Acclaimed Catholic filmmaker Kevin Dunn is ready to chronicle “one of the greatest stories in Canadian history that has never been told properly on film.”

The producer-director behind Bridge of Roses: The Story of Our Lady of the Cape, Permission: Fr. Bob Bedard's Vision for the Church, and many other titles, is now crafting a feature length documentary drama called Of Blood and Water: The Story of the North American Martyrs and Indigenous Apostles.

In Dunn’s estimation, the 1991 film Black Robe, the most prominent cinematic depiction of the Jesuit missionaries who brought the Word to the Indigenous peoples in New France during the 17th century, was a “very dark film” that “was like telling the story of the Cross without telling the story of Easter Sunday.”

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In partnership with Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ont., and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, New York, Dunn is determined to chronicle how, in the words of the early Christian writer Tertullian, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The legacy and sacrifice of Br. René Goupil, Fr. Isaac Jogues, Jean de Lalande, Fr. Antoine Daniel, Fr. Jean de Brébeuf, Fr. Gabriel Lalemant, Fr. Charles Garnier and Fr. Noël Chabanel echoes today.

“There is no Church without the laying down of lives like our Master, like Christ, for the sake of the Gospel,” said Dunn. “That is what they did. Not to tell the after story — we wouldn’t have our schools; we wouldn’t have our hospitals. There was so much happening at that time that has never really been told well.”

Dunn is also interested in chronicling the “pivotal role played by the lesser known but equally heroic Indigenous figures of the early Church in North America. Joseph Chiwatenwha, a close friend of Brébeuf, is considered to be the first lay pastoral administrator of the Canadian Catholic Church. Eustace Ahatsistari was a Huron warrior martyred while protecting Jogues and Goupil near current-day Auriesville.

A growing number of Indigenous and non-Indigenous figures in Canada and the United States are stepping up as advisors for Dunn and Of Blood and Water executive producer Nicolas Pappalardo. Two of these consultants are Fr. Josh O’Brien, SJ, the director of the Martyr’s Shrine, and Julie Bakki from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs.

Pappalardo, a student of history, has also emerged as a key font of wisdom for Dunn. While his day-to-day professional life centres around aviation — he is president and CEO of the Stolport Corporation at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport — he has assumed several prestigious Church roles through the years. He served as project coordinator for the pilgrim hosting program during World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, was an observer on behalf of the Holy See at the United Nations and functioned as deputy general coordinator for the 2022 penitential pilgrimage of Pope Francis to Canada.

Pappalardo’s passion for Canadian history was enriched by tracing his genealogical roots to the Bouchers, one of the most prominent pioneer families in New France. His forebearers would have directly interacted with the Jesuit missionaries.

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During his papal visit consultation meetings with then Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith (now in Vancouver), and Chief Wilton Littlechild, former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, Littlechild reminded Pappalardo about the linkage between Christianity and Indigenous Canadians dating back centuries.

“When you talk to Chief Willie and other elders they say, ‘we were Christians for hundreds of years, and then we got sent to residential school and that actually spoiled it’ as that was a government program that the Church was involved with that did it the wrong way,” said Pappalardo

He also recalled how Quebec's Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix poignantly spoke about the French Ursuline St. Marie of the Incarnation establishing an outdoor classroom for Indigenous girls while the Jesuits were translating the Gospel, prayers and hymns.

“It wasn't forced,” said Pappalardo. “It wasn’t ‘abandon your culture.’ It was, ‘we need to learn your culture. We need to learn your ways. We need to pick up the canoes when we go in with you. We need to paddle with you and live among you as friends if we're going to gain your trust and gain your interest in hearing the story of Jesus.' This beautiful witness is never told. It's rarely told because we’re embarrassed about violence. Well, the Jesuits weren't being violent toward the Indigenous.”

The historical account of the North American Martyrs is the intended “A” narrative of the film. Chronicling personal testimonies and powerful moments from Catholics and non-Catholics beholding shrine relics of Brébeuf, Lalemant, Garnier and the other martyrs is another focus. The feature is rounded out with a look at martyrdom in the 21st century.

On Sept. 27, a crowdfunding campaign will be launched for Of Blood and Water to help make it possible for the filmmakers to continue their research, script development, storyboarding, location scouting, etc. The campaign website stated that “a film of this size and scope could cost in excess of $2 million.”

If the campaign unfolds favourably, 2028 would be the likely release year for the film. The ultimate goal is to have the documentary publicly available well in advance of June 29, 2030, the centennial anniversary of the North American Martyrs canonization by Pope Pius XI.

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The next filming date for Dunn is Oct. 18. For the first time ever, Brébeuf’s skull relic will be solemnly processed along the riverbank in Auriesville, where Jogues, Goupil and de Lalande gave their lives. Other relics in the procession will be the bones of Garnier and Lalemant and one of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Indigenous North American saint.

To learn more about Of Blood and Water: The Story of the North American Martyrs and Indigenous Apostles , visit https://ofbloodandwater.com/.