God, You patterned the death of [these Jesuits] after
the death of Christ, Your Son. Through their intercession, gather into perfect
unity all who believe in Him.
By martyrdom a disciple is transformed into an image of his master, who freely accepted death on behalf of the world's salvation; he perfects that image even to the shedding of blood. The Church, therefore, considers martyrdom as an exceptional gift and as the highest proof of love. (Lumen Gentium, 42)
This common feast commemorates 67 Jesuit martyrs
who died in religious conflicts after the Reformation and have been canonized.
Most were French and some were Portuguese. Some of the names are noted here: Jacques
Sales, Guillaume Saultemouche, Joseph Imbert, John-Nicholas Cordier, Ignatius
de Azevedo, James Julius Bonnaud, William Anthony Delfaud, Francis Balmain,
Charles Berauld du Perou, Claude Cayx-Dumas, John Charton de Millou, James
Friteyre-Durve, Claude Laporte, Mathurin Le Bous de Villeneuve, Claude Le Gue,
Vincent Le Rousseau de Rosancoat, Loup Thomas-Bonnotte and Francis
Vareilhe-Duteil.
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