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Frederic Baraga | |
---|---|
Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie and Marquette | |
Native name | Irenaeus Fridericus Paraga |
Province | Detroit |
See | Sault Sainte Marie, later Sault Sainte Marie and Marquette |
Appointed | January 9, 1857 |
Term ended | January 19, 1868 |
Successor | Ignatius Mrak |
Previous post(s) |
|
Orders | |
Ordination | September 21, 1823 by Augustin Johann Joseph Gruber |
Consecration | November 1, 1853 by John Baptist Purcell |
Personal details | |
Born | Friderik Irenej Baraga June 29, 1797 |
Died | January 19, 1868 70) Marquette, Michigan, United States | (aged
Buried | St. Peter Cathedral, Marquette, Michigan, United States |
Nationality | Habsburg monarchy |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Alma mater | University of Vienna |
Coat of arms | |
Relatives | Antonija Höffern (sister) |
Irenaeus Frederic Baraga (June 29, 1797 – January 19, 1868; Slovene : Irenej Friderik Baraga) was a Slovenian Catholic missionary to the United States, grammarian and author of Christian poetry and hymns in Native American languages. He was the first Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie and Marquette, a post he held for 15 years.
His letters about his missionary work were published widely in Europe, inspiring the priests John Neumann and Francis Xavier Pierz to emigrate to the United States. [1] In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared him "Venerable." [2]
Frederic Baraga was born in the manor house at Mala Vas (German : Kleindorf) no. 16 near the Carniolan village of Dobrnič, in what was then Lower Carniola, a province of the Duchy of Carniola in the Habsburg monarchy. Today it is a part of the Municipality of Trebnje in Slovenia. [3] Never using his first name, he was baptized Irenaeus Fridericus Paraga. [4] [5]
He was the fourth of five children born to Janez Baraga and Marija Katarina Jožefa née Jenčič; among his siblings was his sister Antonija, who would later become the first Slovenian woman to immigrate to the United States. [6] [7] Upon her father's death, his mother inherited an estate at Mala Vas, plus a substantial fortune. His mother died in 1808, and his father in 1812. Frederic spent his boyhood in the house of Jurij Dolinar, a lay professor at the diocesan seminary at Ljubljana. [6] [8]
Baraga grew up during the Napoleonic Wars, when France had taken over the Slovene Lands from the Austrian Empire for a time. As a result, the official language of instruction in his schools changed several times during his childhood between Slovenian and German. By the time he was nine, he was fluent in French as well. [9] In addition, Latin and Greek were required subjects for all students. Thus, by age 16, Frederic Baraga was multilingual—a skill that would serve him well in later life.
Baraga attended law school at the University of Vienna, where he graduated in 1821. Influenced by Clement Mary Hofbauer, Baraga then entered the seminary in Ljubljana. [9] At age 26, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on September 21, 1823, in St. Nicholas Cathedral by Augustin Johann Joseph Gruber, the Bishop of Ljubljana. As a young priest, he was assigned as an assistant first at St. Martin's near Kranj and later at Metlika in lower Carniola. [8] Father Baraga was a staunch opponent of Jansenism. During this time, he wrote a spiritual book in Slovene entitled Dušna Paša (Spiritual Sustenance).
In 1830 Baraga answered the request of Bishop Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati for priests to aid in ministering to his growing flock, which included a large mission territory. He left his homeland on October 29, 1830, and arrived in New York on December 31. He arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 18, 1831. During the winter and spring, he worked among the German immigrants in the area. [8] At the same time, he studied the Ottawa language, a branch of the Algonquian languages. In May 1831 was sent to the Ottawa Indian mission at L'Arbre Croche (present-day Cross Village, Michigan) to finish his mastery of the language.
In 1837, he published Otawa Anamie-Misinaigan, the first book written in the Ottawa language, which included a Catholic catechism and prayer book. After a brief stay at a mission in present-day Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1835, Baraga moved north to minister to the Ojibway (Chippewa) Indians at La Pointe, Wisconsin, at a former Jesuit mission on Lake Superior. He was joined by his sister Antonija. [6]
In 1843 Baraga founded a mission at L'Anse, Michigan. During this time, he earned the nickname "the Snowshoe Priest" because he would travel hundreds of miles each year on snowshoes during the harsh winters. [10] He worked to protect the Indians from being forced to relocate, as well as publishing a dictionary and grammar of the Ojibway language. Although these works have important historical value, they are not recommended as basic resources for the language today. [11]
With the collaboration of many native speakers, Fr. Baraga also composed around 100 Catholic hymns in the Ojibwe language, which were published in a hymnal and still continue to be used by the Ojibwe people in Roman Catholic worship in both Canada and the United States. [12] [13]
Through the texts Baraga published in his missionary years, the Slovenes learned about aspects of Native American culture and the United States. [14]
Baraga was elevated to bishop by Pope Pius IX and consecrated November 1, 1853, in Cincinnati at Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral [15] by Archbishop John Purcell. He was the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, now the Diocese of Marquette. [16]
On June 27, 1852, [17] he began to keep a diary, written in several languages (primarily German, but with English, French, Slovene, Chippewa, Latin, and Italian interspersed), preserving accounts of his missionary travels and his relationship with his sister Amalia. During this time, the area experienced a population explosion, as European immigrants were attracted to work in the copper and iron mines developed near Houghton, Ontonagon, and Marquette. This presented a challenge because he had few priests and attended to immigrant miners and the Native Americans. Increased development and population encouraged the improvement of transportation on Lake Superior.
The only way to travel in winter was on snowshoes, which Baraga continued to do into his sixties. He was particularly challenged by the vast diversity of peoples in the region, including the native inhabitants, ethnic French-Canadian settlers, and the new German and Irish immigrant miners. [10] Difficulties in recruiting staff arose because of many languages; while Baraga spoke eight languages fluently, he had trouble recruiting priests who could do the same.
Baraga traveled twice to Europe to raise money for his diocese. He was presented a jeweled cross and episcopal ring by the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The bishop later sold these for his missions.
Baraga wrote numerous letters to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith describing his missionary activities. The Society published them widely as examples of its missions in North America, and they were instrumental in inspiring the priests John Neumann and Francis Xavier Pierz to come to the United States to work. In time, Baraga became renowned throughout Europe for his work. In his last ten years, his health gradually declined; he became intermittently deaf and suffered a series of strokes. In 1865 Baraga wrote to Pope Pius IX in support of the canonization of his former confessor, Clement Hofbauer. [9] He died January 19, 1868, in Marquette, Michigan. [10] He is buried there in a chapel constructed for him at Saint Peter Cathedral; he formerly reposed with other bishops of Marquette in the cathedral crypt. [10] [18]
Baraga was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI on May 10, 2012. [19] His cause was opened in 1952 by Thomas Lawrence Noa, the diocese's eighth bishop, and the formal canonization process began in 1973. [10] The diocese planned to relocate his remains to a more accessible new chapel for veneration in the upper portion of the cathedral. [10] At the time of his veneration, the Vatican was investigating a possible miracle for beatification. [10]
The Bishop Baraga House is home to the Baraga Educational Center and Museum. It is located in Marquette, Michigan and is open to visitors daily (weather permitting). The current location of the house is not the original location. [25] It was moved in 1872 to where it currently stands today. [25]
The lot the house originally sat on was bought by Baraga from the Cleveland Mining Company for $250. [24] Construction on the house began in 1857 and was completed in the same year. [24] The building itself was intended to be used as a church. The first floor was where Mass was celebrated, and the second story had a living area typically for priests. [24] The church was first pastored by Reverend Sebastian Duroc with Baraga visiting from time to time. [24] However, in 1865, the Vatican approved a request to move the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese in Upper Michigan to Marquette. [24] Thus in 1866, Baraga moved there permanently and lived there until his death in 1868. [24] The Baraga House is known as the first permanent building in Marquette and was the first Catholic church in the city. [24] The house changed ownership a few times in the subsequent years. [24] In 1988, the house was sold back to the Catholic Church by the Wilfred Fleury estate. [24] Since then, it has been taken care of by the Catholic Diocese of Marquette. [24]
The Baraga Educational Center and Museum was first opened in 2018. [24] A fundraising campaign was started in January 2018 to raise $500,000 to renovate the house and was opened in August of the same year. [24] The house is home to artifacts, tools, and writings all used by Baraga during his time in ministry. [25] The building also has a gift shop and the office space for the Bishop Baraga Association. [25] In 2019, prayer gardens with stations of the cross were made available to the public. [25]
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette is an ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church, encompassing the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan in the United States. The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit. Its cathedral is St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette, which replaced Holy Name of Mary Pro-Cathedral at Sault Ste. Marie.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay is a Latin church diocese in the northeast region of Wisconsin in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Its mother church is the Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier in Green Bay.
