Saint Isaac Jogues was born on January 10, 1607 in Orléans, France. He was sent to New France in 1642 as a missionary to the Huron and Algonquin allies of the French. While on his way by canoe to the country of the Hurons, Jogues was captured by a war party of Mohawk Iroquois along with several Huron Christians.

Taken back to the Mohawk village, they were tortured in various gruesome ways, Jogues himself having several of his fingers bitten or burned off. Jogues survived this torment and went on to live as a slave among the Mohawks for some time, even attempting to teach his captors the principles of Christianity.

He was smuggled by Dutch merchants into Manhattan. From there, he managed to sail back to France, where he was greeted with surprise and joy.

In St. Isaac Jogues time, it was forbidden for priests with any physical imperfections to celebrate Mass, however Jogues was given a special permission by Pope Urban VIII to say the Holy Mass with his mutilated hands.

Within a few months, he was on his way back to Canada to continue his work. In 1645, a tentative peace was forged between the Iroquois and the Hurons, Algonquins and French.

 In the spring of 1646, Jogues was sent back to the Mohawk country to act as ambassador among them. However, some among the Mohawks regarded Jogues as a sorcerer, and when the double-calamity of sickness and crop failure hit the Mohawks, Jogues was a convenient scapegoat. On October 18, 1648, Jogues was tomahawked and beheaded by his Mohawk hosts near Auriesville, New York.

St. Isaac Jogues was canonized on the 29th of June, 1930 by Pope Pius XI along with seven other Canadian Martyrs. Their feast day is celebrated on October 19th in the U.S., September 26th in Canada and February 4th elsewhere.

St. Isaac Jogues is an example of how we as young Catholics can work through our struggles and challenges in order to serve the Lord.