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Jean de Brébeuf

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Saint

Jean de Brébeuf

S.J.
Martyr
Apostle of the Hurons
Born(1593-03-25)25 March 1593
Condé-sur-Vire,Normandy,France
Died16 March 1649(1649-03-16)(aged 55)
Huronvillage of St. Ignace, nearSainte-Marie among the Hurons,nearMidland, Ontario,Canada
Venerated inCatholic Church,Anglican Communion
Beatified12 June 1925
Canonized29 June 1930, Canada, byPope Pius XI
MajorshrineMartyrs' Shrine,Midland, Ontario
Feast16 March, 26 September (Canada, also United States in General Roman Calendar 1962), 19 October (United States and elsewhere)
AttributesPyx
PatronageCanada

Jean de BrébeufSJ(French:[ʒɑ̃dəbʁe.bœf]) (25 March 1593 – 16 March 1649) was a FrenchJesuitmissionarywho travelled toNew France(Canada) in 1625. There he worked primarily with theHuronfor the rest of his life, except for a few years inFrancefrom 1629 to 1633. He learned their language and culture, writing extensively about each to aid other missionaries.[1]

In 1649, Brébeuf and another missionary were captured when anIroquoisraid took over a Huron village (referred to in French as St. Louis). Together with Huron captives, themissionarieswere ritually tortured and killed on 16 March 1649. Afterwards, his heart was eaten by Iroquois tribesmen.[2]Brébeuf wasbeatifiedin 1925 and with eight Jesuit missionaries wascanonizedin theCatholic Churchin 1930.[3]

Biography

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Early years

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Brébeuf was born 25 March 1593 inCondé-sur-Vire,Normandy,France[4](He was the uncle of poetGeorges de Brébeuf.). He joined theSociety of Jesusin 1617 at the age of 24,[5]spending the next two years under the direction of Lancelot Marin. Between 1619 and 1621, he was a teacher at the college ofRouen.Brébeuf was nearly expelled from the Society when he contractedtuberculosisin 1620—a severe and usually fatal illness that prevented his studying and teaching for the traditional periods.[6]

His record as a student was not particularly distinguished, but Brébeuf was already beginning to show an aptitude for languages. Later in New France, he would teachNative American languagesto missionaries and French traders.[7]Brébeuf was ordained as apriestatPontoise Cathedralin February 1622.[6]

Missionary

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North American Martyrs

After three years as Steward at the College of Rouen, Brébeuf was chosen by the Provincial of France, FatherPierre Coton,to embark on the missions toNew France.

In June 1625, Brébeuf arrived inQuébecwith FathersCharles LalemantandÉnemond Massé,together with the lay brothers Francois Charton and Gilbert Burel. He worked at theSainte-Marie among the Hurons.For about five months Brébeuf lived with a tribe ofMontagnais,who spoke anAlgonquian language.He was later assigned in 1626 to theHuronwith Father Anne Nouée. From then on Brébeuf worked mostly as a missionary to the Huron, who spoke anIroquoianlanguage. Brébeuf briefly took up residence with the Bear Tribe atToanché,but met with no success in trying to convert them to Catholicism. He was summoned to Québec because of the danger to which the entire colony was then exposed by theEnglish.He reached Québec on 17 July 1628 after an absence of two years. On 19 July 1629,Samuel de Champlainsurrendered, and the missionaries returned to France.[4]

In Rouen, Brébeuf served as a preacher andconfessor,taking his finalJesuitvows in 1630.[6]Between 1631 and 1633, Brébeuf worked at the College ofEu, Seine-Maritimein northern France as a steward, minister and confessor. He returned to New France in 1633, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.

