St Peter Chanel

Peter's father was a shepherd and Peter helped care for the sheep. He loved Jesus and loved to learn about his faith. When he was old enough, he joined the seminary and became a priest. He was sent to the town of Corzet where many people had stopped going to church. He prayed hard for his parish and through his kindness and love, many people returned to the Church and their faith in Jesus. When Fr. Peter was 28 years old, he felt God was calling him to become a missionary. He joined the order of The Society of Mary and was sent to the islands of the South Pacific, Oceania. He and another brother were placed on the island of Futuna in New Hebrides. The people of the island were, at first, very closed to hear the message of Jesus but Father Peter was patient and kind and slowly their hearts started to change. The chief of the tribe on the island did not like that so many of his people were starting to follow Fr. Peter. When the chief’s own son was baptized, he became so angry that he sent men to kill Fr. Peter. He was martyred for his faith in Jesus on April 28th, 1841. Shortly after his death, most of the people on the island began to follow Jesus and became Catholic.