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Venerable Frederic Baraga
Image: Mathew Benjamin Brady · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Venerable Frederic Baraga

Slovenian priest turned bishop who ministered to Ottawa and Ojibwe peoples

Rank
Venerable
Kind
Bishop, Missionary
Life
1797 – 1868
Era
19th century
Countries
Slovenia, United States
United StatesSlovenia

Life story

Frederic Baraga was born on 29 June 1797 at the manor of Mala Vas near Dobrnič in Carniola, now Slovenia. He studied law in Vienna, entered the seminary in Ljubljana and was ordained a priest on 21 September 1823. After some years as an assistant priest he left Carniola on 29 October 1830, reached New York at the end of that year and arrived in Cincinnati in early 1831 at the invitation of Bishop Edward Fenwick.

From there he worked among the Ottawa and Ojibwe in Michigan and Wisconsin, at missions including L'Arbre Croche, Grand River (now Grand Rapids), La Pointe on Lake Superior, and L'Anse, which he founded in 1843. Because he often travelled on foot, by canoe or on snowshoes, he was nicknamed the Snowshoe Priest. He wrote a prayer book and catechism in Ottawa (published 1837), an Ojibwe grammar and a dictionary (printed 1853), and, according to some biographies, about a hundred hymns in Native languages.

On 28 July 1853 he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Upper Michigan and was consecrated bishop on 1 November 1853 in Cincinnati. In 1857 the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie was created with him as bishop; in 1866 he moved his residence to Marquette. In the autumn of 1866 he suffered a severe stroke while attending the Council of Baltimore. He died in Marquette on 19 January 1868, aged 70. His cause was opened in 1952; Benedict XVI declared him Venerable in May 2012. He has not been beatified.

Works and witness

  • Ordained in Ljubljana in 1823 and sailed for the United States in 1830
  • Served Ottawa and Ojibwe communities at several missions in Michigan and Wisconsin
  • Published an Ottawa prayer book (1837) and an Ojibwe dictionary (1853)
  • Became Vicar Apostolic of Upper Michigan and was consecrated bishop in 1853
  • First bishop of the diocese later based in Marquette

Saints from the same country

Blessed Anton Martin Slomšek, Saint Junípero Serra, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

References

  • Bishop Baraga Association: 'Pope declares Bishop Frederic Baraga Venerable' (10 May 2012), bishopbaraga.org/venerable
  • Catholic World Report: 'The Snowshoe Priest: Ven. Frederic Baraga remembered' (14 March 2018)

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.