Korean American Books

Summaries and reviews of fiction and nonfiction books by Korean American authors,
books about Korean Americans and Korea, and Korean literature in English translation,
including some academic works and a sampling on the Korean War

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Light in the Far East: Archbishop Harold Henry's Forty-Two Years in Korea, by Edward Fischer

Catholic Archbishop Harold Henry founded the Columban Mission Socieety in Korea during the Japanese occupation until WWII, when he (like many Westerners) were deported from Korea. He served as a chaplain in Europe, and was decorated for bravery. He returned to Korea during the Korean War, and his legacy includes 46 churches, a seminary, 21 schools, four hospitals, six leper colonies and 400 small farms and a shipbuilding industry. During his tenure in Korea, the number of Catholics grew from 100,000 to 1 million. Fr. Henry's exceptional story and his life of devotion to the Korean people is carefully detailed in this biography, and the mores and traditions of the day provide the context for the choices he was given in this life. Humor abounds, as well as stories of hardship and humility in the presentation of this extraordinary missionary to Korea.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is an interesting book. I am not catholic myself but enjoyed it because it was interesting to see how he worked in a practical way to improve the lives of Koreans during a difficult time (Japanese colonization, the Korean War, and afterwards) in Korean history.