OCTOBER 26, 1643 FIRST CATHOLIC PRIEST IN MANHATTAN

Memorial door at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York. Photo by Bmclaughlin9. CC BY-SA 4.0

Saint Isaac Jogues was the 1^st Catholic priest to come to Manhattan Island. He came sometime in October 1643: we are uncertain of the day of arrival.

The French missionaries were traveling in upstate New York with Christian Huron Indians when a Mohawk war party attacked. He was severely tortured but was rescued by Calvinist Protestants from being burned to death by the Mohawks. Reformed minister Johannes Megapolensis escorted him from upstate New York to safety in New Amsterdam in October 1643 until he could take a ship to France.

The French missionary was born in Orléans, France on January 10, 1607. He was later martyred by the Mohawk Indians on October 18, 1646, at Ossernenon, New York.

Jogues was canonized on June 29, 1930, by Pope Pius XI along with seven other Canadian Martyrs. His feast day is celebrated on October 19th in the General Roman Calendar, and on September 26th in Canada. Jogues and companions are patron saints of North America.

Fordham University, a Jesuit university, has a dormitory building at its Rose Hill Campus named Martyrs’ Court. The three wings of the building are named after Jogues, René Goupil, and Jean de Lalande.

Cardinal Dolan told the story and showed his icon of St. Jogues in his personal chapel in his residence behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral.