Tuesday, March 27, 2012

North American Martyrs: I am Looking for a Book about Them

Our son Lucas is searching for a patron saint. He will be confirmed next spring. He asked me to help him find a French saint - mostly I think because he's taking French and thinks a French name would sound cool as part of his.

I did a little googling and discovered Saint Antoine Daniel, one of the North American, or Canadian martyrs, Jesuits martyred in what is now southern Ontario and upstate New York in the mid17th century.

Lucas was impressed by his bravery in the face of most assured death.

Now, dear readers, I am wondering: can you recommend a book we can read together about these brave Jesuits? Thanks!

7 comments:

  1. My favorite source to read about them is the Jesuit Relations.
    "The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents contain the reports, diaries, correspondence, communications, etc., of the Jesuits missionaries who lived among the Native peoples of America starting in the 1600s":

    http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/relations/

    If you look at the Wikipedia page on the North American Martyrs some key passages are footnoted and hyperlinked as references. :)

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  2. I expect that Sophia's reprint of Fr. O'Brien's book will make good reading for you and your son. Maybe you can find it in the library.

    Here's Amazon's link:

    http://www.amazon.com/Saints-American-Wilderness-Deaths-Martyrs/dp/1928832903/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332874790&sr=1-1

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  3. Ha, of course the name of book would be helpful: John A. O'Brien, "Saints Of The American Wilderness: The Brave Lives And Holy Deaths Of The Eight North American Martyrs."

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  4. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0819842087/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

    This book is inexpensive and easy to read for kids (it was written by kids) The binding is not great, but I was impressed with the captivating stories about the North American martyrs- especially St. Isaac Jogues. It's about many other things than North American Saints, but that was my favorite thing about the book.

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