The Church celebrates today the memory of the eight North American Martyrs, also known as the Jesuit Martyrs of North America. Included in their number were six priests and two lay brothers. They were heroic members of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) who were put to death as they tried to bring the Faith to the Huron, the Iroquois and the Mohawk Nations. Five of the eight North American martyrs were put to death in what is now Canada, and three of them in New York.
Pope Francis has said, “A martyr is not born. Martyrdom is a grace that the Lord allows and, thus it involves every baptized person. This is not an easy calling, obviously. Let us remember that to give one’s life does not only consist of being killed, but rather to give one’s life, to have the spirit of a martyrdom, and therefore to surrender it in duty, in silence, in prayer, and in the fulfillment of duty. Dying to ourselves happens in the silence of everyday life – to give one’s life little by little.”
Let us pray. “O God, who by the preaching and witness of your sainted North America Martyrs, you consecrated the first fruits of the Faith in the vast regions of this continent. Graciously grant that, by their intercession, the flourishing harvest of Christians may everywhere and always be increased. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you forever and forever. Amen.”
