Saint Noël Chabanel
- 8 December
- 19 October on some calendars
- formerly 26 December
- 16 March (Jesuits)
- 26 September (one of the Martyrs of North America)
Profile
Son of a notary, and one of four children. Entered the Jesuit novitiate in Toulouse, France on 8 February 1630. College teacher in Toulouse from 1632 to 1639. Ordained in 1641. Taught rhetoric at the college of Rodez. Noel, like many other Jesuits, felt a call to missionary work. Missionary to the Hurons in New France in 1643, arriving in Quebec on 15 August.
Father Noel had terrible trouble adapting to the mission fields. He could not grasp the languages of the natives, hated the food, never became comfortable with the living conditions, and was going through a period of spiritual dryness and trial. Deciding to go completely on faith, he vowed before the Blessed Sacrament that if necessary he would spend the rest of his life at the work. He survived a massacre of Christian Hurons by pagan Iroquois, and was leading a group of survivors to safety when he was murdered by an apostate Huron. One of the Martyrs of North America.
Born
- 2 February 1613 at Saugues, France
- 8 December 1649 on a trail near Saint Jean, Ontario, Canada
Readings
I am going where obedience calls me, but whether I stay there or receive permission from my superior to return to the mission where I belong, I must serve God faithfully until death. – Saint Noel to his superiors on the day of his death
MLA Citation
- “Saint Noël Chabanel“. CatholicSaints.Info. 8 November 2022. Web. 23 April 2024. <>