Saint Peter Chanel

Who is Saint Peter Chanel?

Peter Louis Marie Chanel was born on 12 July 1803 at Cuet, in the Bresse region of France, one of eight children in a modest farming family, and worked as a shepherd as a boy before entering the priesthood. He joined the newly founded Society of Mary (the Marists) and volunteered for the order's first overseas mission to Oceania. In November 1837 he landed on the small island of Futuna, in what is now Wallis and Futuna, alongside Brother Marie-Nizier, and spent nearly four years learning the Futunan language and living among the islanders under the protection of King Niuliki. His mission grew strained as more Futunans, including the king's own son Meitala, began converting to Catholicism against Niuliki's wishes. On 28 April 1841, on the king's order, Chanel was clubbed and struck with an axe and machete by a group led by his son-in-law Musumusu, and died from his wounds — the first Catholic martyr of Oceania. He was canonized by the Catholic Church in Rome in 1954, and his feast day, 28 April, is a public holiday in Wallis and Futuna.

Sources: Peter Chanel, Wikipedia (accessed 2026-07-02) · Catholic Encyclopedia, "St. Peter-Louis-Marie Chanel", newadvent.org · Champagnat.org, "Saint Peter Chanel"