5 Questions with ... Cause of Venerable Frederic Baraga
In our seventh installment of our "5 Questions with ..." interview series we head to the State of Michigan, featuring an interview with Carley Challender of the Bishop Baraga Association (BBA), speaking about the Cause of Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga. You can learn more about Venerable Frederic Baraga here on his page at American Saints and Causes. Thank you Carley for participating!
(If you are associated with a cause and would like to participate in our interview series, email us or use the form on our Contact Us page. You can find all previous entries in the series indexed here.)
American Saints and Causes: Would you please introduce yourself and how you became involved with the cause of Venerable Frederic Baraga?
BBA: The Bishop Baraga Association (BBA) was founded in 1930 by Joseph Gregorich (1889-1984). The BBA was organized to promote the Cause for Canonization of Bishop Baraga. Joseph Gregorich was a mechanical engineer by profession and a historian by avocation. Mr. Gregorich’s mother was born in Slovenia and was a parishioner where Father Baraga had served as a parish priest. She inspired her son with a love of Baraga. Joseph Gregorich dedicated fifty years of his life to the collection (usually by microfilm), cataloging, and translation of materials relating to the life and activities of Bishop Baraga. This collection was the basis of the “Positio,” the document describing Baraga’s life of heroic virtue, which was presented in 1998 to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome.
The collection of historical data on Bishop Baraga that Joseph Gregorich amassed totaled 600 rolls of microfilm and 200 feet of shelved, printed material. Most of this historical material came from the United States, Austria, and Slovenia (which was part of communist Yugoslavia at the time of Gregorich’s collection activities). Lesser amounts were collected in Switzerland, France, and Italy. Mr. Gregorich translated all the documents in the Slovene, German, and French languages into English. He was also the primary translator of Bishop Baraga’s diary.
Ninety-five years later, our mission remains the same - to educate others of the life and labors of Bishop Baraga as we continue to work on Bishop Baraga's Cause for Canonization.
American Saints and Causes: For those who don't know, who is Bishop Frederic Baraga? What can the faithful learn from his witness to Christ?
BBA: Frederic Baraga was born on June 29, 1797 in Slovenia. By the time he was nine years old, he was fluent in the Slovenian, French and German languages. His mother died when Frederic was 11 and his father when he was 14. Frederic continued his studies and was considered a gifted linguist by the age of 16, being fluent in 6 languages. Baraga went on to study law at the University of Vienna and graduated with high honors. A devout student, lawyer and artist he became a priest at the age of 26 in 1823.
Bishop Baraga came to American in 1830. As a priest, Baraga missioned throughout the Great Lakes Region and traveled throughout the U.P.'s harshest of winters on snowshoes, earning him the nickname ”The Snowshoe Priest”. It was not uncommon for him to travel 100+ miles one way to serve the people of the Great Lakes Region. He tended not only to the Native Americans, but also to the many white settlers and iron/copper miners, who spoke German, French and English.
As the first Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette, Baraga wrote his first pastoral letter in two languages - English and Ojibwe. He was fluent in eight different languages. Over the course of his lifetime, he wrote 20 Native American books and seven Slovenian prayer books, many catholic teaching guides, as well as the Grammar and the Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language that is still in use today.
Death came to the Shepherd of the Wilderness on the early morning of January 19, 1868, the feast of the Holy Name to which he was especially devoted. January 30th, the day of his funeral, was declared a civic day of mourning in the city of Marquette, Michigan. Despite the bitter cold and blizzard conditions, St. Peter Cathedral was filled to capacity and people stood outside the building to attend the funeral. Both written and oral accounts from the time show that Catholics and non-Catholics alike believed that a Saint lived and died in their midst.
Through his works as a humble servant and a man of God, Baraga connected many to the faith. Above all else he was a man who believed that “only one thing is necessary” - to love and serve the Lord, this became his episcopal motto as the Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette. His dedication and sacrifices to the faith but also to his flock are something everyone can learn from.
American Saints and Causes: The saints often serve as examples to the faithful of how to follow Christ and grow in holiness. How has Venerable Frederic Baraga impacted you? How has he helped you live your faith?
