On October 19 (September 26 in Canada), the Roman Catholic Church honors the North American Martyrs.
These martyrs were mainly Jesuit priests who were violently killed while evangelizing Indigenous peoples in North America.
In particular the Church honors eight Jesuits, six priests and two lay Jesuit brothers who were killed on different days and in different locations.
North American Martyrs
The Roman Martyrology provides the following summary of each Jesuit honored on this day:
Saints John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, priests, and companions, martyrs, of the Society of Jesus.
On this day Saint Jean de Lalande, religious, was killed at the village of Ossernenon, today in Canada, where, a few years earlier, Saint René Goupil had also received the palm of martyrdom.
In a single commemoration, their brothers are also celebrated on this day, Saints Gabriel Lalemant, Antoine Daniel, Charles Garnier and Noël Chabanel, who died as martyrs in Canadian territory on different days, after many efforts in the mission to the Hurons for proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the people of this region.
Seed of martyrdom
St. John Paul II also offers a summary of who these Jesuits were in his homily on September 15, 1984:
Six of them were Jesuit priests from France: Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Gabriel Lalemant, Antoine Daniel, Charles Garnier and Noël Chabanel. Fired with love for Christ and inspired by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier and other great saints of the Society of Jesus, these priests came to the New World to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Native peoples of this land. And they persevered to the end despite difficulties of every sort.
Two lay brothers were part of the missionary group: René Goupil and Jean de la Lande. With no less courage and fervour, they assisted the priests in their labours, showed great compassion and care for the Indians, and, laying down their lives, won for themselves the martyr’s crown.
And as these missionaries laid down their lives, they looked forward to a day when the Native people would enjoy full maturity and exercise leadership in their Church. St. John de Brébeuf dreamed of a Church fully Catholic and fully Huron as well.
These Jesuits greatly desired that the Indigenous peoples of North America would embrace the Catholic faith and hoped that their own deaths would bear fruit some day.
