Missionary Introduction

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  • Henry Munro Bruen

  • ◾ Korean name : Bu Hae-Ri
  • ◾ Year of Birth : October 26, 1874 - March 29, 1959.
  • ◾ Academic background : Lafayette College, Princeton University, Union Theological Seminary
  • ◾ Background and affiliation : Northern Presbyterian U.S.A.(NP)
  • ◾ Period of mission work in Korea : September 29, 1899 - September 19, 1941.
  • ◾ Period of mission work at Dongsan Hospital : October 26, 1899 - 1912.
  • ◾ Family details : Martha Scott Bruen(wife)
  • Clara Hedberg Bruen(wife: remarried)
  • Anna Miller Bruen(eldest daughter)
  • Harriett Scott Bruen(second daughter)
  • Harry M. Bruen Jr.(first son)
1. Henry Munro Bruen came to Daegu as a third missionary

Henry Monroe Bruen was born at Summit, New Jersey, as the second son of a faith family whose father is a pastor and grew up greatly influenced by his grandmother, a biblical scholar, a church school teacher, and interested in overseas missionary work. So, upon graduating from Union Theological Seminary in May 1899, he was ordained a minister and sent as a missionary to Korea by the Overseas Mission Department of the Presbyterian Church in North America. On October 26, 1899, he arrived in Daegu as the third missionary and played an important role in the missionary work in Daegu and Gyeongbuk with missionaries Adams and Johnson.

After marrying Marda Duffey Scott from the United States in 1902, he returned to Daegu and worked in earnest. There were 55 churches established in Gyeongbuk, including 21 in Gimcheon, 10 in Seonsan, 7 in Dalseong, 5 in Chilgok, 5 in Sangju, 3 in Seongju, 3 in Goryeong, and 1 in Gunwi. That's why some call Bruen the father of missionary work in North Gyeongsang Province.

Bruen in hanbok and hat

Bruen on the Mission, 1929

2. Henry Munro Bruen served in the Daegu Jejungwon

Bruen was the pastor in charge of the hospital. To compare it to now, it was like a hospital chaplain. He took care of the hospital staff and patients spiritually. He also served as an assistant to missionary Johnson. When Johnson performed the operation, Bruen anesthetized the patient to help him. In the early days, he participated in the construction of the hospital building with Johnson as an architectural committee member.

According to Bruen's mission report, he served the Hansen's Church in Aerakwon as a pastor in charge, guiding their faith, and occasionally holding baptisms and sacraments.

He returned home after 43 years of missionary work on September 19, 1941, due to Japan's expulsion of foreign missionaries before the invasion of Pearl Harbor. And on March 26, 1959, in Santa Cruz, California, he was called by God for a diary at the age of 85. After liberation, the people of Dongsan Christian Hospital remembered and missed Bruen.

Henry Bruen Mission 40th Anniversary Celebration, June 4, 1939