Concerning St. Isaac Jogues and the Missionaries to the North American savages

Spirituality

Concerning St. Isaac Jogues and the Missionaries to the North American savages, c.  1642: “The deadliest obstacles, the missionaries found, to their efforts to Christianize the Hurons were the multitudinous forms of superstition, sorcery and devil worship… Controlling, and an essential part of this system of preternatural influences were the sorcerers… All of the sorcerers claimed a preternatural origin and boasted of being in communication with the spirits.  The missionaries discovered that many of their practices were trickery and charlatanism, but attributed others to the direct intervention of the devil.  The cabins and huts where they held their séances were oftentimes violently shaken; they themselves would stuff live coals into their mouths without being burned or would thrust their arms into boiling water without being scalded.  The rites and ceremonies they conducted were so indecent and revolting that they surpassed unaided human invention.” (Saint Among Savages, pp. 116-117)