Peter Chanel came from a farming family in the east of France, some distance from Lyon, and was born in 1803. He became a diocesan priest, ministering in parishes. He was devoted to Mary and drawn to the missions abroad, so he got permission to leave the diocese and join the men and women who were just then forming the new “Society of Mary”, Marists.

After teaching in the first secondary school directed by the Marist Fathers, he was appointed to the very first group of Marists priests and brothers to leave for the mission to the islands of the Western Pacific, including New Zealand. Chanel was landed on the island of Futuna, together with a Marist Brother, Francis Nizier, in 1837.

12,000 miles from home, it would take ten months to get an answer to a letter. They had to provide for themselves, acclimatise, learn the language from scratch without dictionaries or grammar, get to know the people and to be accepted by them.

At first Chanel was well received, but when he had learned the language sufficiently well to teach the people about Jesus, and the son of the local ‘king’ began to take instruction to become a Christian, men were sent to kill the missioners. Chanel was beaten down with a club and as he fell he must have realised what was about to happen. He said, in the native language: ‘that is alright, alright’ accepting his death. They finished him off with blow on the head. Francis Nizier was not here when this was happening. He managed to hide until he was rescued by a passing French naval vessel.

Peter Chanel was canonised in 1954. In 2003 we celebrate the 200 anniversary of his birth in 1803. His feast is kept on the anniversary of his martyrdom, 28th April 1841.

Scripture

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (Jn.12:24)

I have suffered the loss of all things, that I might know Christ and the power of his resurrection (Ph2:6-11)