Saints of the American Wilderness: The Brave Lives and Holy Deaths of the Eight North American Martyrs

by John Anthony O'Brien

True tales of horror and holiness. French priests enter a war zone where captured Westerners are paraded before their captors, tortured, and then beheaded. Their desecrated bodies get dumped by the roadside. Iraq in 2007? The Gaza Strip? Western Afghanistan? No. A place more dangerous: Canada in the 1600s. On rivers and in forests, Iroquois slaughter Huron and Europeans kill for land and power. It s a landscape of blood and horror whose viciousness eclipses the terrorism that shocks us today. Into this iniquitous land go dozens of stouthearted Jesuits, the purest examples of Roman Catholic virtue our Western continent has ever seen. Their purpose? To baptize souls and preach the gospel to savages whose degraded, vicious lives cry out for the light of Christ. Many of these Jesuits were murdered, and today eight of them are saints. Six were priests: Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Antoine Daniel, Charles Garnier, and Noel Chabanel; two were lay assistants: Rene Goupil and Jean Lalande. They are the Jesuit Martyrs of North America, and this is their story. From letters these brave men wrote to their superiors by the light of Indian campfires or while skimming lovely waters in swift canoes, John A. O Brien has crafted the terrifying, inspiring, and true tale of the dangerous struggle they engaged in for enormous stakes: the salvation of countless souls mired in darkness. O Brien shows that in the best of times, these good men were surrounded by lasciviousness, pandemonium and demonic rituals. Bad times brought bloody war, upraised tomahawks, the shrieks of victims, and knowledge that their superstitious hosts might turn against them without warning, and bury a tomahawk in their skull. Patient, charitable, and heedless of their own lives, these eight Jesuits spoke constantly of Jesus, baptized thousands, and even in the shadow of death brought them the consoling graces of the Sacraments. Between times they cared for souls dying of smallpox, cleaned festering wounds, and day in and day out returned love for hatred, blessings for curses, and prayers for abuse. Ultimately, all were murdered. Some died from a sudden blow; the rest were mutilated and tortured until, with forgiveness in their hearts and Jesus name on their lips, they died in flames their persecutors had set around them. Saints of the American Wilderness tells of these good men who sought nothing less than the conversion of a continent. Their zeal won for them the imperishable crown of martyrdom and sanctified with their holy blood the soil of North America. Truly, they are models for those who would be saints in bloody times like ours.

Genres: Catholic, History, Biography, American History

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Research Professor of Theology at Notre Dame and Catholic Priest.

Reviews

[Evan Groom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like pocahontas if pocahontas chewed dude's fingers off.

So I guess more like the revenant actually.

[Joann Glasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having vacationed in this area where all this happened for several years and walked to the places if torture and living areas I found this book even beyond what you hear from the guides. The area is desolate and at the Martyrs Shrine they have their relics. To see how they lived and what they went through is unbelievable. Such courage and such faith. The perseverance they had was unbelievable. If I hadn't walked the grounds,visited the graves and seen for myself I would think it was fiction but, it's not. Gives us all hope.

[FatherBenjamin Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring witness to the faith!

[Meghan Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. A great read for those interested in the early seeds of Catholicism in the North East, the life of jesuits, and sainthood. I loved how it gave a biographical sketch of the Martyr’s and their unique personalities/stories. I need to read this again.

[Cody Cichocki · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I read every page, I was fired up to go get martyred with these Jesuits! It did a great job of describing their lives through stories and I learned a lot about these lesser known Saints. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to get hyped up about their faith!

[Andrew DeJoseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the best book I've read all year. An incredible story of heroic and saintly virtue which is almost unfathomable. This book made me shameful of my own faults and impiety but has inspired me to greater virtue.

[Anders Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. Incredible stories and good historical context.