This is the story of the collision of two worlds. In the early 1600s, the Jesuits—the Catholic Church’s most ferocious warriors for Christ—tried to create their own nation on the Great Lakes and turn the Huron (Wendat) Confederacy into a model Jesuit state. At the centre of their campaign was missionary Jean de Brébeuf, a mystic who sought to die a martyr’s death. He lived among a proud people who valued kindness and rights for all, especially women. In the end, Huronia was destroyed. Brébeuf became a Catholic saint, and the Jesuit’s “martyrdom” became one of the founding myths of Canada.
In this first secular biography of Brébeuf, historian Mark Bourrie, bestselling author of Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, recounts the missionary’s fascinating life and tells the tragic story of the remarkable people he lived among. Drawing on the letters and documents of the time—including Brébeuf’s accounts of his bizarre spirituality—and modern studies of the Jesuits, Bourrie shows how Huron leaders tried to navigate this new world and the people struggled to cope as their nation came apart. Riveting, clearly told, and deeply researched, Crosses in the Sky is an essential addition to—and expansion of—Canadian history.
Mark Bourrie is a Canadian journalist, lawyer and award-winning author. Mark Bourrie, PhD (History) was a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery from 1994-2018. He taught media history and journalism at Concordia University, taught history at Carleton University and Canadian Studies at The University of Ottawa. Mark is the author of 14 books including the RBC Taylor Prize-winning Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre Radisson. The Taylor Prize was Canada’s most important nonfiction award. His book, Kill the Messenger: Stephen Harper’s Assault on Your Right to Know, was a Globe and Mail Top 100 book of the year. Mark Bourrie’s academic writing has been published in journals and books in Canada and overseas.
Dr. Bourrie has won several major media awards, including a National Magazine Award, and has been nominated for several others. His journalism has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the National Post, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen and most of the country’s major newspapers and several magazines including Toronto Life and Ottawa Magazine. He was also a lecturer and consultant on propaganda and censorship at the Canadian Forces Public Affairs School.