Saints of the Week: the North American Martyrs

This week had so many great saints it was hard to choose. The week started out with the feast of St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, whose importance can’t be underscored enough. The church also remembers
 Saint Luke, the Evangelist who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. The Eastern Church also remembers one of the coolest sounding saints I have ever run into this week: Averkios, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Wonderworker of Hierapolis, who is known for tearing down idols and blaming it on the idols getting drunk and fighting. Awesome!

With all these options it’s hard to choose, but I decided to go with a group of saints which are remembered today, especially in my country The United States of America. Today the American church remembers St. John de Brébeuf “The Apostle of the Hurons” as well as his fellow worker St. Isaac Jogues, and their six companions. All of them were martyred during their mission to reach the American tribes in Canada.

Here is what you need to know about John and Issac and the North American Martyrs

• Issac was captured by the Mohawk tribe, had some fingers cut off during torture, escaped then returned to continue to share the Gospel as an ambassador with fellow Jesuit Jean de Lalande
•  Issac and Jean de Lalande were seen as sorcerers and were brutally killed when hard times hit the Mohawk 
• John de Brébeuf is the patron saint of Canada
• John is also considered Canada’s “first serious ethnographer.”
• John wrote the Huron Carol, also known as “‘Twas in the moon of wintertime” a Christmas carol which is still, in a very modified version, used today
• John was tortured to death by the Iroquois. This involved suffering a mock “baptism” in boiling water
• John did not cry out during his torture, and his heart was eaten after he died. The Iroquois who killed him admired his strength and hoped his heart would transfer it to them.

Here is a video of “‘Twas in the moon of wintertime” which is one of my all time favorite carols

 have included lyrics below

’Twas in the moon of wintertime,

When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wondering hunters heard the hymn:

Refrain
Jesus your King is born,
Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.

Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapped His beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high:

Refrain

The earliest moon of wintertime
Is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory on
The helpless Infant there.
The chiefs from far before Him knelt
With gifts of fox and beaver pelt.

Refrain

O children of the forest free,
O seed of Manitou,
The holy Child of earth and Heav’n
Is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant Boy,
Who brings you beauty, peace and joy.

Refrain