Martyrs Shrine a National Shrine

On January 27, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) designated Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, New York, as a National Shrine. This is the place where eight 17th-century Jesuit missionaries, including Saints René Goupil, Isaac Jogues and Jean de Lalande, were killed by the Mohawk tribe. Once a Mohawk village of Osserenon, the location is also the birthplace of St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), a Mohawk who became the first canonized North American Indigenous woman. I visited this place with a group of parishioners in 2001, and this photo is symbolic of this holy place, with three crosses representing 3 of the martyrs, all French Jesuits. Traditionally known as the National Shrine of North American Martyrs after the Jesuit missionaries’ canonization in 1930, the site sees thousands of pilgrims journeying to Auriesville to soak in the rich history and devote themselves to prayer, seeking the saints’ intercession. Though the shrine receives pilgrims from Catholic schools, New York City and, indeed, all over the world, it has become a hub for the Catholic Church in New York state. In 2023, 8,000 people journeyed to the shrine and participated in festivities aligned with the National Eucharistic Revival.