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Saint Among Savages: The Life of Saint Isaac Jogues
"I go, but I shall never come back again." These were Isaac Jogues' words on the eve of embarking for a second missionary attempt in America. Shortly afterward, a skull-splitting Mohawk tomahawk made him a martyr. Fresh from the elegant life of Renaissance France, Jesuit priest Isaac Jogues landed in the savage wilderness of America in 1636. He came fervent in his priestly zeal to devote his life to Christianizing and civilizing the Indian nations that stalked the trackless forests -- savages he was prepared to love, sight unseen, for the love of God. He lived among the Hurons enduring hunger, thirst, disease, and humiliation at their hands. A vast canvas unrolls in this suspenseful and swift-moving story of heroic sacrifice in the earliest days of New York and Canada. Against a background of bloody wars between great Indian nations and between the savages and the first European settlers in America passes the magnificent figure of the Jesuit, Isaac Jogues, intrepid pioneer, adventurer, victim of horrific cruelties, and saint. This is a story of violent action and great sacrifice that testifies to the faith and heroism of Isaac Jogues and his fellow martyrs.
380 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1935
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114 people want to read
About the author
Francis Talbot
10 books1 followerFrancis Xavier Talbot SJ (January 25, 1889 – December 3, 1953) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was active in Catholic literary and publishing circles, and became the President of Loyola College in Maryland. Born in Philadelphia, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1906, and was educated at St. Andrew-on-Hudson and Woodstock College. He taught for several years in New York City and at Boston College, before entering publishing as the literary editor of America magazine in 1923, of which he became the editor-in-chief in 1936. While in this role, he was also active in founding and editing several academic journals, including Thought, and establishing various Catholic literary societies and book clubs. During World War II, he was chaplain to a Catholic organization that previewed movies for the National Legion of Decency. He also supported Franco's rule in Spain because of its support of Catholicism and opposition to communism; he also supported the US war effort. He was described as one of the early leaders of the revival of Catholic literature in the United States.
In 1947, Talbot was named the President of Loyola College in Maryland. He held the office for three years and then was briefly an archivist at Georgetown University before becoming a priest and historian of St. Aloysius Church. He was then assigned to Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, where he died.
In 1947, Talbot was named the President of Loyola College in Maryland. He held the office for three years and then was briefly an archivist at Georgetown University before becoming a priest and historian of St. Aloysius Church. He was then assigned to Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, where he died.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 25, 2025
Great account of the life of a brave and zealous martyr.
July 3, 2023
The saga of Isaac Jogues and the world he tried to save for Christ is one of the most inspiring tales ever. Not only Isaac, but his companions in faith: Rene Goupil, Guillaume Couture, Jean de la Lande, and others had a faith so powerful that they were willing to give all. The converts among the Hurons, Joseph Chihwatenhwa, his daughter Theresa, and his brother Joseph Teondecheron gave testimony of the faith that embarrasses me because it is so strong and unshakeable. Joseph Chihwatenhwa, one of the first converts and the first martyr said this to the Petuns shortly before his martyrdom:
"It is truly you chiefs who are ignorant as to what are matters of importance. It is you chiefs who have bemuddled the country and deprived us of the maxims and good rules of our ancestors. It is these Blackrobes here, whom you despise, who know things that are important for us, and who come to teach us these things. I wish you to understand very clearly that I am the one who, in derision, am called "The Believer." They think they are speaking evilly of me; but that name is my greatest glory"
The contrast of superstition and belief, mercy and savage retribution, understanding and total ignorance paint a world both fresh, appealing as well as treacherous and uninviting. To get into the mindset of a Jesuit priest or a Huron warrior and live in these times is a fascinating journey of the mind and soul. What a gift that the Jesuits saw fit to record so much of what they observed and lived.
"It is truly you chiefs who are ignorant as to what are matters of importance. It is you chiefs who have bemuddled the country and deprived us of the maxims and good rules of our ancestors. It is these Blackrobes here, whom you despise, who know things that are important for us, and who come to teach us these things. I wish you to understand very clearly that I am the one who, in derision, am called "The Believer." They think they are speaking evilly of me; but that name is my greatest glory"
The contrast of superstition and belief, mercy and savage retribution, understanding and total ignorance paint a world both fresh, appealing as well as treacherous and uninviting. To get into the mindset of a Jesuit priest or a Huron warrior and live in these times is a fascinating journey of the mind and soul. What a gift that the Jesuits saw fit to record so much of what they observed and lived.
