1841: Death of St Peter Chanel in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu)

St Peter Chanel was a Marist priest and the first martyr of the South Pacific. Read more about his life here.

Prayer to St Peter Chanel

You left your homeland
to proclaim Jesus, Saviour of the world,
to the peoples of Oceania. 

Guided by the Spirit of God,
who is the strength of the gentle,
you bore witness to love,
even laying down your life.

Grant that, like you,
we may live our daily life in peace, in joy,
and in fraternal love.

May your prayer and example
call forth from our midst
many workers for the Gospel
so that God’s Kingdom may reach
to the ends of the earth.
Amen.