Saints John De Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

Isaac Jogues was born on January 10, 1607, in Orléans, France, into a devout bourgeois family. Educated in Jesuit schools, he entered the Society of Jesus as a young man and was ordained a priest in 1636. That same year he sailed for New France, longing to bring Christ to the peoples of North America. He labored among the Huron and Algonquian communities near Lake Huron, learning their language and sharing their hardships with patient charity. In these missions he also became the first European to name Lake George, calling it the Lake of the Blessed Sacrament. In 1642, while traveling with fellow missionaries and Christian Hurons, he was captured by the Mohawk. He endured brutal torture and a long captivity, yet continued to pray, comfort the suffering, and minister as he could, even baptizing and hearing confessions. Returning again to the Mohawk, he was killed for the faith at Ossernenon near the Mohawk River on October 18, 1646. Venerated as one of the North American Martyrs, he is patron of the Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues. His feast day is October 18.

Saint Giusto of Novalesa was a Catholic priest remembered with quiet devotion in the Church. Though little is known about the details of his life—his birthplace and early years have not been preserved—his witness endured in the communities that continue to honor him. He died in the year 906, leaving behind a legacy strong enough to shape local faith and identity across generations. Saint Giusto is especially venerated as patron of Ronco Canavese and San Giusto Canavese, where his name remains a sign of God’s faithful care for His people. The Church keeps his feast on October 19, inviting the faithful to seek holiness in humble service and steadfast prayer.

Saint Jean de Lalande was born in Dieppe, Normandy, and as a young man felt drawn to serve Christ in the missions of New France. He crossed the Atlantic at about nineteen, offering himself to the Jesuits as a donné, a lay assistant who shared the hardships of missionary life at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. In late September 1646 he accompanied Father Isaac Jogues on a delicate journey to the Mohawk as an envoy, hoping to safeguard a fragile peace. During the trip, hostility flared, and both men were seized and taken to the Mohawk village of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, New York. Though some urged their release, Father Jogues was killed on October 18. The next day, moved by reverence and love, Jean attempted to recover the priest’s body from the path; for this act of mercy he was slain, sealing his witness with blood. Counted among the North American Martyrs, he is honored as patron of Saint-Jean-de-la-Lande. His feast day is October 19.

Saint Peter of Alcántara was born in 1499 in Alcántara, in Extremadura, Spain, to a noble family; his father governed the town. Sent to study at Salamanca, he heard a stronger call and, at sixteen, entered the Franciscans of the Stricter Observance. Ordained a priest in 1524, he soon became a gifted preacher, choosing especially to bring the Gospel to the poor with tender compassion drawn from Scripture. As a reformer he suffered opposition, yet he did not grow bitter. Seeking only fidelity, he embraced solitude and severe poverty in Portugal’s Arrábida mountains, where new communities gathered around his example. Later, after a barefoot journey to Rome, he obtained permission to found poor friaries in Spain and drafted rigorous constitutions that helped renew Franciscan life across Spain and Portugal. Peter also became a wise counselor to Saint Teresa of Ávila, encouraging her first Carmelite foundation. Known for extraordinary austerity, deep prayer, and mystical gifts, he died kneeling in prayer at Arenas de San Pedro on October 18, 1562. His feast day is October 18, and he is patron of Huélaga and Suerte de Saavedra.

Saint Veranus of Cavaillon was born at Vaucluse in southern Gaul, in the place now known as Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. He lived in a turbulent age yet became a steady shepherd of God’s people as bishop of Cavaillon, serving with a pastor’s heart and a missionary’s zeal. Remembered for his generous charity and his support of monastic life, Veranus helped strengthen the Church not only in his own region but also across the Alps in Italy. In the city of Albenga, he is especially honored for guiding many to embrace the Christian faith. Saint Gregory of Tours recounts miracles associated with Veranus, including the dramatic expulsion of a dragon—an image of Christ’s victory over the powers of evil through the faith of His saints. Veranus died around the year 590, and devotion to him endured as his relics were later venerated in Orléans, Cavaillon, and Albenga. He is a patron of Abbadia Alpina and Peccioli. His feast day is October 19.