St. John de Brebeuf

St. John de Brebeuf was born in Normandy, France, in 1593. A Jesuit, he traveled to Canada at age 32 to be a missionary on the frontier. The climate was tough, but he did very well; his endurance led to the nickname “Echon,” meaning load bearer. It was difficult for him to learn the Huron language, but he did and eventually wrote a catechism in Huron and a French-Huron dictionary. St. John de Brebeuf named the present-day version of the game lacrosse because the stick resembled a bishop’s crosier. He was tortured and martyred by the Iroquois in 1649. St. John de Brebeuf is patron saint of Canada.