St. Peter Yi Ho-Yong

Peter Yi Ho-yong, of Inch'on, Korea, a married lay catechist, experienced a mysterious dream one night in which he heard beautiful music, and was told, "It's you who have been selected." Peter felt that the dream foretold that he would be called to martyrdom. In February of 1835, pagan government officers came to arrest Peter and his older sister, (Saint) Agatha Yi So-sa. When Peter asked the reason for their arrest, the officers answered, "Don't you know your crime? It's because you practice the Christian religion." While in prison, Peter and his sister suffered the "bone-bending" torture, a torment in which the leg bones were twisted. Having refused to deny their faith, Peter and Agatha were kept in prison for several years, mutually encouraging each other as they awaited execution. During his incarceration, Peter persuaded an elderly fellow prisoner to become a Catholic. Peter's virtue and amiable disposition earned him the respect of his jailors. Peter and his sister had hoped to suffer martyrdom together on the same day, but a fatal illness overtook Peter before this could happen. He died six months before Agatha's execution.