John Coleridge Patteson
1827-1871 19th century Feast day: September 20
Real affection for those one has come to serve, and work carried on without seeing its fruit.
Who was John Coleridge Patteson?
The son of an English judge and gifted at languages, he left at twenty-eight for Melanesia and became the first bishop of those islands. He learned some twenty local languages and publicly opposed the traders who kidnapped islanders for the plantations. He was killed on the island of Nukapu, in reprisal for a kidnapping carried out by those same traders.
In their own words
I do like them. With English children I never was at my ease; but I don't feel shy with Melanesians.
I fully believe that in some quite unexpected way a work will be begun here some day.
We shall do that in due time, if we faint not.