The Vision for Of Blood and Water

The year 2030 will mark the 100th anniversary of the canonizations of the North American Martyrs, who are to date the only canonized martyrs of Canada and the United States. Over the last 400 years, devotion to the martyrs has come in waves and taken many forms. Something extraordinary needs to be done to generate interest today, as we move towards the 100th anniversary of their canonizations and to inspire greater devotion to these great saints.

Together, we'd like to introduce you to Of Blood and Water.

First, we must discover the story that is foundational to the history of the faith in North America and the history of the encounter between the founding peoples of the continent, both Indigenous and European. Today, it's a story that's either no longer being told, or it's a story that has never fully been told. The story of the black robes who were canonized, declared to be saints by the Holy Catholic Church. It's fairly well known and documented, but less known is the story of the Indigenous men and women who embraced the Catholic faith, became the first and early church community in Canada, and died for it alongside their European friends.

Secondly, this story and its retelling will prompt and promote honest inquiry and respectful dialogue about the facts and the truth in the unfolding of this encounter between the Europeans and the Indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence region. Two often, dialogue about these facts is obscured and mired by the many scandals or sins that have been committed since that time. But at its foundation and origin, the facts reveal a model of evangelization that is rooted in patience, in love and cultural respect, and there is much that we can learn from that today.

Thirdly, we hope that bringing this story to life on the screen will inspire renewed devotion among priests, seminarians, and the lay faithful who can draw inspiration from the example of the first Indigenous men and women who chose baptism, who chose to live out these promises to follow Christ, and who shared their faith with their own people.

About the North American Martyrs

The martyrs of North America are six Jesuit priests and their two lay assistants who, over the course of a few years in the mid 1600s, lost their lives while they were on mission. Five of them were martyred in the region where we're sitting here in Canada, including Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier, Noël Chabanel and Antoine Daniel, and then three of them who were captured and martyred in what is today upstate New York, Saints Isaac Jogues, René Goupil and Jean de Lalande. Together with luminous figures from the Indigenous community like Joseph Chiwatenhwa and his wife Marie Aonetta, they formed the first Indigenous Christian community and became the first lay catechists of Canada and the United States.

Rediscovering the story of eight Jesuit martyrs and their Indigenous companions will be quite an undertaking. We'll do it in the docudrama storytelling fashion. Filmed on location in Quebec, Ontario, and New York, we'll bring together a cast of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous actors to assist in dramatic recreations.

When it comes to the North American martyrs, there are several historic milestone anniversaries unfolding. June 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the martyrs beatification. This same year, the relics of Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, and Charles Garnier left the shrine for the first time and toured the United States and Canada, attracting tens of thousands of faithful. Also this year, the Shrine of Our Lady of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York, received National Shrine designation from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In 2026, we mark the 400th anniversary of Saint Jean de Brébeuf's arrival in the land of the Hurons and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland. Besides walking alongside the many pilgrims who make their way each year to both shrines, we hope to introduce new and extended pilgrimages that will retrace some of their most significant journeys. This project, Of Blood and Water, will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to commemorate, celebrate, and promote the martyrs’ historical and spiritual legacy for the benefit of the Church in North America and beyond.

Timing for this film project and its many offshoots could not be better. We hope to have it complete by 2029 and are going to need your help for it to succeed. A film of this size and scope could cost in excess of $2 million. Now we're confident that we can achieve this goal, but in order to continue our research, create the shooting script, budget, storyboards, we're looking to raise monies for our seed funding. Any donations to the project can be made here.

As the martyrs embraced their baptismal call to mission, they embarked in canoes and paddled against the currents of their day to spread the good news about Christ and bring baptism to those who had never heard of Him. Through their suffering, and in some cases, their deaths, these missionaries shed their blood, which nourished the soil of the faith that supported and sprouted the seeds of the church in North America.

The call remains the same today and by your support of this film project and devotional outreach, we will be able to continue to water the seeds of faith in our time. Please pray about whether the Lord might be calling you to support this and please contact us here if you need more information.

May the intercession of the North American martyrs bring you and your family consolation and peace. Thank you.