & Missionaries Library Series
The dedication in this volume states:
“For everyone who has ever stood at the foot of an impossible mountain. Take the first step anyway.”
This volume is written for young readers, it would be considered an early chapter book. Each chapter has illustrations. The material is well put together. It is a good introduction to this lesser known saint. I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume they are:
“Andrew Kim Taegon was born into a country where faith was a crime. He watched his family pay the price for refusing to give it up. And at fifteen years old, he walked out of Korea with nothing but a wooden cross and a calling that would not let him rest. He crossed mountains. He studied in exile. He received devastating news from home, and kept going. He came back in disguise. He served. He was captured. He died. He was twenty-five years old. But the flame he carried never went out.”
“His father explained: Korea’s rulers were afraid of Christianity. They believed it might weaken the people’s loyalty to their traditions and their king. So the government punished anyone who followed the faith.”
“His father looked at him with steady eyes. “Because truth doesn’t stop being true just because it’s hard,” he said. “We follow Jesus because He is the light. Even in the dark, we carry His flame.””
“He wasn’t just becoming a priest. He was becoming the first Korean-born Catholic priest in history. He thought of the families hiding in the hills back home, huddled in candlelit rooms, waiting for someone to bring them the sacraments. He thought of his mother. He thought of his father.”
“Getting back into Korea was not simple. The borders were still closed. Christianity was still banned. If the government caught him, he would be arrested, or executed. But Andrew had no intention of staying away.”
“As the months passed, word reached the capital: a Korean priest was moving through the countryside, teaching and baptizing and spreading forbidden hope. Soldiers were sent to find him.”
“His voice, witnesses later recalled, was calm and clear: “I am about to die. Those of you who are Christian, know this: I die gladly for God. Do not be afraid. Keep your faith. We will meet again.” He was twenty-five years old.”
“In 1984, Pope John Paul II traveled to Seoul and, standing before a crowd of hundreds of thousands, declared Andrew Kim Taegon a saint, together with 102 fellow Korean martyrs. It was the first canonization ever held on Korean soil.”
“What moves me most are the prison letters. Even at the very end, alone in chains and facing death, his first thought was for the people he had come to serve. He wrote to encourage them. He told them not to be afraid. That is holiness: not perfection, but the willingness to pour out what you have, right until the last.”
“One detail I hope stayed with you: Korea’s Catholic Church was not brought by missionaries. It was built by Koreans who discovered the faith in books and decided, entirely on their own, that it was true. Andrew came from that tradition, a tradition of people who chose truth freely, at great cost. He was the worthy heir of a remarkable inheritance.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. I am well beyond the recommended age for this book and series, being in my mid-50’s; but I still greatly enjoyed the book and the series. In fact the youngest two of my four children are 15 and 18, and they have both read books in this series and enjoyed them as well. This book and series are great read for the young and the young at heart! I would love to see how the author would handle Pier Giorgio Frassati, Charles de Foucauld, John Henry Newman, and many of my other favourite saints. But these books are so go no matter who is profiled next I know I will pick it up.
This latest release in this series is another excellent read. The series keeps getting better and better. It was a fantastic little read in a great series. Pick it up or one of the others and give it a try!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books in the Mini Saints & Missionaries Library Series:
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: The Girl Who Walked Two Hundred Miles
…
Lives of Women Saints: 52 True Stories of Courage, Faith, and Character
The Lives of Women Saints Coloring & Activity Book
The Lives of Women Saints Workbook
Mini Saints & Missionaries Seven Saints for Boys A First Communion Collection of Courage and Faith
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