Great Missionaries | 1. Saint Pierre Chanel (3.2.15)

Verse of the Day: “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”—Psalm 59:16

« Quant à moi, je chanterai Ta force, dès le matin je célébrerai Ta bonté, car Tu es pour moi une forteresse, un refuge quand je suis dans la détresse. »—Psaumes 59:17

Quote of the Day: “Everything that has its price is of little value.”—Friedrich Nietzsche

« Tout ce qui a son prix est de peu de valeur. »—Friedrich Nietzsche

Saint Peter (Pierre) Chanel (July 12, 1803 – April 28, 1841)

He was renown for his patience and persistence.

Saint Peter Chanel was born on July 12, 1803 to Claude-François Chanel and Marie-Anne Sibellas, in La Potière, Ain département, France. As a young boy he worked as a shepherd, but his first marked step towards his destiny took place when a local priest began a school nearby, and convinced Chanel’s parents to allow him to attend. Peter was a very bright student, and one day another priest visiting from Cras took notice of him. Soon after he was enrolled at a school in Cras which was paid for by the church.

While there, he was given the opportunity to read letters sent all the way from America, by a Bishop DuBorg who was ministering to the Americans. This sparked Chanel’s interest in international missions. After seminary and initially having his request to go into missions rejected by the Bishop of Belley, is request was eventually accepted and he was put in charge of a group of seven missionaries who set out from Le Havre, France, on December 24, 1836.

(All biographical information obtained from Wikipedia. The above is a paraphrase of their article on St. Peter Chanel)

The Missionary

Chanel’s first and only missionary journey began in with the Canary Islands. From there, he moved onto Valparaiso, Gambier, and Tahiti, each stop lasting only months to pick up and drop off fellow missionaries, but no doubt also to minister whenever and wherever possible during their short stays. He and his group (with a few added and subtracted from the original group) finally ended up on the French island of Futuna.

They were well received at first, and despite some early struggles and trials that they encountered (as all missionaries do), they began to bear fruit; in large part due to Chanel’s unwavering patience. Eventually, he mastered the language, and was blessed to see many come to faith in Christ and express their faith through baptism – and many more were on their way. However, as time passed the king began to see Christianity as a threat to his reign (indeed it was!), and this came to a head when his son sought to be baptized. And so, on April 28, 1841, at the age of 38, St. Peter Chanel was clubbed to death with an axe by the king’s son-in-law. The LORD had called him home.

(All biographical information obtained from Wikipedia. The above is a paraphrase of their article on St. Peter Chanel)