2013
Vatican Radio reort (shortened)
It was truly a day to remember for 44 people who had come to St Peter’s Square to be confirmed by the Pope. The special Mass on Sunday was organized as part of the Year of Faith and those who received the Sacrament of Confirmation had come from all over the world to be in the Square.
Following the Homily the 44 people being confirmed on Sunday, ranging in age from 11 to 55 who had come from Italy, Romania, Ireland and as far away as the United States and the Cape Verde Islands, made their way to the Pope, where he laid his hands on the head of each person, and anointed their foreheads with holy chrism in the form of a cross.Before the conclusion on this celebration the Holy Father recited the Regina Coeli and he entrusted those newly confirmed to the protection of Mary. He said that the Madonna would help them to be attentive to what the Lord asks of them and to live and walk always according to the Holy Spirit.
Edited from Radio Vaticana
Vatican Radio REPORT:
Below is an English language translation of the Pope's Homily at Holy Mass in St Peter's Square with the Rite of Confirmation.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Dear Confirmands,
I would like to offer three short and simple thoughts for your reflection.
1. In the second reading, we listened to the beautiful vision of Saint John: new heavens and a new earth, and then the Holy City coming down from God. All is new, changed into good, beauty and truth; there are no more tears or mourning… This is the work of the Holy Spirit: he brings us the new things of God. He comes to us and makes all things new; he changes us. The Spirit changes us! And Saint John’s vision reminds us that all of us are journeying towards the heavenly Jerusalem, the ultimate newness which awaits us and all reality, the happy day when we will see the Lord’s face – that marvelous face, the most beautiful face of the Lord Jesus - and be with him for ever, in his love.
You see, the new things of God are not like the novelties of this world, all of which are temporary; they come and go, and we keep looking for more. The new things which God gives to our lives are lasting, not only in the future, when we will be with him, but today as well. God is even now making all things new; the Holy Spirit is truly transforming us, and through us he also wants to transform the world in which we live. Let us open the doors to the Spirit, let ourselves be guided by him, and allow God’s constant help to make us new men and women, inspired by the love of God which the Holy Spirit bestows on us! How beautiful it would be if each of you, every evening, could say: Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person! How beautiful!
2. A second thought. In the first reading Paul and Barnabas say that “we must undergo many trials if we are to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The journey of the Church, and our own personal journeys as Christians, are not always easy; they meet with difficulties and trials. To follow the Lord, to let his Spirit transform the shadowy parts of our lives, our ungodly ways of acting, and cleanse us of our sins, is to set out on a path with many obstacles, both in the world around us but also within us, in the heart. But difficulties and trials are part of the path that leads to God’s glory, just as they were for Jesus, who was glorified on the cross; we will always encounter them in life! Do not be discouraged! We have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome these trials!
3. And here I come to my last point. It is an invitation which I make to you, young confirmandi, and to all present. Remain steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord. This is the secret of our journey! He gives us the courage to swim against the tide. Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide. Jesus gives us this courage! There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives. This is especially so whenever we feel poor, weak and sinful, because God grants strength to our weakness, riches to our poverty, conversion and forgiveness to our sinfulness. The Lord is so rich in mercy: every time, if we go to him, he forgives us. Let us trust in God’s work! With him we can do great things; he will give us the joy of being his disciples, his witnesses. Commit yourselves to great ideals, to the most important things. We Christians were not chosen by the Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake your lives on noble ideals, my dear young people!
The new things of God, the trials of life, remaining steadfast in the Lord. Dear friends, let us open wide the door of our lives to the new things of God which the Holy Spirit gives us. May he transform us, confirm us in our trials, strengthen our union with the Lord, our steadfastness in him: this is a true joy! So may it be.
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
It was truly a day to remember for 44 people who had come to St Peter’s Square to be confirmed by the Pope. The special Mass on Sunday was organized as part of the Year of Faith and those who received the Sacrament of Confirmation had come from all over the world to be in the Square.
Following the Homily the 44 people being confirmed on Sunday, ranging in age from 11 to 55 who had come from Italy, Romania, Ireland and as far away as the United States and the Cape Verde Islands, made their way to the Pope, where he laid his hands on the head of each person, and anointed their foreheads with holy chrism in the form of a cross.Before the conclusion on this celebration the Holy Father recited the Regina Coeli and he entrusted those newly confirmed to the protection of Mary. He said that the Madonna would help them to be attentive to what the Lord asks of them and to live and walk always according to the Holy Spirit.
