North American Martyrs
| North American Martyrs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | France |
| Died | 1642–1649,Canada and Upstate New York |
| Martyred by | Iroquois |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | June 21, 1925, Rome by Pope Pius XI |
| Canonized | June 29, 1930, Rome by Pope Pius XI |
| Major shrine | Martyrs' Shrine, Midland, Ontario, Canada National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, New York |
| Feast | September 26 (in Canada and among Traditional Roman Catholics) October 19 (General Calendar) |
| Patronage | Canada |
The North American Martyrs, also known as the Canadian Martyrs or the Martyrs of New France, were eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, who were martyred in the mid-17th century in Canada, in what are now southern Ontario and upstate New York, during the warfare between the Iroquois and the Huron. The Martyrs are St. Jean de Brébeuf (1649),[1] St. Noël Chabanel (1649),[2] St. Antoine Daniel (1648),[3] St. Charles Garnier (1649),[2] St. René Goupil (1642),[4] St. Isaac Jogues (1646),[5] St. Jean de Lalande (1646),[6] and St. Gabriel Lalemant (1649).[1]
By the late 1640s the Jesuits appeared to have been making more progress in their mission to the Huron, and they claimed to have made many converts at this time. Nevertheless, within Huron communities, the priests were not universally trusted. Many Hurons considered them to be malevolent shamans who brought death and disease wherever they travelled. Their arrival had coincided with epidemics after 1634 of smallpox and other infectious diseases, to which aboriginal peoples had no immunity. (Epidemiological studies have shown the diseases were likely carried by the increased number of children immigrating after 1634 with families from cities in nations where smallpox was endemic, such as France, England and the Netherlands). The Iroquois considered the Jesuits legitimate targets, as the missionaries were nominally allies of the Huron. They had often helped organize resistance to Iroquois invasions.
Honors
[edit]- The martyrs were canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930.[7]
- The Martyrs' Shrine church in Midland, Ontario, the site of their missionary work among the Huron, and the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York,[8] along the Mohawk River, are dedicated to them.
- They are collectively patron saints of Canada.
- St. René Goupil, St. Isaac Jogues, and St. Jean de Lalande are considered the first three U.S. saints, as they were martyred in New York state.
- They form part of the dedication of the Canadian national church in Rome. Their feast day is celebrated on September 26 in Canada and among traditional Roman Catholics.
- The feast day is celebrated in the General Roman Calendar and in the United States on October 19 under the title of "Isaac Jogues and John de Brébeuf, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs."
- The martyrs are the patron saints of Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California, where each building on the campus has been named after one of the saints. The largest building — the Jesuit Residence and Main Office — is named Brébeuf Hall.
- The martyrs are honored at a Catholic Summer Camp in Ozark, Illinois, named Camp Ondessonk. Each unit of cabins is named after the martyrs (Brebeuf, Daniel, etc.)
- The torture of the eight North American Martyrs by North American Indians is the subject depicted in the twelve-light World War I memorial window (1933) by Charles William Kelsey at the Loyola College (Montreal) chapel.
- The martyrs are honored by the church and elementary school named for them, North American Martyrs Parish, in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
- An FSSP parish, North American Martyrs Catholic Church, is located in Seattle, Washington.
- They are also the saints honored at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- They are also honored with a side shine at Madonna Della Strada Chapel on the campus of Loyola University Chicago
- They are the patron saints of American Martyrs Parish in Manhattan Beach, California.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Jesuit Relations vol 35, IV
- ^ a b Jesuit Relations vol 40, LXXXIII
- ^ Jesuit Relations vol 33, LXVII
- ^ Jesuit Relations: 28, "Account of René Goupil (donné)," by Father Isaac Jogues
- ^ Jesuit Relations: 31, VIII
- ^ Jesuit Relations vol 34, LXIV
- ^ Time Magazine, July 7, 1930: "The Pope's Week"
- ^ Martyr's Shrine, Auriesville
Further reading
[edit]- Fisher, Lillian M. (2001). The North American Martyrs: Jesuits in the New World. Boston: Pauline Books & Media. ISBN 0-8198-5132-9.
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