The Life of St. Isaac Jogues

What follows is the first chapter from an account of the life of St. Isaac Jogues, published in 1657, just eleven years after the saint’s martyrdom.  This account has been translated from the Latin for the first time by Society member Nicholas Salazar.

Mr. Salazar’s introduction:

“Recently I was looking at a book on the North American Martyrs and one of the entries in the bibliography for St. Isaac Jogues had the very intriguing title Mortes illustres et gesta eorum de Societate Iesu…, published at Rome in 1657.

Thanks to the miracle of Google Books, I was able to track down this volume, the full title of which is rather remarkable:

Mortes illustres et gesta eorum de Societate Iesu qui in odium fidei, pietatis, aut cuiuscunque virtutis, occasione missionum, sacramentorum administratorum, fidei, aut virtutis propugnatae ab ethnicis, haereticis, vel aliis veneno, igne, ferro, aut morte alia necati aerumnisve confecti sunt

Which means:

The Illustrious Deaths and Deeds of Those of the Society of Jesus Who on the Occasion of Missions, the Administration of the Sacraments, the Faith, or the Defense of Virtue Either Were Killed by Poison, Fire, the Sword, or Another Death by Natives, Heretics, or Others or Were Exhausted by Toils for Hatred Toward the Faith, Piety, or Whatsoever Virtue
From this lengthy tome (a quarto or small folio of 700+ pages) I was able to extract the life of St. Isaac Jogues.

Following is the translation of the first chapter of the life of St. Isaac.

Father Isaac Jogues

Born in Orleans in France.  Killed in Canada.  Among the Mohawks.  18 October 1646.

Father Isaac Jogues was born in France, in the noble city of Orleans, to distinguished as well as pious parents.  When he was scarcely an adolescent, he was so inflamed by a desire to devote himself and his life to procuring the salvation of infidels that, because of this one hope of traveling to the farthest peoples, he enrolled in the Society of Jesus.  It was the twenty-fourth year of this century; he was eighteen years old.  He spent the two years of his novitiate in Rouen; during this time he not only energetically applied himself to the pursuit of all the virtues but also especially to arousing in himself day by day a greater zeal for helping souls, so that Father Louis Lallemant, whom he then had as spiritual director, did not hesitate to tell him frequently and emphatically that he would meet his death in no place but Canada.  In those days at any rate Isaac’s wishes tended elsewhere, since the crop of Christianity was scarcely yet sprouting during that time in Canada; those wishes seemed to be growing white-hot for the harvest in Ethiopia.  In that field he was itching to exercise his industry as quickly as possible.  While he happened to be devoting attention to philosophy in the College of La Flèche [editor’s note: Rene Descartes’s alma mater], he was also impatient with the delay, and because of it he set about moving his superiors to action by letter and God and the saints by the most ardent and constant prayers and very harsh afflictions of the body.  But when all hope of the Ethiopian expedition was snatched from him, he turned his zeal and his thinking to Canada and, in it, to the Huron Mission: he thought continually about leading the Hurons to the faith; he spoke with his companions about the character of that people; this was, in fact, his favorite topic; it was his only pleasure.

While he was turning these plans over in his heart, messages very appropriately came concerning the Japanese’ cruel persecution of the Christians and in particular the noble death of Father Charles Spinola, which he had pursued there.  This affair further inflamed a heart already enkindled with a desire for martyrdom; he began to hold that fortunate hero in such veneration that he everywhere carried around in his bosom an image of the martyr, bound to the stake in the middle of the pyre, looking up to heaven; throughout the day he continually entrusted his prayers and sighs to this image.  Through these and other such lofty proofs of great virtue, and since he displayed both a talent and a will ever equal to handling the highest and most difficult affairs, when the third year of his theological course was ending (which was the thirty-sixth of the current century) and his superiors at last gave their approval, he set out from Paris.  He crossed over into Canada with an astonishing eagerness of spirit to employ his diligence there in training the undeveloped natures of the barbarians for civil and Christian culture; and in proportion to the abundance of the region he satisfied that profound desire, with which he had long been occupied, of doing and suffering many things for Christ.

Now, this is that part of America which is called Canada and is situated to the north.  It is populated by undeveloped, rustic mortals.  Since it was first visited by the French, it is also called New France.  It is a diverse nation: all the inhabitants are barbaric in culture, and are quite poor as far as the necessities of life go.  They survive by hunting, mostly, and fishing, and raising unproductive crops from the soil.  The settlements are separated by the intervals of rivers and mountains.  At tribal borders each nation defends itself with arms against the attacks of another.  They fight light battles, with only a few combatants, but with such dire and immense hatred, that against those captured in war they give vent to their anger more savagely than any beast; and when they have had their fill of brutality, with horrendous gluttony in turn they devour the flesh of their enemies.  This “rich fare” is practically the only fruit of making war.  Upon entering the region the Hurons are the first tribe that one encounters.  They have already been softened by social intercourse with the French.  They are capable of a pacified speech, temperament, and culture.  They are now, whether because of fear, or because of duty, friendly to those born in our country; they live near our fixed settlements and are submissive to authority.

At the beginning of July, having crossed the ocean under favorable conditions, Father Isaac made it to the region.  After a few days, although he had not yet recovered from seasickness, he directed his course to the Hurons, about to set out upon a journey far more dangerous than he had hitherto made (he made the trip in their bark “canoes” or boats).  A ten- year-old boy was entrusted to him to be taken inland.  When, not long afterwards, a bad reaction to the unaccustomed food had made this boy sick, Father Isaac had not a little opportunity to exercise the virtue of charity and to put to the test his tolerance for evils for Christ, especially as he had already been weakened by his labors and fatigued by fasting.  No doubt the boy was unable to undertake the journey on foot because of both his age and lack of strength. Moreover, the barbarians refused to allow him to climb onto their shoulders.  Father Isaac took the burden onto himself, but really it was extraordinarily dangerous for himself and for the boy: there were rushing waterfalls, jagged hills, and huge rocks to traverse, and if you wavered in your step, your life was in danger.  And so, with what skill he had in communicating by nod and gesture, he pointed out to the barbarians the jeopardy to each of them and to the boy.  They gestured back with an offer he accepted: he himself would carry their packs on his shoulders, and they would keep the boy safe.

It was a journey of twenty days.  The equipment which he had to carry was mostly of iron; his strength was not at all equal to the burden; and it had already been weakened before.  But charity urged him on, as did the boy’s need.  Therefore with an eagerness of spirit incapable of being satisfied fully, remembering the cross of Christ, he managed his insane labor, and he rendered the barbarians hard service for so many days.  In the meanwhile he endured hunger with a moderate quantity of Indian flour scarcely once a day, he slaked his thirst with cold water, and he slept on hard ground or sharp rocks.  These first lessons in apostolic warfare were followed by an illness of about forty days, which almost brought him to his end; during this time, when none of those conveniences which are abundant in Europe was available, he displayed patience, and obedience, and a will congruent to the Divine judgment.  Content with little broths of rustic herbs, seasoned by the charity of his companions, and with straw for a bed, he did not seek the aid of physicians, or the delight of food; he did not desire linens or blankets, nor a mattress or any other soft bedding, with which he might pamper his sick body.