Edited from Radio Vaticana
Vatican Radio REPORT:
Below is an English language translation of the Pope's Homily at Holy Mass in St Peter's Square with the Rite of Confirmation.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Dear Confirmands,
I would like to offer three short and simple thoughts for your reflection.
1. In the second reading, we listened to the beautiful vision of Saint John: new heavens and a new earth, and then the Holy City coming down from God. All is new, changed into good, beauty and truth; there are no more tears or mourning… This is the work of the Holy Spirit: he brings us the new things of God. He comes to us and makes all things new; he changes us. The Spirit changes us! And Saint John’s vision reminds us that all of us are journeying towards the heavenly Jerusalem, the ultimate newness which awaits us and all reality, the happy day when we will see the Lord’s face – that marvelous face, the most beautiful face of the Lord Jesus - and be with him for ever, in his love.
You see, the new things of God are not like the novelties of this world, all of which are temporary; they come and go, and we keep looking for more. The new things which God gives to our lives are lasting, not only in the future, when we will be with him, but today as well. God is even now making all things new; the Holy Spirit is truly transforming us, and through us he also wants to transform the world in which we live. Let us open the doors to the Spirit, let ourselves be guided by him, and allow God’s constant help to make us new men and women, inspired by the love of God which the Holy Spirit bestows on us! How beautiful it would be if each of you, every evening, could say: Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person! How beautiful!
2. A second thought. In the first reading Paul and Barnabas say that “we must undergo many trials if we are to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The journey of the Church, and our own personal journeys as Christians, are not always easy; they meet with difficulties and trials. To follow the Lord, to let his Spirit transform the shadowy parts of our lives, our ungodly ways of acting, and cleanse us of our sins, is to set out on a path with many obstacles, both in the world around us but also within us, in the heart. But difficulties and trials are part of the path that leads to God’s glory, just as they were for Jesus, who was glorified on the cross; we will always encounter them in life! Do not be discouraged! We have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome these trials!
3. And here I come to my last point. It is an invitation which I make to you, young confirmandi, and to all present. Remain steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord. This is the secret of our journey! He gives us the courage to swim against the tide. Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide. Jesus gives us this courage! There are no difficulties, trials or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives. This is especially so whenever we feel poor, weak and sinful, because God grants strength to our weakness, riches to our poverty, conversion and forgiveness to our sinfulness. The Lord is so rich in mercy: every time, if we go to him, he forgives us. Let us trust in God’s work! With him we can do great things; he will give us the joy of being his disciples, his witnesses. Commit yourselves to great ideals, to the most important things. We Christians were not chosen by the Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake your lives on noble ideals, my dear young people!
The new things of God, the trials of life, remaining steadfast in the Lord. Dear friends, let us open wide the door of our lives to the new things of God which the Holy Spirit gives us. May he transform us, confirm us in our trials, strengthen our union with the Lord, our steadfastness in him: this is a true joy! So may it be.
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
4 CHOIR MEMBERS STABBED AT CHURCH IN NEW MEXICO - USA
4 people were stabbed on Sunday, April 28, 2013 around 12:15 pm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. After communion a man yelled "fake preacher" and jumped over pews with a knife. He then stabbed 4 choir members causing severe injuries. The Archbishop Sheehan of the Archdiocese said he prays for all involved and said that this has never happened before. The weekly attendance at the parish is 4000. The suspect, Lawrence Carpener, age 24, was not a parishioner. All the victims were sent to hospital and are better. The congregation grabbed the suspect and subdued him until police arrived.
SUNDAY MASS ONLINE : 5TH OF EASTER
Apr 28, 2013 - 5th Sun EasterActs 14: 21 - 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Ico'nium and to Antioch, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Then they passed through Pisid'ia, and came to Pamphyl'ia. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 | And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attali'a; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 | and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 | And when they arrived, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
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RIP BISHOP WILLIAM MURRAY - AGE 93 IN WOLLONGONG AUSTRALIA
ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE RELEASE
Tuesday 23 April 2013
BISHOP William Edward Murray, Emeritus Bishop of Wollongong, died peacefully at 5:10pm on Sunday 21 April 2013, at the Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home, Randwick.
Bishop Peter Ingham of Wollongong spoke of Bishop William (Bill) as a dedicated priest and bishop who served the Wollongong diocese for 22 years.
“Between 1975 and 1996 when he served was a time of great change and development for the Church. He made provisions for the vast expanding Macarthur area with the establishment of new parishes, to provide for the growing needs of the community.”
“He had a sharp sense of humour, and cared for the people of the Diocese. His final years were difficult for him having suffered a stroke which crippled his body and impaired his ability to speak”, said Bishop Ingham.
Bishop Murray was born 16 February, 1920 in Leichhardt, New South Wales. He entered St Columba’s Seminary at Springwood following high school at De La Salle College in Marrickville, and was ordained by Cardinal Norman Gilroy on 21 July, 1945 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney.
He was appointed Bishop of Wollongong on 5 June 1975, and ordained to the episcopate at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Wollongong, by Cardinal James Freeman on 21 July, 1975.
Bishop Murray had a doctorate from the Gregorian University in Rome in International Law; and a doctorate in Social Science from the University of Sydney. He was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) in 1988.
Archbishop Denis Hart, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said the following: “On behalf of the Australian Bishops I recognise the generous pastoral service of Bishop William Murray in Wollongong as a bishop for over 20 years and as a priest for 37 years. We remember him with affection and prayer”, he said.
Arrangements for Bishop Murray’s funeral have not yet been finalised.
Vale Bishop William Edward Murray
Tuesday 23 April 2013BISHOP William Edward Murray, Emeritus Bishop of Wollongong, died peacefully at 5:10pm on Sunday 21 April 2013, at the Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home, Randwick.
Bishop Peter Ingham of Wollongong spoke of Bishop William (Bill) as a dedicated priest and bishop who served the Wollongong diocese for 22 years.
“Between 1975 and 1996 when he served was a time of great change and development for the Church. He made provisions for the vast expanding Macarthur area with the establishment of new parishes, to provide for the growing needs of the community.”
“He had a sharp sense of humour, and cared for the people of the Diocese. His final years were difficult for him having suffered a stroke which crippled his body and impaired his ability to speak”, said Bishop Ingham.
Bishop Murray was born 16 February, 1920 in Leichhardt, New South Wales. He entered St Columba’s Seminary at Springwood following high school at De La Salle College in Marrickville, and was ordained by Cardinal Norman Gilroy on 21 July, 1945 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney.
He was appointed Bishop of Wollongong on 5 June 1975, and ordained to the episcopate at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Wollongong, by Cardinal James Freeman on 21 July, 1975.
Bishop Murray had a doctorate from the Gregorian University in Rome in International Law; and a doctorate in Social Science from the University of Sydney. He was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) in 1988.
Archbishop Denis Hart, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said the following: “On behalf of the Australian Bishops I recognise the generous pastoral service of Bishop William Murray in Wollongong as a bishop for over 20 years and as a priest for 37 years. We remember him with affection and prayer”, he said.
Arrangements for Bishop Murray’s funeral have not yet been finalised.
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE
13 KILLED AT POLITICAL RALLY IN PHILIPPINES IN ASIA
UCAN REPORT
Mayor Abdul Malik Manamparan was recovering in a hospital on Friday (photo by AFP/Richele Umel)
More bloodshed in Philippines election campaign
Mayor Abdul Malik Manamparan was recovering in a hospital on Friday (photo by AFP/Richele Umel)- ucanews.com reporter, Manila
- Philippines
- April 26, 2013
- Gunmen ambushed a political rally late on Thursday killing 13 people, including the daughter and granddaughter of the town mayor, and injuring 10 others in the attack in Mindanao’s Lanao del Norte province.
The ambush was staged by “suspected rival political candidates,” said infantry commander Brig-Gen Daniel Lucero and comes just weeks before the Philippines goes to the polls for mid-term elections.
Mayor Abdul Malik Manamparan of Nunungan town was on his way from a political rally in a nearby village when the incident took place, said Lucero.
About 15 gunmen carried out the attack, according to reports.
Aside from his daughter, Adnanie, Manamparan lost two other relatives with another two injured. Manamparan was recovering in hospital from a shrapnel wound to the head on Friday.
Thursday’s attack was the most violent yet of a Philippines campaign season that is fast becoming as bloody as those of the past.
On Sunday, communist New People's Army rebels ambushed the convoy of Mayor Ruthie Guingona, wounding her and killing two police escorts in Gingoog City in Mindanao. Guingona is the wife of former vice president Teofisto Guingona and mother of Senator Teofisto Guingona.
A battalion of marines was deployed in the province of Misamis Oriental on Thursday in response to the senator’s call for additional troops in a bid to ensure peaceful elections in the area.
Authorities imposed a 150-day ban on carrying firearms outside residences during the election period, with police and army personnel deployed to enforce the measures in notable hot spots, particularly in restive Mindanao.
In 2009, 58 people, including 32 media workers, were killed by more than 100 gunmen in a massacre blamed on political rivalry between two powerful clans in the province of Maguindanao in Mindanao.
MISSIONARY KILLED IN HAITI FROM CANADA
Agenzia Fides REPORT A missionary of the Society of Mary, Canadian priest, was killed on April 24 in the capital of Haiti, on the same day in which the Haitian authorities had defined the results achieved in the fight against crime in the country "positive".
As reported to Fides, the victim is father Richard E. Joyal, 62, The event took place in the north of Port au Prince, shortly after the priest had come out of a bank in the area.
The police said father Joyal had left the bank with thousands of Canadian dollars, when two men on a motorcycle approached him, they grapped a package he was carrying under his arm and then shot him three times in the back. The police added that the alleged thieves did not take the money that was in the victim's wallet. The missionary had previously worked as a missionary in the Philippines and the Ivory Coast. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 26/04/2013)
As reported to Fides, the victim is father Richard E. Joyal, 62, The event took place in the north of Port au Prince, shortly after the priest had come out of a bank in the area.
The police said father Joyal had left the bank with thousands of Canadian dollars, when two men on a motorcycle approached him, they grapped a package he was carrying under his arm and then shot him three times in the back. The police added that the alleged thieves did not take the money that was in the victim's wallet. The missionary had previously worked as a missionary in the Philippines and the Ivory Coast. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 26/04/2013)
TODAY'S SAINT : APRIL 28 : ST. GIANNA MOLLA
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
MOTHER
Feast: April 28
 Information:
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Saint Gianna Beretta Molla was born in Magenta (Milan), Italy, on 4 October 1922, the 10th of 13 children. Already as a young girl she willingly accepted the gift of faith and the clearly Christian education that she received from her excellent parents. As a result, she experienced life as a marvellous gift from God, had a strong faith in Providence and was convinced of the necessity and effectivneess of prayer.
She diligently dedicated herself to studies during the years of her secondary and university education, while, at the same time, applying her faith in generous apostolic service among the elderly and needy as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. After earning degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and thereafter gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor. While working in the field of medicine—which she considered a "mission" and practiced as such—she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the "very young" and, at the same time, expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected on her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself "to forming a truly Christian family." She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on 24 September 1955 in St. Martin's Basilica in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi; in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life. In September 1961, towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she was touched by suffering and the mystery of pain; she had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation, and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. The life was saved, for which she thanked the Lord. She spent the seven months remaining until the birth of the child in incomparable strength of spirit and unrelenting dedication to her tasks as mother and doctor. She worried that the baby in her womb might be born in pain, and she asked God to prevent that. A few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: "If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child—I insist on it. Save the baby." On the morning of 21 April 1962 Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of 28 April, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of "Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you," the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer. The body of the new blessed lies in the cemetary of Mesero (4 km. from Magenta). Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, and officially canonized as a saint on May 16, 2004. Gianna's husband Pietro and their last child, Gianna, were present at the canonization ceremony. St. Gianna is a patron saint for mothers, physicians, and unborn children. |
SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/G/stgiannaberettamolla.asp#ixzz1tKuFczLr
2013
TODAY'S SAINT : APRIL 28 : ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT
St. Louis de Montfort
CONFESSOR, MARIAN DEVOTEE, FOUNDER
Feast: April 28
 Information:
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Missionary in Brittany and Vendee; born at Montfort, 31 January, 1673; died at Saint Laurent sur Sevre, 28 April, 1716.
From his childhood, he was indefatigably devoted to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and, when from his twelfth year he was sent as a day pupil to the Jesuit college at Rennes, he never failed to visit the church before and after class. He joined a society of young men who during holidays ministered to the poor and to the incurables in the hospitals, and read for them edifying books during their meals. At the age of nineteen, he went on foot to Paris to follow the course in theology, gave away on the journey all his money to the poor, exchanged clothing with them, and made a vow to subsist thenceforth only on alms. He was ordained priest at the age of twenty-seven, and for some time fulfilled the duties of chaplain in a hospital. In 1705, when he was thirty-two, he found his true vocation, and thereafter devoted himself to preaching to the people. During seventeen years he preached the Gospel in countless towns and villages. As an orator he was highly gifted, his language being simple but replete with fire and divine love. His whole life was conspicuous for virtues difficult for modern degeneracy to comprehend: constant prayer, love of the poor, poverty carried to an unheard-of degree, joy in humiliations and persecutions.
The following two instances will illustrate his success. He once gave a mission for the soldiers of the garrison at La Rochelle, and moved by his words, the men wept, and cried aloud for the forgiveness of their sins. In the procession which terminated this mission, an officer walked at the head, barefooted and carrying a banner, and the soldiers, also barefooted, followed, carrying in one hand a crucifix, in the other a rosary, and singing hymns.
