Jean de Br�beuf (original) (raw)

St. Jean de Br�beuf was a Jesuit missionary, martyred in Canada in 1649.

Br�beuf was born in Cond�-sur-Vire, Normandy, France on March 25, 1593. He became a Jesuit in 1617. In 1625 he sailed to Canada as a missionary, and lived with the Huron natives near Lake Huron; although the missionaries were recalled in 1629, Br�beuf returned to Canada in 1633. He unsuccessfully attempted to convert the Neutral nations on Lake Erie in 1640. In 1648 the Iroquois attacked the Huron settlement where Br�beuf was living, and he was captured and tortured to death on March 16, 1649.

Br�beuf was canonized in 1930 with seven other missionaries, known as the Canadian Martyrs. He is a patron saint of Canada, and his feast day is October 19th.