St. Jean de Brébeuf and St. Isaac Jogues (Canadian martyrs)

Jean de Brébeuf, born in 1593 at Normandy, wanted to enter the priesthood from an early age, but his health was so bad there were doubts he could make it.

His posting as a Jesuit missionary to frontier Canada at age 32, however, was a literal god-send. He spent the rest of his life there, and the harsh and hearty climate so agreed with him that the natives, surprised at his endurance, called him Echon, which meant load bearer, and his massive size made them think twice about sharing a canoe with him for fear it would sink.

Brébeuf had great difficulty learning the Huron language. "You may have been a famous professor or theologian in France," he wrote in a letter home, "but here you will merely be a student, and with what teachers! The Huron language will be your Aristla crosse." However, he eventually wrote a catechism in Huron, and a French-Huron dictionary for use by other missionaries.

According to histories of the game, it was John de Brébeuf who named the present day version of the Indian game lacrosse because the stick used reminded him of a bishop's crosier (la crosse).

St. Jean was martyred in 1649, tortured to death by the Iroquois. By 1650 the Huron nation was exterminated, and the labouriously built mission was abandoned. But it proved to be "one of the triumphant failures that are commonplace in the Church's history." These martyrdoms created a wave of vocations and missionary fervour in France, and it gave new heart to the missionaries in New France.

St. Jean de Brébeuf was canonized June 29, 1930 by Pope Pius XI.

Isaac Jogues, born in 1607 at Orleans, France, joined the Jesuits at Rouen in 1624 and began studying philosophy. He was posted as a missionary priest to New France (Canada) in 1636, starting in Quebec and working among the Hurons.

This was a rough assignment – not only were the living conditions hard, but the locals blamed the "Blackrobes" for any disease, ill luck, or other problems that occurred where they were. He was captured in 1642 by the Mohawks, enslaved, tortured and mutilated for thirteen months. During that time, he taught the Faith to any who would listen, and finally escaped.

He recuperated in France, but returned to the New World in 1644 to continue his work with the natives. He was martyred with fellow Jesuit Jean de Brébeuf and several lay missionaries while on a peace mission to the Iroquois.

St. Isaac Jogues was canonized on June 29, 1930 by Pope Pius XI.