Tag: Missionaries

When St. Peter Chanel (1803-1841) first applied for his bishop’s permission for missionary work, not long after his 1827 ordination, he was denied and sent to work in a French country parish. For a priest with his gifts and talents, it was no surprise that he revitalized it in a short amount of time. The people came to love him for his charity and care for them, particularly the marginalized and sick.

St. Peter Chanel did not let his desire for the missions die out, however. He had long been drawn to foreign evangelization since he was a young boy, after reading accounts of American missionaries written by the French missionary Bishop Louis Dubourg, who had authority over much of America’s southern states and territories.

A bright and gifted student, St. Peter won a variety of awards that proved his theological and linguistic prowess, making him an ideal candidate for the missions.

In 1831, St. Peter again sought permission to join the Society of Mary (called the Marists), a missionary congregation founded a few decades earlier in his native France focused on evangelical work in local and foreign missions. Despite joining the congregation, however, St. Peter was unable to fulfill his missionary desires for at least five years, assigned instead to teach in a minor seminary.

In 1836, after the Marists obtained papal approval, the order was asked to send missionaries to various regions of Oceania. St. Peter was assigned as superior of a group who set sail the same year.

A desire to share the Gospel with those who never heard of Christ brought St. Peter to the French controlled island of Futuna. He and his companion, a French lay brother, were in store for a difficult and arduous task in the mission field there. Although St. Peter struggled to learn the language, he went on to master it. And there were the difficulties with a new culture and isolation on a remote island. St. Peter wrote how he believed the local religion was Satan’s work, but he was patient and willing to work slowly for their conversion.

At first, the king of Futuna favorably received St. Peter and his companion. However, there was a miscommunication that the missionaries were only visitors learning the natives’ language and customs. Once their intentions were made clear, combined with the successes of Christian missionaries on nearby islands, the king turned on the missionaries. He perceived and feared the threats they posed to his power. But, for good reason, the Europeans were also feared for their exploitation of Futuna women and general mistreatment of the natives.

The king’s tension with the missionaries reached a boiling point when the king’s own son expressed his desire for baptism. In response, the king sent his brute son-in-law to kill the missionaries.

St. Peter knew well that his life was threatened, writing: “It does not matter whether or not I am killed; the religion has taken root on the island; it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God.”

While others rushed the saint’s house and vandalized it, the king’s son-in-law clubbed St. Peter to the ground, killing him with an axe. He died, only 37, on April 28, 1841, the protomartyr of Oceania and of his congregation.

Within a year of St. Peter Chanel’s death, the local bishop assigned several other missionaries to Futuna, and most of the island converted to the Faith — including St. Peter’s murderer.

His feast day is April 28.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael

Unbounded charity and unfettered zeal for the Faith define St. Francis Solanus’ missionary work to South America. A Franciscan known as the “Wonderworker of the New World,” who healed the sick and tamed wild animals, St. Francis Solanus was a passionate preacher who desired nothing more than to win souls for Christ.

Setting aside a life of comfort and prestige as the son of wealthy parents, St. Francis Solanus took the Franciscan habit and pledged himself to their strict observance of poverty. Ordained a priest in 1576, he proved to be a man of many talents and served as novice master before he became renowned for his phenomenal preaching abilities. A few years later, he took ill from the plague after spending a good portion of his ministry caring for and ministering to victims of the disease.

Around age 40, he intended to be sent to Africa as a missionary; however, plans soon changed. In response to Spanish King Philip II’s request to send missionaries to Peru, he was sent to South America.

St. Francis Solanus is often depicted holding a violin, which he used when ministering to the indigenous peoples, and he would often play it before the Blessed Sacrament.

En route, the boat on which the saint was traveling was shipwrecked. They decided to save the passengers and crew but to abandon a host of African slaves in the wrecked boat. St. Francis Solanus, who had been instructing them in the Faith during the journey, refused to leave their side, knowing full well that the boat was sinking. Staying with the slaves, he offered them baptism. Some were lost when the boat split apart, but he remained with the rest until they were rescued.

For over two decades in South America, St. Francis Solanus labored tirelessly to spread the Gospel throughout the continent. His travels throughout parts of Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina were not easy, given the dangers in store in such an undeveloped and rugged terrain.

