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North American Martyrs and the Importance of Baptism

The religious impact of the discovery of the New World in the late 15th century cannot be overestimated. Although Catholic Europeans were aware of areas of the world that were not Christian (they had been involved in centuries of crusades against the Muslims), the assumption of most Catholics was that the Gospel had reached the ends of the earth, even if some vast areas had still not accepted it.

However, with the discovery of the New World, the Church realized that even 1,500 years after the Incarnation there was still a large group of people who had never heard of Christ. To devout Catholics of the time, this meant one thing: missionaries would have to be sent to convert these pagans to Christ, and this conversion would of course come about through Baptism.

For various political, religious, and practical reasons, the missions to the New World took time to develop and become established. By the 17th century, however, missionaries, particularly Jesuit missionaries, were being sent to bring the Native American pagans to Christ. Eight in particular stand out: the North American Martyrs—Fathers John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Charles Garnier, Gabriel Lalemant, Anthony Daniel, and Noël Chabanel, and Brothers René Goupil and John de la lande—who all gave their lives to preach the Gospel.

Praise the Lord

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