ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN DECEMBER
Saints celebrated on the 7th of December
WELCOME!
SAINT CHARLES GARNIER, MISSIONARY PRIEST AND MARTYR
 |
| The Canadian Martyrs incl. Saint Charles Garnier |
Saint Charles Garnier, born on May 25, 1606, had to be persistent in asking to become a missionary because his father Jean de Garault, a wealthy Parisian gentleman, opposed his desires and obstructed his first request.
Eventually, his family consented, and he commenced his studies of classics, philosophy, and theology at the Jesuit college of Clermont, joining the order in 1624, and being ordained a priest in 1635. Father Garnier requested to be sent to the Canadian mission, and sailed in 1636 on the same fleet as Governor Montmagny. He was sent forthwith to the Huron country, where he was to spend the fourteen years of his heroic apostolate without ever returning to Quebec. In six months he mastered the difficult language, and began a career of unceasing charity which was to be crowned by martyrdom. His zeal to proclaim the Gospel knew no hindrance nor delay. Neither distance nor weather, nor inconvenience, filth, disease, nor danger of death could prevent him.
In November 1639 he and Father Isaac Jogues were despatched to the Tionontati (the Indigenous people called the Petuns by the French because they grew tobacco). The two Jesuits spent the winter months among the Petun, then went back to Ossossane for some time. Father Garnier returned during the winter of 1647 and founded two missions.
Father Garnier continued his mission work until December, when renewed trouble started between the tribes. The unexpected arrival of the Iroquois on November 7 sparked a clamour for war. They aimed to wipe out the Hurons and the Petuns.
For several years already, the Iroquois had been increasing their attacks on the Huron world; they had already killed Father Anthony Daniel in 1648, and Jean de Brebeuf, and Lalemant also had suffered martyrdom (March 1649), so Father Garnier took very seriously the report he received in November 1649 that the Iroquois were on the warpath against the Petun and threatened to burn their villages. He sent his newly-arrived assistant, Father Noel Chabanel, back to the mission headquarters because he did not want to leave him at risk.
Father Garnier himself was firm in wanting to stay with his people. On December 7 at mid-afternoon, the Iroquois attacked, killing anyone they found.
During this massacre of Saint John's village, Father Garnier went about exhorting his neophytes to be faithful. He ended up being shot twice, once in the chest and once in the abdomen. Mortally wounded Father Garnier dragged himself towards a dying native American to absolve him, and received the final blow in the very act of charity on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, a dogma he had vowed to defend.
Father Paul Ragueneau described the attack:
Father Charles Garnier was the only one of our Fathers on the Mission at the time. When the enemy appeared, he was visiting the cabins and instructing the people, but when the alarm was given, he came out and went straight to the church, where some Christians had gathered. 'We are facing death, my brethren,' he said to them, 'pray to God and take flight by any possible avenue of escape. Cherish your faith for the rest of your life, and may death find you thinking of God.' He gave them his blessing and immediately set out to help other souls.
Father Garnier was beatified in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, who canonized him on June 29, 1930, with his seven fellow martyrs.
Their collective feast has been fixed on October 19; their major pilgrimage site is the Shrine of the Canadian Martyrs, Midland, Ontario, Canada.
Sources: - https://www.jesuits.global/saint-blessed/saint-charles-garnier/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Garnier_%28missionary%29 - Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 - https://aleteia.org/2024/09/24/st-charles-garnier-north-american-missionary-and-martyr/
Comments
Post a Comment