Saints John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions

John de Brébeuf was born in France in 1593 and Isaac Jogues in 1607. Both entered the Jesuits and went to North America. Brébeuf spent years among the Wendat, learning their language; Jogues served in the same broad mission region. Their companions included other missionaries and lay workers.

The missions unfolded amid disease, colonial expansion, shifting alliances and warfare. Jogues was captured, escaped, returned and was killed in 1646. Brébeuf was killed in 1649. Their courage is part of the story; so is the need to tell the history of Indigenous communities with care rather than treating them as scenery in a missionary account.

October 19 is their memorial in the U.S. calendar. Their witness is associated with prayer for missionaries and the Church in North America. A responsible remembrance can pray both for faithful service today and for truth and healing in relationships shaped by colonial history. Saints John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions, pray for us!