Sts. John de Brebeuf, Issac Jogues, and the North American Martyrs -- Christian Models for Pro-life Activists

Eight French Jesuit missionaries came to North America in the 17th century, amidst the hardships of sickness and extreme poverty, to bring the Word of God to the native Indians. They endured many horrific tortures and death in order to accomplish what they had set out to do.

In 1625, St. John de Brebuf, at age 32, entered into the Huron tribe in the harsh frontier of Canada. John had tuberculosis, but the climate so agreed with him that the Hurons, surprised at his endurance, called him Echon, which meant load bearer. John was tortured and martyred in 1649. The Indians, hoping to gain the incredible strength he had, drank his blood.

St. Issac Jogues was sent to Canada in 1636, where he worked among the Mowhawks. He was taken captive by the Iroquois in 1642 and imprisoned for thirteen months, where he was kept as a slave and beaten by the women of the tribe. While in captivity, Father Jogues secretly taught and baptized the other captives and slaves of the tribe.

His greatest sorrow was the torture that cost him the use of his hands. The law of the Church is that whatever other infirmities a priest may have, he must retain the use of his hands in order to celebrate the Eucharist.

After more than a year with the Iroquois, he was rescued by Dutch settlers and returned to France. There he obtained a dispensation to continue as a priest, despite the injuries to his hands, and eagerly returned to the New World to resume his duties.

When he returned to Quebec, he was tortured, decapitated, and martyred by the Iroquois tribe.

In our society today, we seldom see red martyrs who shed their blood in order to preach the Word of God. However, there are many opportunities for white martyrdom -- to suffer persecution and ridicule -- from those we encounter on a daily basis for standing up for our beliefs and preaching the Gospel message. When we preach the message of life, we encounter resistance from a society that embraces a "culture of death" -- a society that promotes abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, same sex unions, and cloning. When we preach the gospel message, we are often attacked by those who believe the lies that promote a culture obsessed with materialism, egotism, and addictions.
When Christ's message is not preached, darkness, depression, and death prevail.

As pro-life Christians, we would need to follow the example of the North American martyrs, accepting all the graces and strength we receive through the power of prayer, the Holy Mass, and the sacraments, so that we, too, will overcome our human weaknesses, and boldly speak the truth, regardless of the consequences, so that all men will be freed from the darkness of death and come to know the Light of life -- the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.


For two days now I have experienced a great desire to be a martyr and to endure all the torments the martyrs suffered.

Jesus, my Lord and savior, what can I give you in return for all the favors you have first conferred on me? I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name. I vow before your eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, before your most holy Mother and her most chaste spouse, before the angels, apostles and martyrs, before my blessed fathers Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier-in truth I vow to you, Jesus my savior, that as far as I have the strength I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if some day you in your infinite mercy should offer it to me, your most unworthy servant.

I bind myself in this way so that for the rest of my life I will have neither permission nor freedom to refuse opportunities of dying and shedding my blood for you, unless at a particular juncture I should consider it more suitable for your glory to act otherwise at that time. Further, I bind myself to this so that, on receiving the blow of death, I shall accept it from your hands with the fullest delight and joy of spirit. For this reason, my beloved Jesus, and because of the surging joy which moves me, here and now I offer my blood and body and life. May I die only for you, if you will grant me this grace, since you willingly died for me. Let me so live that you may grant me the gift of such a happy death. In this way, my God and savior, I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!

My God, it grieves me greatly that you are not known, that in this savage wilderness all have not been converted to you, that sin has not been driven from it. My God, even if all the brutal tortures which prisoners in this region must endure should fall on me, I offer myself most willingly to them and I alone shall suffer them all.

~The spiritual diaries of St John de Brebeuf