Sainte-Marie among the Hurons

Sainte-Marie among the Hurons (French: Sainte-Marie-au-pays-des-Hurons) was a 17th century French Jesuit mission in Wendake, the land of the Huron (Wendat) nation, located near modern Midland, Ontario.

Missionary life

A small group of religiously devoted men, also known as donnés, worked at the mission in return for food, clothing, and shelter. Also there were engagés, or hired men, and non-clerical Jesuits known as lay brothers.

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The Jesuits evangelized the Christian gospel to the Huron, often adapting the story to more familiar local customs. One of the most famous examples of this was the "Huron Carol", a Christmas hymn which remains popular in Canadian churches to this day.

Related Topics:
Gospel - Huron Carol - Christmas - Hymn

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Soldiers had a rather small but important presence at the mission. Twenty-two soldiers wintered at Saint Marie in 1644, and Many of the Jesuits resisted the idea of a military presence, as they feared the soldiers would "bring the worst of Europe" with them.

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The establishment of the mission led to division amongst the Wendat, with conflict between those who converted to Christianity and those who maintained their traditional beleifs. Disease, an unintended result of first contact between the Jesuits and the Wendat, served to further the gap between the traditional Wendat and the missionaries.

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Also during this time, the rivalry between the Wendat and Iroquois began to reignite, and the Wendat were weakened by their internal divisions and their losses from the conflict.

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