March 14, 2023
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church, and every Canadian Catholic should cherish this beautifully written narrative of St. Isaac Jogues, an immensely heroic and selfless martyr for Christ who laid the seeds of the Church in North America. The anecdotes of Isaac’s steadfast courage in the face of continuous humiliation and suffering, reflecting his conviction to sacrifice everything for the Gospel, are too numerous to recount, but suffice to say this is a very powerful and soul stirring read for any believer. This book is also a great resource for understanding the Jesuit missions in Quebec, Ontario and upper state New York, as well as the dynamics of life amongst Indigenous peoples in early colonial Canada.
March 10, 2010
October 19 is the Feast Day of the North American Martyrs, who were eight Jesuit missionary priests and brothers who were martyred by the Iroquis between 1642 and 1650 in what is now Canada and upstate New York. They were all canonized in 1925, and Saint Isaac Jogues (died 1646) is of the number. This book (half biography, and half haigiography; the author was himself a Jesuit priest, and wrote the book in 1935 for the edification of the faithful) is quite fascinating, and I very much enjoyed reading it.
Born in 1607 in France, Jogues became a Jesuit priest and begged to be sent to the North American missions. The 17th century Jesuit theory (indeed, the Missonary theory) was that those who have not been baptised into life with Christ had no hope of heaven and would be cast into hell; so Joques was desparately eager to save the souls of the savages. In 1636 he arrived in Quebec and went on up the St. Lawrence River to the Jesuit mission. The Hurons among whom the Jesuits lived were not receptive to Christian instruction. They noticed that the Blackrobes always went first to those who were dying, and decided that the Blackrobes brought and welcomed death. The Jesuits persevered against a wall of either indifference or active rancor to save souls and to instruct the willing.
In 1642, while on his way by canoe from Three Rivers to the country of the Hurons, Jogues was captured by a war party of Mohawk Iroquois, in the company of Guillaume Couture, René Goupil, and several Huron Christians. They were taken back to the Mohawk village where they were gruesomely tortured. It was during this torture that several of Jogues’ fingers were cut off by this captors. Jogues survived this torment and went on to live as a slave among the Mohawks for more than a year, even attempting to teach his captors the rudiments of Christianity; he also saw the death of René Goupil at the hands of the Mohawk . He was finally able to escape thanks to the pity of some Dutch merchants who smuggled him back to Manhattan. From there, he managed to sail back to France in late 1643, where he was greeted with surprise and joy. As a “living martyr,” Jogues was given a special permission by Pope Urban VIII to say Holy Mass with his mutilated hands, as the Eucharist could not be touched with any fingers but the thumb and forefinger.
No one would have objected if Joques had lived out his life in France; but he caught the first ship in the spring of 1644 and returned to Quebec. In 1645, a tentative peace was forged between the Iroquois and the Hurons, Algonquins, and French. In the spring of 1646, Jogues was to the Mohawk country as an official French ambassador of peace; as the peace appeared solid, in the fall he returned with Jean de Lalande to act as a missionary among them. However, some among the Mohawks regarded Jogues as a sorcerer, and when the double-calamity of sickness and crop failure hit the Mohawks, Jogues was a convenient scapegoat. On October 18, 1646, Jogues and LaLande were clubbed to death and beheaded by their Mohawk hosts near what is now Auriesville, New York.
Reading this book confirms that Isaac Jogues was a Saint. Before his last and fatal missonary trip to the Iroquis he wrote a friend asking him to pray to God that “after such great slothfulness in His service, I may at length begin to serve Him more diligently”. Only a madman, or a Saint, would write such with his hands maimed by torture. And may God send our world more Saints!
Born in 1607 in France, Jogues became a Jesuit priest and begged to be sent to the North American missions. The 17th century Jesuit theory (indeed, the Missonary theory) was that those who have not been baptised into life with Christ had no hope of heaven and would be cast into hell; so Joques was desparately eager to save the souls of the savages. In 1636 he arrived in Quebec and went on up the St. Lawrence River to the Jesuit mission. The Hurons among whom the Jesuits lived were not receptive to Christian instruction. They noticed that the Blackrobes always went first to those who were dying, and decided that the Blackrobes brought and welcomed death. The Jesuits persevered against a wall of either indifference or active rancor to save souls and to instruct the willing.
In 1642, while on his way by canoe from Three Rivers to the country of the Hurons, Jogues was captured by a war party of Mohawk Iroquois, in the company of Guillaume Couture, René Goupil, and several Huron Christians. They were taken back to the Mohawk village where they were gruesomely tortured. It was during this torture that several of Jogues’ fingers were cut off by this captors. Jogues survived this torment and went on to live as a slave among the Mohawks for more than a year, even attempting to teach his captors the rudiments of Christianity; he also saw the death of René Goupil at the hands of the Mohawk . He was finally able to escape thanks to the pity of some Dutch merchants who smuggled him back to Manhattan. From there, he managed to sail back to France in late 1643, where he was greeted with surprise and joy. As a “living martyr,” Jogues was given a special permission by Pope Urban VIII to say Holy Mass with his mutilated hands, as the Eucharist could not be touched with any fingers but the thumb and forefinger.
No one would have objected if Joques had lived out his life in France; but he caught the first ship in the spring of 1644 and returned to Quebec. In 1645, a tentative peace was forged between the Iroquois and the Hurons, Algonquins, and French. In the spring of 1646, Jogues was to the Mohawk country as an official French ambassador of peace; as the peace appeared solid, in the fall he returned with Jean de Lalande to act as a missionary among them. However, some among the Mohawks regarded Jogues as a sorcerer, and when the double-calamity of sickness and crop failure hit the Mohawks, Jogues was a convenient scapegoat. On October 18, 1646, Jogues and LaLande were clubbed to death and beheaded by their Mohawk hosts near what is now Auriesville, New York.
Reading this book confirms that Isaac Jogues was a Saint. Before his last and fatal missonary trip to the Iroquis he wrote a friend asking him to pray to God that “after such great slothfulness in His service, I may at length begin to serve Him more diligently”. Only a madman, or a Saint, would write such with his hands maimed by torture. And may God send our world more Saints!
December 27, 2010
stil reading: a detailed and beautifully descriptive narrative of the work of the North American Martyrs, Jogues foremost, but de Brebeuf and others as well. Very good.
Finished: the more I read the more eagerly I read. I loved this book primarily for its portrayal of Isaac Jogues and his companion North American Martyrs; for the amazing accomplishment of making me love, almost as he did, the Mohawks who tortured and mutilated him, then after he had escaped and voluntarily returned, murdered him (I say 'almost' because I do not believe I could have loved them enough to return to them ~ and it seems clear that I am the one who loves too little); for the fascinating descriptions of the lands and waters and travels in these areas; for the history of these early places, including the interesting relations between the Dutch Protestants and this Jesuit they came to love and admire and tried to save, and between the Dutch and the French, united at least in trying to save Fr. Jogues.
One note: a friend asked how I could read a book that referred to aboriginal people as savages. For at least two reasons: first, they were savage. Second, the beautiful portrayal of honor and loyalty and courage among these people triumphs over their savage behaviors; it sits side by side, as it actually did, with tearing out fingernails, chewing off fingers, running the gauntlet, and crippling superstitions.
An outstanding book.
Finished: the more I read the more eagerly I read. I loved this book primarily for its portrayal of Isaac Jogues and his companion North American Martyrs; for the amazing accomplishment of making me love, almost as he did, the Mohawks who tortured and mutilated him, then after he had escaped and voluntarily returned, murdered him (I say 'almost' because I do not believe I could have loved them enough to return to them ~ and it seems clear that I am the one who loves too little); for the fascinating descriptions of the lands and waters and travels in these areas; for the history of these early places, including the interesting relations between the Dutch Protestants and this Jesuit they came to love and admire and tried to save, and between the Dutch and the French, united at least in trying to save Fr. Jogues.
One note: a friend asked how I could read a book that referred to aboriginal people as savages. For at least two reasons: first, they were savage. Second, the beautiful portrayal of honor and loyalty and courage among these people triumphs over their savage behaviors; it sits side by side, as it actually did, with tearing out fingernails, chewing off fingers, running the gauntlet, and crippling superstitions.
An outstanding book.
December 8, 2013
This is a great book on St. Isaac Jogues and the other North American Martyrs. Also, a wonderful book on our country in those times. Great history and info on the Indian tribes and the land, settlements, etc. Any reader will gain a greater appreciation for the spiritual beginnings of our country. St Isaac's life is amazing to say the least....
April 29, 2013
This book is based upon the diaries of the priests who served among the Indians in the 1600's. It offers an extraordinary insight into how the tribal Indians lived before the Europeans arrived.
February 23, 2015
Great account of his life. Amazing how they remained so calm when their fingers were being bitten off
July 22, 2015
A marvelous account of this heroic, wise and compassionate priest and martyr.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews