A French-born lay martyr killed in colonial Brazil in 1645 during the Dutch persecution of Catholics at Uruacu, near Natal.

Saint Joao Lostau Navarro was a Catholic layman of French origin who had settled in the Diocese of Natal, Brazil, and was martyred in 1645 at Uruacu, Rio Grande do Norte, during the conflict between Dutch Protestant forces and Portuguese Catholic settlers in colonial Brazil. He is honored among the Martyrs of Cunhau and Uruacu.

Quick Facts

• Died: October 3, 1645, Uruacu, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
• Origin: France, settled in Brazil
• State of life: Layperson of Natal
• Beatified: 2000
• Canonized: 2017

Who Was Saint Joao Lostau Navarro?

Joao Lostau Navarro, though of French origin, had made his home within the Catholic community of the Natal region of colonial Brazil, a settlement drawing people of varied European backgrounds who shared allegiance to the Portuguese crown and the Catholic Church amid the contested colonial frontier. He was among the Catholics massacred at Uruacu in 1645 during the Dutch occupation of the region.

Historical Setting

Colonial Brazil’s northeastern captaincies attracted settlers of diverse European origins under Portuguese rule, and the Dutch West India Company’s mid-seventeenth-century seizure of the region turned this multiethnic Catholic population into a target during the broader Dutch-Portuguese conflict, culminating in the massacres at Cunhau and Uruacu in 1645.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Joao Lostau Navarro

The Church remembers Joao Lostau Navarro as part of the diverse group of Catholics, including settlers not originally Portuguese, who were united in their faith and their loyalty to the Catholic community of Natal, and who paid for that unity with their lives during the Dutch occupation.

Canonization and Feast Day

Joao Lostau Navarro was beatified in 2000 by Pope John Paul II and canonized in 2017 by Pope Francis among the Martyrs of Cunhau and Uruacu.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Joao Lostau Navarro’s story, that of a settler from France who died alongside his adopted Brazilian Catholic community, shows how shared faith can unite people across national origin more deeply than birthplace, a reminder relevant to any diverse community bound together by common belief.

A Prayer to Saint Joao Lostau Navarro

Saint Joao Lostau Navarro, who made a distant land your home and died there for the faith you shared with your neighbors, pray for immigrants and settlers who find their deepest belonging in the family of faith. Amen.

Sources

• Vatican.va canonization records
• Diocese of Natal historical records
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints