Today is the feast day of the North American Martyrs, which includes Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649) and Isaac Jogues (1607-1646). They were French Jesuit priests who ministered to the Huron people of North America in the 17th century. I visited their shrine last year outside of Albany, New York when I was in that area for a wedding. I remember reading the novel Black Robe by the Irish/Canadian/American novelist Brian Moore based on the life of Jean de Brebeuf and those other Jesuit missionaries to the Hurons at the time in which I was serving as a missionary in Canada. I was deeply touched by their story. They are definitely heroes of mine. In his preface to that novel, Moore states that the faith and commitment of Jean de Brebeuf and his companions speak to us through time and history. He based his novel on the journals that these priests kept. Moore's good friend, the English Catholic novelist, Graham Greene (1904-1991), is the one who suggested that Moore write a novel about Jean de Brebeuf and his Jesuit missionary companions based on their journals. Their commitment to spread the Gospel message gave them the courage and strength to give up their lives as martyrs for the faith. As we celebrate World Mission Sunday this weekend, their message is a very relevant message indeed. Father Lincoln.
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