Grignion's extraordinary influence was especially apparent in the matter of the calvary at Pontchateau. When he announced his determination of building a monumental calvary on a neighbouring hill, the idea was enthusiastically received by the inhabitants. For fifteen months between two and four hundred peasants worked daily without recompense, and the task had just been completed, when the king commanded that the whole should be demolished, and the land restored to its former condition. The Jansenists had convinced the Governor of Brittany that a fortress capable of affording aid to persons in revolt was being erected, and for several months five hundred peasants, watched by a company of soldiers, were compelled to carry out the work of destruction. Father de Montfort was not disturbed on receiving this humiliating news, exclaiming only: "Blessed be God!"
This was by no means the only trial to which Grignion was subjected. It often happened that the Jansenists, irritated by his success, secure by their intrigues his banishment form the district, in which he was giving a mission. At La Rochelle some wretches put poison into his cup of broth, and, despite the antidote which he swallowed, his health was always impaired. On another occasion, some malefactors hid in a narrow street with the intention of assassinating him, but he had a presentiment of danger and escaped by going by another street. A year before his death, Father de Montfort founded two congregations -- the Sisters of Wisdom, who were to devote themselves to hospital work and the instruction of poor girls, and the Company of Mary, composed of missionaries. He had long cherished these projects but circumstances had hindered their execution, and, humanly speaking, the work appeared to have failed at his death, since these congregations numbered respectively only four sisters and two priests with a few brothers. But the blessed founder, who had on several occasions shown himself possessed of the gift of prophecy, knew that the tree would grow. At the beginning of the twentieth century the Sisters of Wisdom numbered five thousand, and were spread throughout every country; they possessed forty-four houses, and gave instruction to 60,000 children. After the death of its founder, the Company of Mary was governed for 39 years by Father Mulot. He had at first refused to join de Montfort in his missionary labours. "I cannot become a missionary", said he, "for I have been paralysed on one side for years; I have an affection of the lungs which scarcely allows me to breathe, and am indeed so ill that I have no rest day or night." But the holy man, impelled by a sudden inspiration, replied, "As soon as you begin to preach you will be completely cured." And the event justified the prediction. Grignion de Montfort was beatified by Leo XIII in 1888.
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SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/L/stlouisdemontfort.asp#ixzz1tKu4bKSd
TODAY'S SAINT : APRIL 28 : ST. PETER CHANEL
St. Peter Chanel
PROTOMARTYR OF OCEANIA
Feast: April 28
 Information:
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On April 18, 1841, a band of native warriors entered the hut of Father Peter Chanel on the island of Futuna in the New Hebrides islands near New Zealand. They clubbed the missionary to death and cut up his body with hatchets. Two years later, the whole island was Catholic.
St. Peter Chanel's death bears witness to the ancient axiom that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians." He is the first martyr from Oceania, that part of the world spread over the south Pacific, and he came there as the fulfillment of a dream he had had as a boy.
Peter was born in 1803 in the diocese of Belley, France. At the age of seven, he was a shepherd boy, but the local parish priest, recognizing something unusual in the boy, convinced his parents to let him study, in a little school the priest had started. From there Peter went on to the seminary, where it was said of him: "He had a heart of gold with the simple faith of a child, and he led the life of an angel."
He was ordained a priest and assigned to a parish at Crozet. In three years he had transformed the parish. In 1831, he joined the newly founded Society of Mary, since he had long dreamed of being a missionary; but for five years he was assigned to teach at the seminary in Belley. Finally, in 1836, his dream was realized, and he was sent with other Marists to the islands of the Pacific. He had to suffer great hardships, disappointments, frustration, and almost complete failure as well as the opposition of the local chieftain. The work seemed hopeless: only a few had been baptized, and the chieftain continued to be suspicious and hostile. Then, when the chief's son asked for baptism, the chief was so angry that he sent warriors to kill the missionary.
Peter's violent death brought about the conversion of the island, and the people of Futuna remain Catholic to this day. Peter Chanel was beatified in 1889 and canonized in 1954.
Thought for the Day: Success or failure is often not completely in our hands, and sometimes we have to face what seems almost certain failure. But success is not required of us, only fidelity. St. Peter Chanel's work ended in his own death in the face of what seemed total failure. Out of that failure, God brought about the success Peter was seeking.
From 'The Catholic One Year Bible': . . . "Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He has come back to life again! Don't you remember what he told you back in Galilee . . . that he would rise again the third day?"—Luke
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source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/P/stpeterchanel.asp#ixzz1tKtv0cc7
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