As with any missionary, it was vital to learn the native languages to be most successful, and St. Francis Solanus was competent in that regard. It is reported that he had the gift of tongues — an outpouring of the Holy Spirit first given to the Apostles at Pentecost.

While in Argentina, St. Francis Solanus performed mass baptisms and worked for the acceptance of Christianity by the people. He toiled to advance the rights and dignity of the natives, speaking out against their poor treatment by the Spaniards who profited greatly by exploiting them.

St. Francis Solanus was truly a pastor to the native peoples, engaging and accompanying them through life. He would spend time with the tribes, bringing his violin and joining them in dance. For this reason he is often depicted carrying the stringed instrument in his hands.

Moving back to Lima, Peru around the turn of the century, St. Francis Solanus entered a new phase of ministry to the Spaniards who settled in Peru. His sermons were marked by fire and brimstone, preaching about the end of the world and judgment. The viceroy had to intervene, asking him to moderate his preaching. He relented little, marching down the streets of Lima with a crucifix in hand, entering places of ill-repute and calling the people to a better way of life.

St. Francis Solanus also was known for his sense of humor, and he would raise eyebrows when, on his way to a Marian shrine, the celibate priest would remark that he was on his way to serenade a most beautiful lady.

Confined to an infirmary for his last two years, St. Francis Solanus died on July 14, 1610, and is revered throughout the continent he evangelized.

His feast day is July 14.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael.

Though born in Ireland, St. Columba (521-597) is mostly remembered for sowing the seeds of God’s word in Scotland.

His early years were spent in monasteries, learning the life of prayer and study under the tutelage of St. Finnian — one of the fathers of Irish monasticism. In fact, St. Columba is included in a list of 11 other students of St. Finnian, who are collectively referred to as the “Twelve Apostles of Ireland.” Additionally, St. Columba went on to apprentice under another of those 12, St. Mobhi.

St. Columba’s work as a priest and abbot were aided and enhanced by the characteristic of a great, imposing personality. A man of large stature, St. Columba was known to have a booming voice that could be heard distinctly, even a mile away.

An interesting dispute arose between St. Columba and his mentor St. Finnian, even causing a war that resulted in over 3,000 deaths. The issue was over a copyright, involving a copy of St. Jerome’s translation of the psalter. St. Columba had produced a copy of it at St. Finnian’s monastery, but they both laid claim to it as their property. St. Columba regarded the copy to be his since he produced it. And St. Finnian believed it was his since he owned the original.

Recourse was made to the king, who sided with St. Finnian. But St. Columba rejected the decision, and he enlisted the help of a clan to rebel against the king around 561. The Battle of Cúl Dreimhne is notable for its status as one of history’s first conflicts over a copyright.

Other subsequent disagreements with the king made it difficult for St. Columba to continue in his native land. Later in life, internal Church politics brought sanctions levied upon him, which seem to have been proven false when St. Brendan saw a vision of angels surrounding St. Columba. But it is not uncommon for saints to have difficulties with authorities, either ecclesial or civil.

Within a few years, St. Columba left Ireland for Scotland, setting out with 12 companions in a wicker canoe. Although the reason is not entirely certain, it is likely there was an invitation for St. Columba from another kingdom in western Scotland. In some ways, he was not leaving his native people, since the Gaels had been in that region for a couple centuries.

Landing first in a place where his native isle could still be seen, legend has it that St. Columba directed his party to go farther, eventually settling in Iona, on land given to him by the local king.

In Scotland, St. Columba’s establishment of a monastery at Iona brought a renaissance of monasticism in the country. Additionally, the erection of churches and schools were an essential part of his mission.

The monastery he founded grew in reputation as a school for missionaries. And his reputation for holiness and prophesy made him a neutral party to help negotiate between clans and other factions. His influence is seen in a variety of political decisions.

There are legends that St. Columba was also a miracle worker, one of which involved him banishing to the River Ness a giant water beast that killed a man and threatened the life of one of the saint’s followers. Many believe this could be related to the myth of the Loch Ness monster.

St. Columba’s abbey also has been regarded as a center for literacy in the region. He himself was a poet and hymnographer, and he transcribed several hundred texts.

He died, predicting the date of his own death, in the sanctuary of his abbey’s church in 597.

His feast day is June 9.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael.

