Saints celebrated on the 4th of July
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SAINT ANTOINE DANIEL, MISSIONARY PRIEST AND MARTYR
Antoine Daniel [Anthony Daniel] was born on May 27, 1601, in Dieppe, France, as the son of a merchant. He grew up with three brothers and joined the Jesuit order at age twenty, after completing three years of university - two in philosophy and one in law. From 1623 onwards, he taught at Jesuit colleges in France.
While teaching in Rouen, Father Daniel had the chance to catechize and baptize a Huron student. This event contributed to his desire to commence missionary work among the Huron natives of New France (today’s Canada). While teaching, he had also met Father John de Brebeuf, recently exiled from New France, and a while later Father Daniel indeed became a missionary to the New World.
Father Daniel arrived in Acadia, Canada, in 1632, and was sent to Quebec a year later. There he first taught at school. His opportunity to work hands on with the Huron natives came in 1634, by which time he was well versed in the Huron language. In early 1635, Father Daniel was asked to establish a new mission at Cahiague. Here a smallpox epidemic was in progress and he went from cabin to cabin nursing the sick. He won their confidence and converted 140 adults. When he left Cahiague eight years later, it was a flourishing Christian village.
His next mission was to Teanaustaye where he enjoyed great success. However the Iroquois threat was increasing and the village was near the route that the Iroquois took.
Father Daniel was slain near Hillsdale, Ontario, at Teanaustaye on July 4, 1648, aged 47, in the following manner:
In the summer of 1648, the Iroquois made a sudden attack on the mission and the outnumbered Hurons had ran to the church thinking that that would be the best place in which to die. Father Daniel had joined them and had stood fearlessly before the Iroquois, forbidding them to enter the church. Though the Iroquois were amazed at the priest’s courage, they shot a shower of arrows at him, killing him. They set fire to the church and when it was fully ablaze, they threw Father Daniel’s body into the flames. When his Jesuit brethren came to look for the missionary’s body, they could not find a trace. He was beatified by Pope Pius XI on June 21, 1925 and canonized on June 29, 1930.
The collective feast of this group of holy martyrs has been fixed on October 19; their major pilgrimage site is the Shrine of the Canadian Martyrs, Midland, Ontario, Canada.
Sources: - https://thekoalamom.com/2009/05/saint-anthony-daniel/ - https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1443 - https://www.jesuit.org.sg/july-anthony-daniel-sj/
PRAYER:
May the intercession of Saint Antoine commend us to you, so that through his merits we may obtain that which we cannot accomplish by our own. 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. Amen.
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