1. First Martyr of the Pacific

2. Who was Peter Chanel?  He was French!  Born 12/7/1803 in Cuét

3. Who was Peter Chanel?  He was French!  Born 12/7/1803 in Cuét  Brought up on a farm  The 5 th of 8 children

4. Who was Peter Chanel? The Major Seminary at Belley  He entered the minor seminary in 1819  He was ordained in 1827 at Belley  He joined the Marists in 1831

5. Who was Peter Chanel? The Major Seminary at Belley  Taught at the College in Belley for one year, then became Administrator and Spiritual Director of the School

6.  His statue now stands in the courtyard of that College

7. In 1833 he came to Rome with Fr Colin to get approval of the Society of Mary Pope Gregory XVI

8. In 1836 the Society of Mary was approved and entrusted with the Mission to Western Oceania Pope Gregory XVI Chanel, who had always wanted to be a missionary, was chosen as one of the first group of eight to go there.

9. Journey to Oceania

13. 8 Nov 1837

14. Journey to Oceania

15. On the Island of Futuna  Hard work learning the language

16. On the Island of Futuna  Tribal wars  Chanel and the missionaries were peacemakers

17. On the Island of Futuna  A Chief was not happy about conversions

18. On the Island of Futuna 28 April 1841

19. The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians - Tertullian

20. The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians  From Wallis and Futuna the Catholic faith spread Vanuatu, Solomons, PNG Kiribati

21. Effects Some of the great changes it brought: –An end to  Tribal warfare,  Cannibalism,  Worship of ancestral gods –Belief in  Christ  Peace

22. Effects  Wallis Futuna  Fiji  Vanuatu  Tonga  Samoa  New Caledonia  PNG Chanel Shrine at Poi

23. Effects Relics of Chanel

24. Effects Children of Poi at the memorial of Chanel’s house

25. Effects Cathedral on Wallis

26. Faces of the Pacific  Wallis Futuna  Fiji  Vanuatu  Tonga  Samoa  New Caledonia  PNG Children of Futuna

27. Faces of the Pacific A Fala – a Futunian house

28. Making tapa cloth

29. Seminarians Bomana

30. Faces of the Pacific Women on Wallis

31. Suva, Fiji

32. Faces of the Pacific Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary

33. Novitiate, Tutu

35. 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

36. Politics of the Pacific  The struggle for self-sufficiency  Third world countries in a global economy  Overseas aid is important  Politically fragile

37. Cultures of the Pacific  Local languages  2 major public languages –English –French  Very localised. Village life  Building style  High humidity  Traditional cooking

38. First Martyr of the Pacific St Peter Chanel