Episode Details

The history of Catholicism in the native American nations is little known, but is rife with lessons for lay spirituality, inculturation, and the New Evangelization. Today's guest, journalist Peter Jesserer Smith, shares some of the holy treasures of American history, such as Joseph Chiwatenhwa and Marie Aonetta, the Huron "power couple" of evangelization, and the martyrs (numbering over a thousand) of the La Florida missions.

Links

Homily of Pope St. John Paul II at the Martyrs' Shrine (Huronia) on Saturday, 15 September 1984 https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19840915_santuario-huronia.html

Friends of God: The Early Native Huron Church in Canada, by Bruce Henry (tells the story of Joseph Chiwatenhwa and Marie Aonetta) http://www.wyandot.org/friendsofgod.htm

Eustace Ahasistari, Catholic Huron warrior, as described by Jesuit missionaries https://books.google.com/books?id=xqRBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=Eustace+Ahasistari&source=bl&ots=7ifewQvpp4&sig=1sIn-WpAEKEBgaaEQOhwVvJDkfk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjehPf5ku_aAhWMnOAKHU7dDzYQ6AEIMDAD#v=onepage&q=Eustace%20Ahasistari&f=false

Articles by Peter Jesserer Smith

America's first paths of holiness: Lives of indigenous saints and martyrs https://angelusnews.com/content/america-s-first-paths-of-holiness-lives-of-indigenous-saints-and-martyrs

Hundreds of Martyrs Sow the Seeds of Faith in the United States http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/north-american-martyrs-sow-the-seeds-of-faith-in-the-new-world

St. Kateri Tekakwitha: Our Saint for All Seasons http://www.angelusnews.com/articles/st-kateri-tekakwitha-our-saint-for-all-seasons

A holy marriage gave the Church a community of native saints, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha http://www.angelusnews.com/articles/a-holy-marriage-gave-the-church-a-community-of-native-saints-and-st-kateri-tekakwitha

St. Kateri and the Four Holy Martyrs from Kahnawake http://www.angelusnews.com/articles/st-kateri-and-the-four-holy-martyrs-from-kahnawake

A proven path to holiness: Mentoring a saint https://angelusnews.com/content/a-proven-path-to-holiness-mentoring-a-saint

Cause Opens for Nicholas Black Elk, Holy Man of the Lakota http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/cause-opens-for-nicholas-black-elk-holy-man-of-the-lakota

Timestamps:

Peter Jesserer Smith interview

3:25 Why is native American Catholic history and culture important for the New Evangelization?

6:37 St. John Paul II's 1984 address at the Martyr's Shrine in Huronia

7:35 What were the missionaries impressed with in native American cultures? What aspects of native cultures resonated with the Gospel? In the Great Lakes