Along withAntoine Danieland Ambroise Davost, Brébeuf choseIhonatiria(Saint-Joseph I) as the centre for missionary activity with the Huron.[4]At the time, the Huron suffered epidemics of new Eurasian diseases contracted from the Europeans. Their death rates were high, as they had noimmunityto the diseases longendemicin Europe. They, with our hindsight, rightly blamed the Europeans for the deaths, with none of the parties understanding the causes.[8]

CalledÉchonby the Hurons,[6]Brébeuf was personally involved with teaching. His lengthy conversations with Huron friends left him with a good knowledge of their culture and spirituality.[9]He learned their language and taught it to other missionaries and colonists.[10]Fellow Jesuits such asPaul Ragueneaudescribe his ease and adaptability to the Huron way of life.[10]

His efforts to develop a complete ethnographic record of the Huron has been described as "the longest and most ambitious piece of ethnographic description in allThe Jesuit Relations".[11]Brébeuf tried to find parallels between the Huron religion and Christianity, so as to facilitate conversion of the Huron to the European religion.[12]Brébeuf was known by the Huron for his apparentshamanisticskills, especially in rainmaking.[13]Despite his efforts to learn their ways, he considered Huron spiritual beliefs to be undeveloped and "foolish delusions"; he was determined to convert them to Christianity.[9]Brébeuf did not enjoy universal popularity with the Huron, as many believed he was a sorcerer.[14]By 1640, nearly half the Huron had died ofsmallpoxand the losses disrupted their society. Many children and elders died. With their loved ones dying before their eyes, many Huron began to listen to the words of Jesuit missionaries who, unaffected by the disease, appeared to be men of great power.[15]

Brébeuf's progress as a missionary in achieving conversions was slow. Not until 1635 did some Huron agree to bebaptizedas Christians. He claimed to have made 14 converts as of 1635 and, by the next year, he claimed 86. He wrote a detailed account in 1636 ofThe Huron Feast of the Dead,a mass reburial of remains of loved ones after a community moved the location of its village. It was accompanied by elaborate ritual and gift-giving.

In 1638, Brébeuf turned over direction of the mission at Saint-Joseph I toJérôme Lalemant;he was called to become Superior at his newly founded Saint-Joseph II.[6]In 1640, after an unsuccessful mission intoNeutral Nationterritory, Brébeuf broke his collarbone. He was sent to Québec to recover, and worked there as a mission procurator. He taught the Huron, acting as confessor and advisor to theUrsulinesandReligious Hospitallers.On Sundays and feast days, he preached to French colonists.[6]

Brébeuf is credited with composing the "Huron Carol",Canada's oldest Christmas song, written around 1642.[16]He wrote the lyrics in thenative languageof theHuron/Wendatpeople. The song's melody is based on a traditionalFrenchfolksong, "Une Jeune Pucelle"(A Young Maid).

Linguistic work

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The educational rigor of the Jesuitseminariesprepared missionaries to acquire native languages.[10]But, as they had learned theclassicalandRomance languages,they likely had difficulty with the very different conventions of the New World indigenous languages.[17]Brébeuf's study of the languages was also shaped by his religious training. Current Catholic theology tried to reconcile knowledge of world languages with accounts in theBibleof thetower of Babel,as this was the basis of European history. This influence can be seen in his discussion of language in his accounts collected inThe Jesuit Relations.[11]

Jean de Brébeuf's remarkable facility with language was one of the reasons he was chosen for the Huron mission in 1626.[18]He is distinguished for his commitment to learning theHuron (Wyandot) language.People with a strong positive attitude towards the language often learn the language much more easily.[19]Brébeuf was widely acknowledged to have best mastered the Native oratory style, which usedmetaphor,circumlocutionandrepetition.Learning the language was still onerous, and he wrote to warn other missionaries of the difficulties.[20]

To explain the low number of converts, Brébeuf noted that missionaries first had to master the Huron language.[21]His commitment to this work demonstrates he understood that mutual intelligibility was vital for communicating complex and abstract religious ideas. He believed learning native languages was imperative for the Jesuit missions, but noted that it was so difficult a task that it consumed most of the priest's time. Brébeuf felt his primary goal in his early years in New France was to learn the language.[22]

With increasing proficiency in the Wyandot language, Brébeuf became optimistic about advancing his missionary goals. By understanding Huron religious beliefs and communicating Christian fundamentals, he could secure converts to Christianity. He realized the people would not give up all their traditional beliefs.[20]

Brébeuf worked tirelessly to record his findings for the benefit of other missionaries. He built on the work ofRecollectspriests but significantly advanced the study, particularly in his representations of sounds.[23]He discovered and reported the feature ofcompound wordsin Huron, which may have been his majorlinguisticcontribution.[24]This breakthrough had enormous consequences for further study, becoming the foundation for all subsequent Jesuit linguistic work.[25]

He translated Ledesma'scatechismfrom French into Huron, and arranged to have it printed. It was the first printed text in that language (with French orthography).[26]He also compiled a dictionary of Huron words, emphasizing translation of religious phrases such as from prayers and the Bible.

