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The Catholic Church in the United States was built mostly by missionaries from Europe, people such as Irenaeus Frederic Baraga.
Frederic Baraga, who never used his first name, was born on June 29, 1797 in what is known today as Slovenia, fourth of five children. He was raised by a professor from the Catholic diocesan seminary after both of his parents died.
Because his homeland was ruled by different countries during his formative years, official languages of instruction changed frequently. By the time he was 16, Frederic was fluent in Slovenian, German and French, and he studied Latin and Greek in school. This background in language proved to be a great blessing in his missionary life in the United States.
Frederic graduated from the University of Vienna in 1821 with a law degree. But he left law to became a Catholic priest at the age of 26. Partly, Frederic was influenced by St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, a Moravian Redemptorist priest known as the “Apostle of Vienna.”
After serving for a time in Europe as a parish priest, Fr. Frederic answered the call of Bishop Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati, Ohio to serve as a missionary. Fr. Frederic arrived in Cincinnati in January of 1831 and began working with German immigrants. In addition, he studied the Ottawa language. In May of 1831, the bishop sent him to the Ottawa mission in Michigan. In 1837, he published the first-ever book in the Ottawa language that included a prayer book and catechism. His facility for languages was astounding.
Fr. Frederic was sent to various locations in Wisconsin and Michigan, working with various tribes. Because of the severe winters, in which the only way to get around to many of the remote areas he served was to go by snowshoes, he became known fondly as “The Snowshoe Priest.”
On November 1, 1853, Pope Pius IX named him a bishop. Frederic has the honor of becoming the first Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, today known as the Diocese of Marquette.
Fortunately, Bishop Frederic kept a diary in many languages about his missionary travels. Some of his writings influence other European missionaries to come to the United States such as St. John Neumann, a Bohemian Redemptorist who served as Bishop of Philadelphia, and Francis Xavier Pierz, a Slovenian missionary priest who worked extensively with many indigenous tribes in Minnesota.
Bishop Frederic Baraga died on January 19, 1868 and was proclaimed Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
