Death In the Wilderness

The French Jesuit missionaries who worked among the Native tribes of what is now Canada and the United States are some of the lesser-known martyrs in Catholicism. They were men of deep faith with a profound love for God and their neighbor, but they were also intellectuals--many of them teachers and scholars in their homeland. In the early 17th century, eight Jesuit priests abandoned their comforts in France to become missionaries in the dangerous wilderness known as the New World. When they landed in North America, these missionaries--including Rene Goupil, Isaac JJogues, John de Brebeuf, and Gabriel Lalemant--sought to "tame" the Huron people, whom many Europeans viewed as "savages." These men of God, however, would soon realize that the real danger was not only the often petulant Iroquois, rivals to the Hurons, but also the many unruly settlers in search of land, power, and domination. What follows is a gripping story of faith and despair, the evils of imperialism, and the search for salvation and redemption. In this compelling narrative, author Thomas J. Craughwell brings alive the adventures and ultimate martyrdom of these men who journeyed to a foreign land and died in service to Christ.Thomas J. Craughwell