Apr. 28 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter; Opt. Mem. of St. Peter Chanel, Priest & Martyr (NZ, Feast); Opt. Mem. of St. Louis Mary de Montfort, Priest , Opt. Mem.
Today the Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chanel (1803-1841). St. Peter was born in France in 1802. He was ordained a priest in 1827, and engaged in the parochial ministry for a few years; but the reading of letters of missionaries in far-away lands inflamed his heart with zeal, and he resolved to devote his life to the Apostolate. He joined the Society of Mary (Marists), and in 1836 he embarked for Oceania. He died a martyr's death on the island of Futuna, Melanesia. He is called the apostle of Oceania where he spread the Gospel.