The Diocese of Superior is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northwest Wisconsin in the United States. Its episcopal see is Superior, and the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior is its mother church. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie-Marquette was, until 1937, a diocese of the Latin Church in northern Michigan. Today it is a titular see known as the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie in Michigan(Latin: Dioecesis Marianopolitana in Michigania).
St. Peter Cathedral is a large Roman Catholic cathedral located on Baraga Avenue in Marquette, Michigan. As the mother church of the Diocese of Marquette, it is one of the most notable marks of Catholic presence in the Upper Peninsula. The cathedral was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
Francis Xavier Pierz was a Slovenian-American Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa and Ojibwe Indians in present-day Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Minnesota. Because his letters convinced numerous Catholic German Americans to settle in Central Minnesota after the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851, Fr. Pierz is referred to as the "Father of the Diocese of Saint Cloud."
Charles Alexander Kazimieras Salatka was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in Oklahoma from 1977 to 1992. Salatka was the first bishop of Lithuanian descent in the United States.
Alexander King Sample is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Portland since 2013. He previously served as Bishop of Marquette from 2005 to 2013.
Ignatius Mrak was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Sault Saint Marie and Marquette from 1869 to 1879.
John Vertin was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie and Marquette in Michigan from 1879 until his death in 1899.
Holy Redeemer Church is an historic Carpenter Gothic style Roman Catholic church located at the west end of Center Street in Eagle Harbor, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Jack E. Anderson was a metal sculptor of large commemorative statues that are roadside attractions in the Midwestern United States. His work includes the 36-foot (11 m) tall figure that is part of the 81-foot (25 m) Iron Man statue at the entrance to the Ironworld Discovery Center, 1.3 kilometers outside Chisholm, Minnesota, and a statue dedicated to Bishop Baraga in L'Anse, Michigan. Anderson died December 5, 1993, while living in Chassell, Michigan.
John Nepomucene Stariha was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Lead, South Dakota, serving from 1902 to 1909.
Frederick Eis was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie-Marquette in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from 1899 to 1922.
Saint Ignatius Loyola Church is a church located at 703 East Houghton Avenue in Houghton, Michigan. The church was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Knežja Vas is a village in the Municipality of Trebnje in eastern Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region.
Holy Name of Mary Proto-Cathedral, also known as St. Mary Proto-Cathedral, is a historic Roman Catholic parish church in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States, that was formerly a cathedral church and the first cathedral, hence "proto-cathedral", of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette. It is the oldest parish and oldest cathedral parish in Michigan, and the third oldest parish in the United States. While the present church edifice, the fifth for the parish, dates from 1881, the parish began in 1668 as a Jesuit mission. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and designated a State of Michigan historic site in 1989. The proto-cathedral was the (first) cathedral of the Diocese of Marquette when it was denominated the "Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie", which diocesan title is presently that of a titular episcopal see.
WGJU is a radio station broadcasting a Catholic Christian radio station in East Tawas, Michigan serving the East Tawas and Iosco County area of Michigan's Tawas Bay region. It is a repeater of originating station of WTCY 88.3 FM licensed to Greilickville, Michigan with studio and office formerly located at Indian River near the Cross in the Woods outdoor Catholic shrine which moved to new facilities at its new base in Traverse City in the spring of 2015. The station currently airs programming from Catholic radio network Relevant Radio.
Lovrenc Lavtižar, also known as Lawrence Lautishar, was a Slovene missionary in Minnesota.
Antonija Höffern was a Slovenian noblewoman and educator who is credited as being the first Slovenian woman to immigrate to the United States, doing so in 1837. After spending two years working as a missionary with the Ojibwe, she moved to Philadelphia, where she established an elite girls' school.
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