Death

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Bressani map of 1657 depicts the martyrdom of Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant
Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant stand ready for boiling water/fire "Baptism" and flaying by theIroquoisin 1649.
Gravesite of Brébeuf and Lalemant inSainte-Marie among the Hurons

Brébeuf was killed at St. Ignace inHuroniaon 16 March 1649.[27]He had been taken captive withGabriel Lalemantwhen theIroquoisdestroyed the Huron mission village at Saint-Louis. The Iroquois took the priests to the occupied village ofTaenhatenteron(also known as St. Ignace), where they subjected the missionaries and native converts to ritual torture before killing them. The Iroquois thencannibalizedhis body.[28]

Three priests had been killed inMohawkcountry atOssernenonin 1642 and 1646.Antoine Danielhad been killed in a similar Iroquois raid in 1648.[29]Charles Garnierwas killed by Iroquois in December 1649 in aPetun(Tobacco People) village,[30]andNoel Chabanelwas also martyred that year in the conflict between the Mohawk and other tribes.[31]The Jesuits considered the priests' martyrdom as proof that the mission to the Native Americans was blessed by God and would be successful.[32]

Throughout the torture, Brébeuf was reported to have been more concerned for the fate of the other Jesuits and of the captive Native converts than for himself. As part of the ritual, the Iroquois drank his blood and ate his heart, as they wanted to absorb Brébeuf's courage in enduring the pain.[33]The Iroquois mocked baptism by pouring boiling water over his head.[34]Then theycannibalizedhim.[35]

The Jesuits Christophe Regnault and Paul Ragueneau provided the two accounts of the deaths of Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant. According to Regnault, they learned of the tortures and deaths from Huron refugee witnesses who had escaped from Saint-Ignace.[36]Regnault went to see the bodies to verify the accounts, and his superior Ragueneau's account was based on his report.[37]The main accounts of Brébeuf's death come fromThe Jesuit Relations.Jesuit accounts of his torture emphasize his stoic nature and acceptance, claiming that he suffered silently without complaining.[38]

Potential martyrdom was a central component of the Jesuit missionary identity.[39]Missionaries going to Canada knew they were at risk from harsh conditions, as well as from confronting alien cultures. They expected to die in the name of God; they believed the missionary life and its risks were a chance to save converts and be saved.[40]

Relics, beatification and canonization

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Statue of Jean de Brébeuf on the site of theMartyrs' Shrine,Midland, Ontario

Fathers Brébeuf and Lalement were recovered and buried together in a Sainte Marie cemetery.[41]Brébeuf's relics later became important religious objects within Catholic New France. Historian Allan Greer notes that "his death seemed to fit the profile of a perfect martyr's end" and was preceded by what were considered religious signs pointing to correspondences with thePassion of Christ,which added to the significance of Brébeuf.[42]On 21 March 1649, Jesuit inspectors found the bodies of Brébeuf and Lalement.[43]In the late spring of 1649, Christophe Regnault prepared the skeletal remains of Brébeuf and Lalemant for transportation to Québec for safekeeping. Regnault boiled away the remaining flesh and reburied it in the mission church, scraped the bones and dried them in an oven, wrapped each relic in separate silk, deposited them in two small chests, and sent them to Québec.[44]

Brébeuf's family later donated his skull in a silverreliquaryto the Catholic church orders in Québec.[41]It was held by the women of theHôtel-Dieu de Québecand the Ursuline convent from 1650 until 1925, when the relics were moved to the Québec Seminary for a ceremony to celebrate Brébeuf'sbeatification.[45]According to Catholic belief, these relics provide physical access to the influence of the saint of whom they are a part.[46]

In 1652 Paul Raguenau went through theRelationsand pulled out material relating to the martyrs of New France. He formalized this material in a document, to be used as the foundation of canonization proceedings, entitledMemoires touchant la mort et les vertus (des Pères Jesuits),or theManuscript of 1652.[47]The religious communities in New France considered the Jesuit martyrs as imitators of previous saints in the Catholic Church.[45]In this sense, Brébeuf in particular, and others like him, reinforced the notion that "...Canada was a land of saints".[48]

