What is the Story of St. Peter Chanel?

The year was 1803: The French Revolution had just ended, the Napoleonic Wars were erupting in Europe, and a saint was born in Cuet, France. In fewer than forty years, an entire island territory would be converted to Christianity because of his witness. But his early years were relatively unremarkable - as most are, until they are given to God’s will.

Peter grew up shepherding on the family farm with his seven siblings, and eventually received a modest education at the local school run by his parish priest. He entered the minor seminary in 1819, where he excelled, and upon completing his studies at the Brou seminary, he was ordained in 1827.

During his time in formation, Peter was inspired by the letters he read from missionaries to America. He felt strongly that he was called to missions, but his bishop at the time appointed him to one of the struggling local parishes. Peter made that parish his mission field for a few years, but never abandoned the hope of bringing Christianity to other nations. When he joined the Marist order in 1831, it was with the belief that he would finally be able to fulfill his calling. However, his first assignment with the Marists would keep him in academics and out of adventure. For five years, he served as the spiritual director for the seminary of Belley.

Finally, in 1936, the same year the Marist movement was officially approved by the Holy See, Peter Chanel was asked to lead a group of seven missionaries to the South Pacific. His journey of 11 months and 10,000 miles would take him along the Canary Islands, Chile, Tahiti, and eventually to the islands of Wallis and Futuna. Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, the newly appointed Bishop of Western Oceania, accompanied the mission.

King Niuliki of Futuna initially welcomed the missionaries with curiosity. Despite big cultural differences (the king had only recently outlawed cannibalism, and polytheism was the reigning belief system of Futuna), Chanel and his fellow priests dove in with a deep desire to learn the language and share their faith through relationships. While formation was slow and conversions rare in the beginning, “the man with the kind heart,” as the locals called Chanel, adapted to the harsh conditions and bore his mission with patience.

After the missionaries had been on the island for a little over a year, a cyclone struck and devastated Futuna. Their home on the island was destroyed and would not be replaced for months. They had already been living with scant resources amid a foreign and sometimes violent people, and the natural disaster could easily have been their rationale for leaving the island. But their call was to conversions, and they remained to rebuild among those they came to serve.

It could have been this extraordinary effort in hardship that opened pathways of trust with the natives. Whatever the reason, the king’s own son Meitala came to Chanel desiring baptism. This caused a shift in hospitality from the king to the newcomers. He took much of his authority from threats he could make about the wrath of their polytheistic gods, and he feared rebellion if Christianity took hold of the island. King Niuliki ordered one of his trusted warriors, Musumusu, to bring an end to Peter Chanel’s influence. Musumusu did so first by fighting Meitala for his betrayal of their culture, and then, injured from the fight, approached Chanel for medical attention and help - a service that had endeared the missionary to the island in his time there. While Peter Chanel attempted to care for the assailant, Musumusu violently clubbed him to death. It was April 28, 1841.

That could well have been the end of the mission and the story of Peter Chanel. Immediately following the murder of their friend, the other missionaries spent time away from the island and its dangers. But they didn’t abandon the mission. Within six months, King Niuliki succumbed to disease, and Musumusu took leadership of Futuna after his death. When the missionaries returned to the island in 1842, it was to mass conversions with even Mususmusu himself becoming a Christian. Even though his power had escalated, his heart had been humbled. Within two years, almost every inhabitant on the island had converted to Christianity. Although Peter Chanel never got to witness the power of his work while living, his death ushered in an astounding and lasting transformation in Futuna.

Saint Peter Chanel was convicted and called to share the gospel with some of the most remote, socially separated people of his time. To reach them, he would have to leave his home and language, face the uncertainty of a year-long ocean voyage, and ultimately give his life. Because he was willing to do so, he completely altered the course of salvation for generations of islanders in the South Pacific, and still inspires the church to “go out and make disciples” today.

“Let my life be the seed; if it must be buried, let it bloom in faith.”
- St. Peter Chanel