Saint Pierre-Henri Dorie

Life story

Pierre-Henri Dorie was born on 23 September 1839 at Saint-Hilaire-de-Talmont in the Vendée, France. He studied at the minor seminary of Les Sables-d'Olonne and the major seminary of Luçon, and entered the Paris Foreign Missions seminary on 23 August 1862. He was ordained a priest on 21 May 1864 and left for the Korean mission that year.

In late November 1864 he began learning Korean at Sioung-io, near Yang-kouan in Manchuria. On 17 April 1865 he entered Korea and was posted to Son-kol. Less than a year later the persecution broke out.

He was arrested on 27 February 1866, imprisoned and beaten. Condemned to death as a preacher of Catholicism, he was beheaded on 8 March 1866 at Saenamteo near Seoul, on the same day as Bishop Berneux and the missionaries imprisoned with them. The Paris Foreign Missions biography gives 8 March; some other sources say 7 March. His remains are now in the cathedral of Seoul. He was beatified on 6 October 1968 under Pope Paul VI and canonized on 6 May 1984 with 102 other Korean martyrs. The Korean martyrs are celebrated together on 20 September.

Works and witness

• Entered the Paris Foreign Missions seminary in 1862; ordained on 21 May 1864
• Studied Korean in Manchuria from late 1864
• Entered Korea on 17 April 1865 and was posted to Son-kol
• Arrested on 27 February 1866
• Beheaded in 1866 at twenty-six; canonized on 6 May 1984

Saints from the same country

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint Louis IX of France, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Francis de Sales

References

• IRFA (Institut de recherche France-Asie), 'Henri DORIE 1839-1866' (irfa.paris/?p=19251)
• IRFA, missionary record 0455, 'BERNEUX Siméon' (companions executed 8 March 1866)

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.