Catherine de Saint-Augustinsaid that Brébeuf appeared to her in a vision at the Québec Hôtel-Dieu while she was in a state of "mystical ecstasy", and he acted as her spiritual advisor.[45]According to one account, Catherine de Saint-Augustin ground up part of Brébeuf's relic bone and gave it in a drink to a heretical and mortally ill man. It is said that the man was cured of his disease.[49]In another instance, in 1660–61, a possessed woman wasexorcisedby the aid of one of Brébeuf's ribs, again while under the care of Catherine de Saint-Augustin. The exact circumstances of this event are disputed.[50]Brébeuf's relics were also used by nuns who were treating woundedHuguenot(Protestant) soldiers, and they "reported that his assistance [bone slivers put in soldiers' drinks] helped rescue these patients fromheresy".[42]

Jean de Brébeuf was canonized byPope Pius XIon 29 June 1930, and proclaimed one of the patron saints of Canada byPope Pius XIIon 16 October 1940.[6]A contemporary newspaper account of the canonization declares: "Brébeuf, the 'Ajaxof the mission', stands out among them [others made saints with him] because of his giant frame, a man of noble birth, of vigorous passions tamed by religion, "describing both the man and his defining drive according to formal terms of hagiography.[51]

The Jesuits of Canada and the United States announced a tour of Brébeuf's relics throughout both countries in 2024.[52]

Modern era

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Statue of Jean de Brébeuf at Trois-Rivières

It is said that the modern name of theNative North Americansport oflacrossewas first coined by Brébeuf who thought that the sticks used in the game reminded him of a bishop'scrosier(crosseinFrench,and with the feminine definite article,la crosse).

He is buried in the Church of St. Joseph at the reconstructed Jesuit mission ofSainte-Marie among the HuronsacrossHighway 12from theMartyrs' ShrineCatholic Church nearMidland, Ontario.A plaque near the grave of Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant was unearthed during excavations at Ste Marie in 1954. The letters read "P. Jean de Brébeuf /brusle par les Iroquois /le 17 de mars l'an/1649" (Father Jean de Brébeuf, burned by the Iroquois, 17 March 1649).[53]

In September 1984,Pope John Paul IIprayed over Brébeuf's skull before fully joining in an outdoor ecumenical service on the grounds of the nearby Martyrs' Shrine. The service was attended by an estimated 75,000 and mixed pre-Christian first-nation ritual with Catholic liturgy.[54]

Numerous schools are named in his honour:

Statue in Parc Brébeuf, Gatineau

There is Eglise St-Jean de Brebeuf inSudbury, Ontario,and a St. John Brebeuf Catholic Parish inNiles, Illinois, USA.There is also a unit atCamp Ondessonkin theShawnee National Forestnamed after Jean de Brébeuf. The Catholic camp is named for all of theNorth American Martyrsand those who helped them.

Theparish municipalityofBrébeuf, Quebec,is named after him, as is rue de Brébeuf on thePlateau Mont-Royalin Montreal. Parc Brébeuf in theHullregion of Gatineau, Quebec is named in his honour, and features a statue.

The character of Christophe inThe Orenda,a 2013 novel by Joseph Boyden, is based on Jean de Brebeuf.[63][64]The novel won the 2014Canada Readscompetition, a reality show with elimination-style voting on CBC Radio.

Jean de Brébeuf is the subject ofBrébeuf and his Brethren,a blank-verseepic poemby the Canadian poetE. J. Pratt,FRSC,for which Pratt was awarded one of his threeGovernor General's Awardsfor Poetry in 1940.[65]

See also

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References

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Notes

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Citations

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  1. ^Dictionary of Canadian Biography Jean de Brébeuf
  2. ^[1]Encyclopedia Britannica online — Jean de Brebeuf
  3. ^St. Jean de Brébeuf: Canadian Martyr
  4. ^abcCampbell 1907.
  5. ^Talbot 1949,p. 7.
  6. ^abcdefgLatourelle 1979.
  7. ^Leahey 1995,p. 106.
  8. ^Trigger 1986,p. 229.
  9. ^abGreer 2000,p. 37.
  10. ^abcLeahey 1995,p. 119.
  11. ^abGreer 2000,p. 38.
  12. ^Greer 2000,pp. 41, 61.
  13. ^Trigger 1986,p. 202.
  14. ^Trigger 1986,p. 290.
  15. ^Brébeuf 2008,p. 121.
  16. ^McGee 1985,p. 13.
  17. ^Leahey 1995,p. 109.
  18. ^Leahey 1995,p. 112.
  19. ^Leahey 1995,p. 113.
  20. ^abBlackburn 2000,p. 88.
  21. ^Blackburn 2000,p. 111.
  22. ^Blackburn 2000,p. 117.
  23. ^Leahey 1995,p. 116.
  24. ^Leahey 1995,p. 122.
  25. ^Leahey 1995,p. 129.
  26. ^Leahey 1995,pp. 115–116.
  27. ^Pearson 2008,p. 96.
  28. ^[2]Encyclopedia Britannica online —Jean de Brebeuf
  29. ^Spillane, Edward P. (1908)."Anthony Daniel".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company. p. 621.
  30. ^Lindsay, Lionel (1909)."Charles Garnier".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company. p. 388.
  31. ^Spillane, Edward P. (1908)."Noel Chabanel".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company. p. 551.
  32. ^Pearson 2008,p. 68.
  33. ^Pearson 2008,p. 98.
  34. ^"Saint Who? Saint Jean de Brébeuf".Magnificat.21(3). Magnificat USA: 93. May 2019.
  35. ^[3]Encyclopedia Britannica online — Jean de Brebeuf
  36. ^Parkman 1888,p. 101.
  37. ^Parkman 1888,pp. 96–97.
  38. ^Talbot 1949,p. 297.
  39. ^Pearson 2008,p. 74.
  40. ^Pearson 2008,p. 72.
  41. ^abParkman 1888,p. 391.
  42. ^abGreer & April 2000,p. 333.
  43. ^Pearson 2008,p. 101.
  44. ^Pearson 2008,p. 112.
  45. ^abcPearson 2008,p. 123.
  46. ^Pearson 2008,p. 128.
  47. ^Pearson 2008,p. 116.
  48. ^Pearson 2008,p. 165.
  49. ^Pearson 2008,p. 124.
  50. ^Pearson 2008,p. 125.
  51. ^NY Times & 30 June 1930.
  52. ^"Brebeuf Tour 2024".Brebeuf Tour 2024.Retrieved8 February2024.
  53. ^Gray 2004.
  54. ^Hluchy, Patricia (24 September 1984)."A healing hand on history".Maclean's.Retrieved22 June2019.
  55. ^"St. Jean Brebeuf School – School Home".stjeanbrebeuf.cssd.ab.ca.Retrieved18 September2021.
  56. ^"St. John Brebeuf Regional Secondary School".stjohnbrebeuf.ca.Retrieved21 August2018.
  57. ^"St. John Brebeuf School".Retrieved18 September2021.
  58. ^"The Buzz Board".sjb.hwcdsb.ca.Retrieved18 September2021.
  59. ^Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, Agenda Board 29 March 2011.pdf (29 March 2011)."BHNCDSB Board Meeting Agenda – March 29, 2011"(PDF).Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board.Retrieved2 February2022.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  60. ^"St. Jean Brebeuf Elementary School".Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.Retrieved17 September2021.
  61. ^"St. John Brebeuf Catholic School".stjohnbrebeuf.wellingtoncdsb.ca.Retrieved18 September2021.
  62. ^"École Jean-de-Brébeuf".Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale(in French).Retrieved18 September2021.
  63. ^Bethune, Brian (6 September 2013)."Joseph Boyden explains why readers must wait for the end of his trilogy".Maclean's.Retrieved16 March2020.
  64. ^King, Hayden (7 March 2014)."The Orenda faces tough criticism from First Nations scholar".CBC News.Retrieved16 March2020.
  65. ^"E.J. Pratt:Biography".Canadian Poetry Online.University of Toronto Libraries.Archived fromthe originalon 10 January 2015.Retrieved25 June2019– via library.utoronto.ca.

Sources

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