One of the eight North American Martyrs, St. Isaac Jogues, SJ, was inspired to become a missionary after reading The Jesuit Relations. As a Jesuit novice, Isaac Jogues read these enthralling letters from the missionaries in Ethiopia and the Indies. He was especially moved by the account of the martyrdom by fire of Carlo Spinola, SJ, in Japan in 1622. Thereafter Isaac Jogues always carried Spinola’s picture with him. This also inspired Isaac’s own desire to be sent to the missions. After his ordination in 1636, Isaac Jogues was assigned to be a missionary to the native peoples of New France (Canada). Isaac entered a world of perpetual conflict and few of the amenities of Europe. In the eight years of his initial ministry, Jogues spent six with the Hurons and had considerable success with many conversions. Then in 1642 he was captured by the Mohawks and was brutally tortured. Jogues lost two of his fingers in the torture and spent 13 months as a slave. Isaac Jogues was finally ransomed by Dutch merchants in Albany. He was given passage to New Amsterdam (New York) and then to France, where he landed absolutely destitute. France instead witnessed the return of a living martyr. He was courted by royalty But Jogues’ principal concern was to receive canonical permission to celebrate the Mass in spite of his mutilated hands. This permission was given to him by Pope Urban VIII. Isaac Jogues was able to establish peaceful relations with the Mohawks; the Mohawks, however, considered him a sorcerer and blamed Jogues for the famine and disease that struck their homes in 1646. They invited Jogues to visit them and crushed his skull with a tomahawk.His head and that of his companion John de la Lande were placed on poles facing the trails on which they came. Isaac Jogues was canonized as one of the eight North American Martyrs in 1930.
St. Isaac Jogues Novena
Holy Martyrs and patrons, protect this land which you have blessed by the shedding of your blood. Renew in these days our Catholic faith which you helped to establish in this new land. Bring all our fellow citizens to a knowledge and love of the truth. Make us zealous in the profession of our faith so that we may continue and perfect the work which you have begun with so much labor and suffering. Pray for our homes, our schools, our missions, for vocations, for the conversion of sinners, the return of those who have wandered from the fold, and the perseverance of all the Faithful. And foster a deeper and increasing unity among all Christians.
Amen.
(Mention your request here…)
St. Isaac Jogues, pray for us
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
COLLECT PRAYER
O God, who chose to manifest the blessed hope of your eternal Kingdom by the toil of Saints John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues and their companions and by the shedding of their blood, graciously grant that through their intercession the faith of Christians may be strengthened day by day.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Prayer to Saint Isaac Jogues
Saint Isaac, you longed for martyrdom so much that you went back to the tortures you had previously escaped by leaving France for the missions again. Pray that we may all turn our sufferings into merits for the sake of our souls and those of others. Saint Isaac, you now live with Christ in Heaven for all eternity; pray for us who are still in this valley of tears.
Amen.
Saint Isaac Jogues, pray for us!
Prayer To St John De Brebeuf And Companions
Father,
you consecrated the first beginnings
of the faith in North America
by the preaching and martyrdom
of Saints John and Isaac and their companions.
By the help of their prayers
may the Christian faith continue to grow
throughout the world.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
COLLECT
O God, who chose to manifest
the blessed hope of your eternal kingdom
by the toil of Saints John de Brébeuf,
Isaac Jogues and their companions
and by the shedding of their blood,
graciously grant that through their intercession
the faith of Christians may be strengthened day by day.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.
Prayer/reflection
St. Isaac, pray for us as we encounter people of cultures different than our own. Help us to see in them the person of Christ. Inspire in us a desire to be in a dialogue of way, truth and life with everyone we encounter.
Prayer
Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and companions, you died far from the comforts of home and family. You accepted sufferings you did not deserve for the greater glory of God. Grant us patience when we are impetuous, endurance when tempted to quit, humility when confronted with ignorance, and physical toughness when the comforts of life are not to be found.
Prayer
Gracious God, help me always to see the good in others, even in those I don’t want to like, and always to work to build up their spirit, not to tear it down.
St. Isaac Jogues Novena
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Isaac Jogues as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to devote his life to the priestly and religious vocation.
St. Isaac Jogues, you entered religious life when you were just seventeen years old. Hoping to serve God as a missionary in newly discovered lands, you were ordained as a priest.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Your life as a missionary priest in New France was a difficult one. You faced hardships and sufferings, but you never wavered in your commitment to God or in faithfulness to your vocation.
Pray for me, that I may never waver in my Faith. Pray that I may always serve God fully, no matter what hardships I might encounter.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Isaac Jogues, pray for us!
Amen.
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