Pope St. John Paul II noted at her beatification  the rare blend of characteristics found in Marie Guyart: “wife, mother, widow, businesswoman, religious, mystic and missionary.”

The first woman to evangelize North America, Marie Guyart was a baker’s daughter born in Tours, France, just before the turn of the 17th century. She was a mystic from an early age. The Lord once appeared to her and desired that she be totally his, to which she replied with a wholehearted, “Yes!”

Despite the early seeds of a religious vocation planted in her heart, St. Marie was married at 17 to a silk dealer. Widowed at 19 with a six-month-old son, she was left responsible for her husband’s bankrupt business and settled many claims against it with an astute ability in commerce and finance.

Although other men offered marriage to her, the widowed St. Marie made a vow of chastity. Spending some time with her family, she focused on efforts to make money by embroidery. Later she worked for her brother-in-law’s business for many years.

During this time, St. Marie was committed to providing a good education for her son. Put in charge of her brother-in-law’s business, her time was much more restricted, yet she made time for daily Mass and prayer.

The most drastic change in her life came when she discerned the Lord was calling her to religious life a few years before turning 30. This meant leaving her son in the care of her family, enabling her to enter the novitiate of the Ursuline order, taking vows as Sister Marie de l’Incarnation in 1633.

St. Marie did not stay in the French convent for long. Stirred by a dream about a decade later, the mystic was shown a beautiful and scenic land by God. He told her “it was Canada that I showed you; you must go there to build a house for Jesus and Mary.” This explains why she became absorbed with missionary zeal for the New World.

Once she learned from Jesuits about missions in New France, St. Marie set out for Quebec in 1639 with a small group, including another Ursuline. Her business skills proved very useful as she began a school for Native American girls, the first educational institution for women in North America. She also built the first monastery on the continent, and was superior and novice mistress for the growing order. Her son went on to enter the Benedictines, and he kept in regular contact with his mother through heartfelt letters.

St. Marie of the Incarnation was an evangelist and missionary in the truest sense, even learning four languages and developing dictionaries to share the Gospel and educate the natives.

Great suffering was also part of her life. This manifested itself in a variety of illnesses, including a long-term battle with liver disease, which almost took her life in 1645. She wrote her son, “The seriousness of the ailment which I suffered convinced me more and more to work solely for God, and to practice virtue when one is well, but especially to keep one’s conscience pure and clean.”

St. Marie died in the presence of her community on April 30, 1672. On her deathbed she made sure that word would be sent to her son: “Tell him that I am carrying him with me in my heart.” Upon hearing the news of her death, her saddened bishop St. François Laval eulogized, “Jesus Christ possessed her so completely … that she lived and acted only through Jesus Christ.” She was canonized in 2014.

Her feast day is April 30.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael.

Saints Cyril and Methodius were born in modern-day Greece and believed to be the oldest and youngest boys in a family of seven children. Promising careers awaited both of them, as well as comfortable lives of privilege given their nobility. Methodius, originally named Michael, climbed the ranks of civil service through political and administrative service — for a time he served as a governor on behalf of the emperor. Cyril, originally named Constantine, was on track to obtain a prestigious, lifelong academic post.

Both were destined by God’s providence for another path, however. Unsatisfied with what they had and yearning for more, which they knew was only to be found in God, they gave up the positions and career paths that awaited them, opting for lives of deeper devotion to God. Serving God more directly in their new vocations, Cyril and Methodius found that the Lord used their gifts and talents in a way more profitable to advancing the kingdom.

Having obtained theological mastery in his scholarship, Cyril’s skills were useful in delicate negotiations on behalf of the emperor. He was ordained a priest after completing his education and became a monk not long before his death. Methodius became a monk earlier in life and served as a deacon and abbot for many years, before being ordained a priest and later a bishop after Cyril’s death.

In 862, through the Byzantine emperor, God called the holy brothers to the important evangelical work that would define their lives and ministry — and eventually earn them the title of co-patrons of Europe. It was likely, just as much for political reasons as religious, that the prince of the Great Moravian Empire called upon the Byzantine emperor’s assistance in spreading Christianity among his realm. But through this, God allowed Saints Cyril and Methodius to build up a civilization and culture that made Moravia shine as a model of Christian society.

