The author and journalist Mark Bourrie discusses his new book Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia (Biblioasis, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia by Mark Bourrie (Biblioasis, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Crosses in the Sky

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Mark Bourrie joins me again. The author and historian has just published a new book, out this week, Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia. It’s described as the first secular biography of Brébeuf and engagingly recounts the missionary’s life and tragic story, while adding perhaps a fuller understanding of Canada’s history. In the early 1600s with the arrival of the Jesuits, the Catholic Church’s most zealous warriors for Christ, it’s a collision of two worlds, what with their desire to create their own nation on the Great Lakes. And as the Huron Confederacy is already established, it’s fascinating to read about what sort of society it is, especially that it’s a matriarchal society, and how the conflict with Jesuits begins. At the centre is Brébeuf, the mystic who sought a martyr’s death, whose values and often bizarre spirituality are throughout the book. I’ll ask Mark, who I spoke with two weeks ago from his home in Ottawa, about the letters and documents he drew upon in the course of his research, as well as the history taken down and spread by the Jesuits themselves. And I’ll get Mark to reflect on why the life of Brébeuf is important to know about especially as we seek a fuller perspective of the history of this place, Canada. Mark Bourrie is an author, lawyer and journalist. He holds postgraduate degrees in journalism, and history, as well as a Juris Doctor degree. He was called to the bar in 2018. He’s won numerous awards for his journalism and writing, like the 2020 RBC Charles Taylor Prize for his book Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, which he was on the program with after it came out. Visit www.markbourrie.com for more information. This new book is from Biblioasis. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mark Bourrie; Dr. Bourrie, good morning.

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