Biography
Magdalena Yi Yong-dog
About Magdalena Yi Yong-dog
Magdalena Yi Yong-dog grew up in a poor family in Seoul. Her grandmother taught her about Catholicism, and she became a Catholic with her mother, Barbara Cho, and younger sister Maria Yi In-dog. Her father opposed their religion.
The bishops’ conference gives her birth year as 1811.
The Korean encyclopedia instead gives 1812. Magdalena resisted her father’s plan for her to marry a man who was not a Catholic. She eventually left home with her mother and sister.
They sought help from Bishop Laurence Imbert and established a household where they could practice their religion. Catherine Yi and Magdalena Cho later joined them.
Arrested during the persecution of 1839, Magdalena suffered severe punishment and saw her mother die in prison. She continued to profess her faith and was executed outside Seoul’s Small West Gate on December 29, 1839.
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