St. René Goupil – First North American Martyr - a podcast by Ave Maria Hour Radio Show

Rebroadcast of the long-running radio program, "The Ave Maria Hour," a presentation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. www.AtonementFriars.org

St. René Goupil was born on May 15, 1608 in Saint-Martin-du-Bois, Anjou, France. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in Paris but his frail health prevented St. René from joining the Order. Instead, he studied medicine and, in 1639, offered to work as a medic for the Jesuit missionaries in the French colonies in North America.

St. René arrived at Quebec in 1640 and worked in a hospital, treating French settlers and members of the various tribes of the Algonquin nation who were friendly to the French. In July 1642, St. René met Father Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit priest who was recruiting volunteers to work with him among the Hurons. Goupil eagerly offered his services. The men and their Indian guides set out for the mission and were quickly ambushed and captured by a war party of Mohawks. During their two-month captivity, the two Frenchmen endured brutal torture. Near death, St. René asked Father Jogues to accept his vows as a Jesuit lay brother. Father Jogues agreed, and St. René recited the vows that made him a member of the Society of Jesus.

St. René Goupil was martyred by the Indians on September 29, 1642 in Ossernenon, New France (modern-day Auriesville, New York). He was canonized June 29, 1930 by Pope Pius XI.

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