// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Patrick Thomas Brennan a baker? He kneads the dough.
Patrick Thomas Brennan SSC | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 13, 1901 Chicago, Cook, Illinois |
| Died | September 24, 1950 (aged 49) |
Cause of death | Martyrdom |
| Parent(s) | Patrick Brennan, Jane Gorman |
| Relatives | Richard Brennan (brother) Jane Carmelita Brennan O'Brien (sister) |
Patrick Thomas Brennan, SSC (1901–1950), was an American Catholic missionary priest who was killed by North Korean forces in 1950.[1] He was a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban. His sainthood cause was opened in 2013.
Biography
[edit]Born in 1901 in Chicago to Irish parents, Brennan was educated in St Rita's High School and Quigley Prep Seminary before studying at Mundelein Seminary. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1928, and served as a curate in Epiphany Church, St. Mary of the Lake, and St Anthony's in Joliet.
Brennan joined the Missionary Society of St. Columban (Columban Fathers) in 1936 and was assigned to Korea in 1938.[2] Brennan was interned by Japanese forces following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and was repatriated to the United States. He served as an Army chaplain in Europe during the war,[3] in Normandy, Ardennes and Germany, for which he was decorated with the Soldier's Medal for bravery.[4][5]
In 1947 he was appointed missionary director of the Columbans in Asia. In 1948, Brennan was appointed Prefect Apostolic of Kwangju, where he was taken prisoner and killed by North Korean forces on September 24, 1950, in Taejon prison. He died alongside two other Columban missionaries Fr Thomas Cusack and Fr John "Jack" O'Brien.[6][7] His body was never recovered.
Veneration
[edit]Brennan's sainthood cause was opened in 2013, alongside those of his fellow Catholic martyrs in the Korean War.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Columban Martyrs recalled at Dalgan Mass
- ↑ "Winter 2013 General Meeting of the Irish Bishops' Conference concludes in Maynooth | Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference". Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ 'Reds Kill Priests?' Msgr. Patrick T. Brennan - Death Notice, The Catholic Advance Wichita, Kansas, Friday, December 8, 1950,
- ↑ "Ex Umbris Et Imaginibus: New Irish Martyrs: Cause Just Opened". Ex Umbris Et Imaginibus. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ Coyle, Fr Seán (2008-09-20). "Bangor to Bobbio: The Korean Martyrs". Bangor to Bobbio. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ Molloy, Cian (2017-02-13). "Seven Irish Columbans among 84 modern-day martyrs of Korea who may be beatified". Catholicireland.net. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ "Korean war stories never to be forgotten". Irish Independent. 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- ↑ "KOREAN MARTYRS - Beatification Progress". www.koreanmartyrs.com. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
- 1901 births
- 1950 deaths
- 20th-century executions by North Korea
- University of Saint Mary of the Lake alumni
- Missionary Society of St. Columban
- American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent
- 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests
- American people executed abroad
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- 20th-century executions of American people
- Executed Roman Catholic priests
- Roman Catholic bishops of Gwangju
- People killed in the Korean War
- People executed by North Korea by firing squad
- American people imprisoned in North Korea
- United States Army civilians
- World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan