Jean de Brébeuf

St. Jean de Brébeuf was a Jesuit missionary, martyred in Canada in 1649.

Brébeuf was born in Condé-sur-Vire , Normandy, France on March 25, 1593. He became a Jesuit in 1617. In 1625 he sailed to Canada as a missionary, arriving on June 19, and lived with the Huron natives near Lake Huron, learning their customs and language, of which he became and expert; although the missionaries were recalled in 1629, Brébeuf returned to Canada in 1633. He unsuccessfully attempted to convert the Neutral nations on Lake Erie in 1640. In 1648 the Iroquois attacked Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, where Brébeuf was living, and he was captured and tortured to death on March 16, 1649.

Brébeuf 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.