Biography
Isaac Jogues was a French Jesuit priest who traveled to New France (Canada) to evangelize the Huron people. In 1642, his party was ambushed by a Mohawk war party. Jogues and his companions were brutally tortured; Jogues's fingers were chewed off or burned, rendering him incapable of properly holding the Eucharistic host. He was held as a slave for 13 months before Dutch traders helped him escape to France. Upon his return, he was greeted as a living martyr; Pope Urban VIII gave him special dispensation to celebrate Mass despite his mutilated hands. Incredibly, Jogues volunteered to return to Mohawk territory as an ambassador of peace. Accused of causing crop failure through sorcery, he was captured again, tomahawked to death, and beheaded at Ossernenon (Auriesville, New York).
Miracles & Signs
- ✦His extraordinary resilience and his return to the people who tortured him out of love for their souls
Wisdom & Quotes
“My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs.”
“I felt as if it were a great privilege to be able to suffer for His name.”