The North American Martyrs

I probably will not have much time to spend on the computer for the next few days, so I will close out my month of Saints with 8 saints, to make up for the days that I miss.

Our saints for today are collectively known as The North American Martyrs or The Canadian Martyrs.  They were eight Jesuit missionaries who were tortured and martyred on various dates in the mid Seventeenth century in what is now southern Ontario and upstate New York.  They were missionaries to the Huron people, and so were considered legitimate targets by the Iroquois.  Their feast day, October 19, is listed on the Roman Calendar  under the title of "John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs."

Since we rarely see the full list of the eight martyrs, here it is:  St. Jean de Brébeuf (1649),[1] St. Noël Chabanel (1649),[2] St. Antoine Daniel (1648),[3] St. Charles Garnier (1649),[2] St. René Goupil (1642),[4] St. Isaac Jogues (1646),[5] St. Jean de Lalande (1646),[6] and St. Gabriel Lalemant (1649).