Georgetown University - Ye Domesday Booke Yearbook (Georgetown, DC)

Page 18 text:

less others were laying the foundations of our modem scientific civilization. Philosophers like Descartes, Spinoza, Locke and Pascal, whose theories still influence and will continue to influence the thought and conduct of multi- tudes, were born then. Art flourished under such masters as Rembrandt, Rubens, Murillo, Velasquez and Bernini. Civilization had broken its leash, and was moving forward with great bounds. To keep up with these advances, education became more widespread, and hundreds of new schools appeared. In France, the number of Jesuit Colleges alone increased from twenty to seventy in the first half of the seventeenth century. The influence of the Jesuit educa- tional system was such, that Jesuit colleges be- came the popular schools of their time. For two centuries, they educated men whose in- fluence extended to all phases of life — Buffon, Moliere, Descartes, Bossuet, Montesquieu, Francis de Sales, all were graduates of Jesuit institutions. Exploration was at its height. The English, French and Dutch settled in America and by 1634 colonies had been established in seven of what are now the United States. The missionary spirit was aroused; and the Society of Jesus sent hundreds to do the work of Christ in all parts of the world. Peter Cla- ver, Spinola, Andrada and many more Jesuits were martyred in their zeal to further the domain of Christianity. To the ranks of these elect were called six Jesuit priests, Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brebeuf, Noel Chabanel, An- toine Daniel, Charles Gamier, Gabriel Lale- mant, and their two lay companions, Rene Goupil and Jean de Lalande, All were French- men, and all died for Christ among the In- dians of North America. Isaac Jogues was the first of the priests to be martyred. He was born in Orleans, Jan- uary 10, 1607. It seems almost prophetic that, destined as he was for sacrifice, he should be named Isaac. He was educated at the Jesuit college in Orleans, finished at seventeen, and became a Jesuit novice at Rouen. He studied philosophy for three years at the royal college of La Fleche and after receiving the usual training of a Jesuit, he was ordained, early in 1636. While at La Fleche, Jogues first read of the American missions in an account by Father Masse, a returned missionary. The deeds of his missionary brothers particularly impressed him. In fact, the death of Blessed Charles Spinola in Japan so affected him, that he carried with him a picture of Spinola ' s martyr- dom. From that time on, he prayed constantly to merit a martyr ' s death. At Rouen, where Jogues taught during his regency, he met Fathers Brebeuf, Lalemant and Masse. From them he heard of hardships, tortures, privations, treachery. Far from being discouraged, he became determined to work as a missionary in North America. He even requested permission to stop the study of theology (on the pretext of lack of ability); and be sent to the missions as a lay brother. He had not been ordained two months, when his prayers were answered; and on May 2, 1636, he set sail from Dieppe, in the company of Charles Gamier. The oldest of the group, and the only one to reach the age of fifty was Jean de Brebeuf. He was born in Normandy at Conde-sur-Vire, the son of noble parents. Little is known of him before he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Rouen, when he was twenty-four. He had studied the humanities, moral theology and philosophy, each for two years before he be- came a novice. He studied theology sufficiently to qualify for ordination in six years ; and cele- brated his first Mass on April 4, 1623. In 1625, !

Page 17 text:

Group of pilgrims attending Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the ravine at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, N.Y. In some undiscovered spot of this hallowed ground, lie the sacred remains of Rene Goupil, buried there by Isaac Jogues, in 1643. Jogues himself and John de Lalande were also martyred on this site, and their bodies hurled into the Mohawk River. The other five martyrs were put to death, near Midland, Ontario. Wnz tora of the Martgrs Uunncth i:iius O our generation, perhaps more than to any other, the primary aspect of life is one of conflict. We have matured to enter a world of war, and have known useless, horrible destruction, such as has never before occurred. We have seen the safety of our vast, arduously constructed civilization imperiled by the same forces which brought it into being. These are the forces of strife, of conflict ; and it is truly they that mold the life of humanity. History and personal experience compel us to see in man ' s existence a ceaseless struggle to learn, to love, to perfect, to be happy; a struggle against the very elements, against illness, both spiritual and physical, against hate, against ambition, treachery and deception. Good or evil, right or wrong, all are acquired or avoided only by some type of com- bat. The warrior ' s reward from the world is honor. To those who give their lives for others, as have one hundred and seventy-one sons of Georgetown, we offer special love and grati- tude. Here we shall speak of another, an even greater sacrifice. We shall speak of eight men who died, not that men might live on earth, but that they might gain the eternal, perfect life with God. What sort of world was it, the world of three hundred years ago, that produced these giants of faith? The Thirty Years ' War shook Europe and produced such leaders as Tilly, Wallenstein, Gustavus Adolphus and Turenne. It was the age of literary genius. Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Lord Bacon, Moliere, Corneille and Racine produced works that have en- riched our culture immeasurably. Science was coming into its birthright ; Galileo, Torrecelli, Napier, Kircher, Huygens, Kepler, and count-

Page 19 text:

he arrived in Quebec to begin his missionary activity. Bom February 2, 1613, in southern France, Noel Chabanel was the youngest of all the missionaries. When seventeen, he became a Jesuit; and followed the usual course toward ordination. He reached Canada in August, 1643. Antoine Daniel was born at Dieppe on May 27, 1601. He was studying law, when he de- cided to become a Jesuit, entering the novi- tiate at Rouen in 1621. After his ordination in 1631, he taught the humanities at the college of Eu, then embarked for New France in 1632. Charles Gamier was bo m of a wealthy Parisian family on May 25, 1605. He was ed- ucated at Clermont, one of the outstanding colleges of France. He became a Jesuit at nineteen; and after the prescribed training courses, he taught at Eu from 1629 to 1632. Upon his ordination in 1635, he was assigned to the Canada mission, and sailed with Jogues. Gabriel Lalemant was the last of the mar- tyrs to enter the American mission field. Like Gamier, he was a Parisian, bom October 10, 1610. He had two uncles, who were Canadian missionaries; and when he pronounced his vows as a Jesuit in 1632, he added a fourth to work among the Indians. Fourteen years later, after study and teaching, he began the fullfillment of that vow, when he was sent to Canada. Almost nothing is known of the lives of the two laymen, Rene Goupil and Jean de Lalande. Goupil was born at A njers in 1607. He wanted to become a Jesuit, and actually entered the novitiate; but his health could not bear the rigorous life, and he was forced to resign. He studied surgery; and at length made his way to Canada where he became a donne (one who devotes his life to a cause); and offered his aid to the missionaries. De Lalande was born at Dieppe. He, too, came at length to Canada as a donne. Both men died as Jogues companions. Such were the lives of those eight men, before they entered the missions. The years that they spent among the Indians are a record of heroism and sacrifice. Brebeuf arrived in Canada in 1625. His first four years were spent in learning the Indian language, and making vain attempts to work among the Hurons; but there were not yet enough missionaries in the field and he met with little success. In 1629, the English seized control of Canada ; and all French mis- sionaries were forced to leave. Brebeuf re- turned to Rouen. The English held Canada for only three years and then returned the colony to the French. Soon missionaries began to return to the scene of their endeavor; and to begin anew on the scanty foundations previously laid. In 1632, Father Antoine Daniel arrived in Canada ; and the following summer Brebeuf returned to begin a work which ended only