While Christianity already had been present in Moravia, it was widely rejected. So the prince desired a fresh approach to spreading the Gospel among his people. Cyril and Methodius took an inventive approach to bringing the Good News to the people of Moravia. Their efforts were rooted in translating the Bible into a language that would be intelligible to the Moravian people.

This required standardizing and codifying a language from among the disparate parts of Moravia. St. Cyril is credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet — the oldest Slavic alphabet and the foundation for the modern Cyrillic alphabets — named after the saintly linguist and still used throughout Eastern Europe and northern and central Asia. Cyril and Methodius also sought papal approval for a translation of the liturgical rites into the same language in which they translated Scripture. Several Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches still use Church Slavonic as their liturgical language.

Not everyone appreciated the efforts of Cyril and Methodius, particularly the Germanic bishops who complained about them to the pope. They were summoned to Rome in 867, and they arrived the following year — where they greeted a new pope, Adrian II. They brought along the relics of St. Clement, the fourth pope. It was then that the pope gave permission for the liturgical translation they produced, and he ordained Methodius and several of their followers to the priesthood.

St. Cyril died in Rome in 869 and St. Methodius returned to labor another two decades in Moravia — most of those years as an archbishop, an office he had been appointed to by the pope for his loyalty to Rome and which cost him much, including imprisonment. He died in 885.

Their feast day is Feb. 14.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael.

St. Francis Xavier (1505-1552) was born into nobility, the youngest child in a family of wealth and honor. While at university in Paris, he roomed with future saint Peter Faber, and the two were later joined by another roommate about a generation later — future saint Ignatius of Loyola.

Loyola convinced Faber to become a priest, but a similar success with Xavier would require more work on Loyola’s part. The athletic young Xavier wanted a career that promised the allurements of worldly success. Of course, over time Loyola prevailed upon Xavier, and the three roommates were among the seven original members of the Society of Jesus founded by Loyola. All seven took first vows in Paris in 1534.

From that time the Jesuits have taken a special fourth vow — in addition to the tradition evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience — of obedience to the pope. Like the other founding members of the Jesuit order, Xavier originally intended to serve in the Holy Land and bring conversion to “the infidels” who were sabotaging the biblical lands.

This was the Age of Exploration, when European powers were laying claim to foreign lands. The Portuguese government asked the pope to send Jesuits to their new territories in the Near East. Although Loyola had not picked Xavier at first, he became the first Jesuit missionary by happenstance, because one of Loyola’s first choices took ill at the last minute. Xavier began the voyage east in 1541, following a private audience with Portugal’s king and queen.

Destined to die by the age of 46, St. Francis Xavier devoted his remaining years planting the seeds of the Gospel throughout India and Asia. To support Xavier in his work, the pope had named him his own representative in the new mission field, appointing him apostolic nuncio to the East.

Xavier first came to Goa, initially settled by the Portuguese a few decades earlier. These first European settlers in southern India lived scandalously, and so the king’s primary orders to Xavier was to restore them to the Faith. Xavier’s initial approach was to focus his ministry on the peripheries, beginning with outreach to those on the margins, especially the sick and children.

For over three years, Xavier’s preaching preaching in southern India resulted in a large number of conversions and the establishment of many churches. He continued this work in modern-day Sri Lanka and a variety of Portuguese-controlled islands as well.

In 1547, Xavier met an exiled Japanese criminal named Anjirō, from whom he learned about Japan and its cultural prohibition on outsiders. Xavier desired to bring the Gospel there. Anjirō became the first Japanese Christian and accompanied Xavier on his mission there, serving as an interpreter and guide.

In Japan, Xavier found it difficult to meet with local rulers. To present himself as important, he dressed up and had his attendants present him with gifts. Subsequently, he presented himself as a diplomat representing the Portuguese king, presenting a ruler with gifts. This opened the door for his evangelization in Japan, the first to spread the Gospel on the island.

It took great effort for Xavier to learn the language, and the Japanese were not easily converted. But the “Apostle of Japan”
baptized around 2,000 souls there. He opined that “among all unbelievers, no finer people will be found than the Japanese.”

After returning to India briefly to tend to a variety of issues that needed his attention, Xavier desired to set out for China, which was harder to enter than Japan. But he died en route on Dec. 3, 1552.

His feast day is Dec. 3.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter at @HeinleinMichael.