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

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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

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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, !

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with his death. The Hurons flocked to Quebec for their annual market, haggling over mer- chandise and indulging in feasts which were practically orgies. They wished to take Bre- beuf, Daniel and another priest back to their country with them; but at the last minute, an Ottawa, with a grudge against the French, frightened the Hurons into refusing to take the priests. They had to wait another year, spending their time among the Indians around Quebec. It was heart-breaking to them, long- ing as they did to bring souls into the faith, to be continually set back by malice and treachery. The Iroquois were mak- ing war on the Hurons ; few of the latter could find time to make the trip to Quebec the following year. The three priests met those who did come; and begged to be taken. When the Indians agreed, the Fathers were so eager to leave that Daniel and Davost actually left all their belongings behind, except for vestments and sacred ves- sels. The journey was long and rough, and the continual treachery of the Indians added greatly to the difficulties. They stole the priests ' belongings, forced them to cast over- board the few books that they had; and fre- quently abandoned the Black-robes to shift for themselves. This treatment served only to intensify their resolve to devote their lives to the conversion of these heathens. At last they reached Huronia ; and set about building their mission. By dint of bribery, they persuaded the Indians to build them a cabin, which became the center of their ac- tivity. They met with meager success in in- structing the adults, making few converts. The children, however, were their greatest hope. They took readily to instruction; and grew fond of the priests, who became teachers, playmates and physicians. In their instruction, they adopted a form of catechesis, much like that used by the Apostles. Prayers and for- mulas of faith were translated into Huron, usually in some sort of verse or couplet. These the priests repeated until the savages learned them; then they would repeat part and have the Indians give the responses. When they preached sermons, the priests would first recapitulate what they had said before, and then introduce new material. They soon found that it did little good to speak of virtue and grace. Rather they must emphasize the ideas of hell, of justice and of sin. This type of castigation had more reality for the Indians whose original gods were the Oki or evil spirits. It was hopeless to attempt to produce any true virtue in the vicious atmosphere of a Huron vil- lage, so Brebeuf managed to persuade a few of the Indians to permit their children to be taken to Que- bec to be educated. Daniel and the other priest, Davost, set out for Quebec with these children, and left Bre- beuf alone. While waiting for the return of his companions, Brebeuf wrote his famous instructions for those who were to come to the Huron mission. It was an eloquent appeal for volunteers, and an exposition of a lifeof utmost hardship. Before his letter reached France, new recruits were to arrive. In April, 1636, Jogues and Gamier landed in Quebec. We can see in Jogues the deep-seated mis- sionary spirit from a letter written to his mother upon his arrival in New France. I do not know what it is to enter paradise ; but this I know, that it is difficult to experience in this world a joy more excessive and over- flowing than I felt on my setting foot in New France, and celebrating my first Mass here on the day of the Visitation. I assure you, it was indeed a day of the visitation of the good- ness of Our Lord and Our Lady. I felt as if 16