
Just before his death from torture, Fr. Jean de Brébeuf said, "God is the witness of our sufferings, and will soon be our exceeding great reward. Let us die in this faith … Sustain with courage the few remaining torments. They will end our lives. The glory which follows them will never have an end."
Welcome to "North American Sanctity," a series on holy men and women, boys and girls, saints and those on the road to sainthood, from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Some will be familiar, others less so; but all are inspiring!
By Kimberly Bruce
The Canadian Martyrs, also known as the North American Martyrs (feast day Sept. 26), are a group of 17th century Jesuit priests and volunteer missionaries martyred for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in modern-day New York State and Canada.
These six priests and two laymen are responsible for bringing the faith into Canada where Christ was yet unknown. As such, they are considered founders of the Catholic Church in that country along with St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, St. Marie of the Incarnation, St. Marguerite d’Youville, Bishop St. François de Montmorency-Laval, and Bl. Catherine of Saint Augustine.
“New France”
Colonization of “New France,” now known as Canada, gripped the hearts and minds of French collegiates in the 17th century. Thoughts of evangelizing the New World enticed many young religious, as well, to wish to brave the trials of the new territory to bring the gospel to its inhabitants.
The Canadian Martyrs are some of those from France who answered this call to evangelize. As stated in the Canadian Bishops’ Permanent Council Pastoral Letter, commemorating the 350th anniversary of the deaths of these martyrs:
These eight missionaries became exiles in order to bring the Gospel to the family of Georgian Bay Amerindians and lead them to holiness. In 15 years (1634-1649), they transformed the Huron villages there, and then what were to become the Quebec villages of Notre-Dame-de-Foy and Notre-Dame-de Lorette, making them centers of religious fervor comparable to those in the early Church.
Mission to the Hurons
Upon their arrival in Huron territory in 1634, one of the missionaries, Fr. Jean de Brébeuf (1593-1649), wanted to make clear to its inhabitants at the outset that they were not there for commercial or political reasons. Mistrust and tensions were widespread due to battling French, Dutch, and English competitive commercial factions and conflicts between the Huron and Iroquois tribes.
Said Fr. Brébeuf, “Seeing them all together [the Hurons], we determined to preach publicly and make known to them the reason for coming to their country, not for their furs but to proclaim to them the true God and his son, Jesus Christ, the one Savior of our souls.”
Father Brébeuf, with his companions Fr. Gabriel Lalemant (1610-1649), Fr. Antoine Daniel (1600-1648), Fr. Charles Garnier (1606-1649), Fr. Noël Chabanel (1613-1649), Fr. Isaac Jogues (1608-1646), René Goupil (1608-1642), and Jean de Lalande (d. 1646), were tasked with having to contend with the unknown language of the Huron people when they arrived and deal with a culture vastly different from their own.
Other challenges they encountered were potential starvation, a completely different diet, severe weather, the need for good shelter, dealing with mosquitos, extensive travel in a vast land, and intense fatigue.
To be accepted by the Huron, the missionaries determined to assimilate themselves into the native culture. They began by learning the local language, which proved difficult. They even devised a written language for the inhabitants which they had never had.
Martyrdom
What began as friendship with those they had come to evangelize, eventually gave way to blaming of the missionaries for diseases that spread amongst the tribes, mistrust, and dangerous persecution. All the missionaries would eventually be martyred within a span of seven years, from 1642-1649.
Father Isaac Jogues and Fr. Jean de Lalande were killed by hatchet blows to the head upon their arrival in Ossernenon (near present-day Auriesville, New York) because the Iroquois blamed the “Blackrobes” for a previous epidemic that had killed many in their tribe.
Father Noël Chabanel, who had a particularly hard time learning the local language, confided to a fellow priest:
I don’t know what God wants to do with me, but I feel that I have changed in one way: I am by nature apprehensive, but now that I face grave danger and death is perhaps not far off, I no longer feel fear. May good come of my offering of myself to God. May I be wholly his.
All would eventually succumb to dreadful deaths inflicted upon them, some suffering hours of horrific torture at the hands of tribesmen.
Father Brébeuf, prior to his martyrdom, said the following prayer:
My God and my savior Jesus, what return can I make to you for all the benefits you have conferred on me? … I make a vow to you never to fail, on my side, in the grace of martyrdom, if by your infinite mercy you offer it to me some day.
Then, just before his death from torture, he looked at the Huron and said:
God is the witness of our sufferings, and will soon be our exceeding great reward. Let us die in this faith … Sustain with courage the few remaining torments. They will end our lives. The glory which follows them will never have an end.
The Great Commission
All of us need to remember to offer prayers and sacrifices for the generous souls who commit their lives and hearts to missionary work. Some of us, too, may be called to missionary fields, ourselves. Regardless, all missionaries need the strength of the Church’s prayers and resources behind them. For they have taken up Christ’s “Great Commission” to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:18-19).
Saint Faustina, too, recognized the need for reaching the unevangelized and the importance of praying for missionaries, as revealed in a passage of her Diary:
As God has made us sharers in His mercy and even more than that, dispensers of that mercy, we should therefore have great love for each soul, beginning with the elect and ending with the soul that does not yet know God. By prayer and mortification, we will make our way to the most uncivilized countries, paving the way for the missionaries. We will bear in mind that a soldier on the front line cannot hold out long without support from the rear forces that do not actually take part in the fighting but provide for all his needs; and that such is the role of prayer, and that therefore each one of us is to be distinguished by an apostolic spirit (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 539).
Though the Jesuit’s mission to “New France” ended after the deaths of its martyrs, the Hurons who had been evangelized by them migrated to other regions. This resulted in the spread of the Gospel throughout the Great Lakes and Hudson River regions.
Honor their example
The Canadian Martyrs were beatified by Pope Bl. Pius IX in 1925 and canonized by him five years later, on June 29, 1930.
Two shrines, one in Canada and one in the U.S., are dedicated to these eight martyred saints: the Martyrs’ Shrine located in Midland, Ontario; and Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine located in Fultonville, New York.
In the United States, the feast of the North American Martyrs is celebrated on Oct. 19.
May the example of the Canadian Martyrs strengthen our apostolic spirit by being bold witnesses for Christ in our homes, cities, and nations. May we be conscious of bringing the Gospel not only to distant lands, but to the lost, lonely, and those that have never encountered Christ around us. And may we assist all missionaries by our daily prayers to strengthen their efforts in bringing the Good News of salvation to a hurting world.
The Canadian Martyrs, pray for us!
Next in the series: St. Mother Theodore Guerin, SP, Oct. 3
Previous article