Jogues, Isaac (1607-1646)

French-born missionary and saint. A Jesuit priest sent to North America in 1636, he worked among the Huron peoples, journeying as far west as Sault Ste Marie (now in Michigan). Following a period in France, he returned to North America in 1644; in 1646 he was captured by Mohawks near Ossernenon (now Auriesville, New York) and murdered soon afterward. Jogues and seven other martyred missionaries to North America were canonized by the church in 1930.

He was born in Orléans. In 1642 he and his companions were captured by Iroquois; he was tortured, enslaved, and held captive at Ossernenon, where he eventually escaped, reaching New Amsterdam with aid from the Dutch. A National Shrine to the North American Martyrs was later erected at Auriesville.