First
Martyr of
the Pacific
Who was Peter Chanel?
He was French!
 Born 12/7/1803 in Cuét

Who was Peter Chanel?
He was French!
 Born 12/7/1803 in Cuét
 Brought up on a farm


The 5th of 8 children
Who was Peter Chanel?
He entered the minor seminary in 1819
 He was ordained in 1827 at Belley
 He joined the Marists in 1831

The Major Seminary
at Belley
Who was Peter Chanel?

Taught at the College in Belley for one
year, then became Administrator and
Spiritual Director of the School
The Major Seminary
at Belley

His statue now
stands in the
courtyard of
that College
Pope Gregory XVI
In 1833 he came to
Rome with Fr Colin to
get approval of the
Society of Mary
Chanel, who had always
wanted to be a missionary, was
chosen as one of the first
group of eight to go there.
Pope Gregory XVI
In 1836 the Society of
Mary was approved
and entrusted with the
Mission to Western
Oceania
Journey to Oceania
Journey to Oceania
Journey to Oceania
Journey to Oceania
Journey to Oceania
8 Nov 1837
Journey to Oceania
On the Island of Futuna

Hard work learning the language
On the Island of Futuna


Tribal wars
Chanel and the missionaries were peacemakers
On the Island of Futuna

A Chief was not happy about conversions
On the Island of Futuna
28 April 1841
The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians
- Tertullian
The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians

From Wallis and Futuna
the Catholic faith spread
Vanuatu, Solomons, PNG
Effects
Some of the great
changes it brought:
– An end to
 Tribal
warfare,
 Cannibalism,
 Worship of ancestral
gods
– Belief in
 Christ
 Peace
Effects
Wallis Futuna
 Fiji
 Vanuatu
 Tonga
 Samoa
 New Caledonia
 PNG

Chanel Shrine at Poi
Effects
Relics of Chanel
Effects
Children of Poi
at the
memorial of
Chanel’s house
Effects
Cathedral on Wallis
Faces of the Pacific
Children of Futuna
Wallis Futuna
 Fiji
 Vanuatu
 Tonga
 Samoa
 New Caledonia
 PNG

Faces of the Pacific
A Fala – a Futunian house
Making tapa cloth
Seminarians
Bomana
Faces of the Pacific
Women on Wallis
Suva, Fiji
Faces of the Pacific
Missionary Sisters
of the Society of Mary
Novitiate, Tutu
Religions of the Pacific

The Pacific today is mainly Christian
– French Polynesia is 99.6% Christian
– For comparison Italy is 82% Christian

But many types of Christianity
– Methodist
– Anglican
– Roman Catholic
– Hundreds of smaller Christian churches
Politics of the Pacific
The struggle for self-sufficiency
 Third world countries in a global
economy
 Overseas aid is important
 Politically fragile

Cultures of the Pacific
Local languages
 2 major public languages

– English
– French
Very localised. Village life
 Building style
 High humidity
 Traditional cooking

St Peter Chanel
First
Martyr of
the Pacific