BBA: The staff at the BBA is continually inspired by the life and work of Bishop Baraga. He believed that the salvation of one soul was more important than all the money in the world and consistently advocated for others, especially Native Americans. Bishop Baraga made significant efforts to write and publish literary works, including the Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language, to make them accessible to all.
He sacrificed much to bring faith to the people of the Great Lakes Region. Rising at 3 a.m. daily (4 a.m. in winter), he dedicated three hours each morning to prayer before starting his ministry. He even gave up artistic pursuits and other hobbies, considering them distractions from the work God called him to do.
Bishop Baraga's teachings remain relevant today, reminding us that no challenge is too great to overcome when we rely on the Lord. By incorporating his zeal and passion for the faith into everything we do, we continue the work he began many years ago.
The BBA travels to give educational presentations, and it is humbling to acknowledge that the distances we often cover are reminiscent of the journeys Bishop Baraga took by snowshoe to serve his flock. This inspires our staff to not only educate others about Bishop Baraga's life and work but also to keep his motto, “only one thing is necessary,” at the forefront of our modern-day endeavors.
American Saints and Causes: What are the next steps for the cause? Are there any potential miracles being evaluated that might lead to his beatification?
BBA: The Bishop Baraga Association continues to work on Bishop Baraga's Cause for Canonization. We are currently working on the third step of the Canonization process, beatification. Beatification requires a potential cure to be attributed to Bishop Baraga's intercession and verified after the candidate’s death. The cure must be immediate, lasting, and absent of medical intervention. Once a case meets those requirements as evaluated by the Medical Commission, it then goes to the Theological Commission, who confirms the intercession was through the person under consideration for sainthood. A declaration of Beatification means there can be limited public veneration.
The final step is Canonization. A second potential cure must occur after Bishop Baraga’s beatification. The cure follows the same arduous process of investigation and must meet the same criteria as the first cure. Once the second case is approved by the Medical and Theological Commissions, Bishop Baraga would be canonized.
A History of Bishop Baraga's Cause for Canonization
1868: Bishop Baraga died January 19, 1868. Father Jacker delivers the eulogy on the life and holiness of Baraga during his funeral on January 30, 1868.
1930: Founding of the Bishop Baraga Association to promote the cause for the beatification and canonization of Bishop Frederic Baraga. Joseph Gregorich begins locating, microfilming, translating, and cataloging of historical documentation of Bishop Baraga’s life/activities and personal correspondence from 1831-1967. Documents were obtained from 5 countries and were translated from 3 languages. This process took the next 40 years.
1952: Bishop Thomas Noa opens the Cause for Canonization of Bishop Frederic Baraga and establishes a Diocesan Historical Commission to collect the documents concerning the life, ministry and writings of Bishop Baraga.
1970: Joseph Gregorich completes the work of compiling documentation on the life and labor of Bishop Baraga.
1972: The Ordinary Process of the diocesan phase is conducted in the Diocese of Marquette under the direction of Bishop Charles Salatka, and the acts are transmitted to the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints. At the November U.S. Bishops’ meeting, 194 bishops signed a petition to Pope Paul VI, asking that the cause for the beatification and canonization of Bishop Baraga, apostle to the Indians in the upper Great Lakes region and first Bishop of Marquette, be expedited.
1998: The Positio on the life, the reputation for sanctity and the virtues of Bishop Baraga is completed and accepted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Ten years later in December, the Positio receives the overwhelming approval of the historical consultors to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
2010: A diocesan process to investigate an alleged miracle through the intercession of Bishop Baraga is concluded. The acts of the process are transmitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
2012: Bishop Baraga is declared Venerable.
2018: An inquiry was opened into a new potential cure of unexplained origin.
2019: An inquiry is closed and is sent for review by the Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
American Saints and Causes: If someone wanted to help, how could they best support or assist the work of the cause of Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga?
BBA: The best way for people to support Bishop Baraga’s cause for canonization is through prayer. Pray for the beatification and canonization of this saintly man, pray for the sustainability of the Bishop Baraga Association, and pray that Bishop Baraga’s mission of helping people deepen in their faith and bringing people to the faith continues.
Another way to get involved is by helping the Bishop Baraga Association teach others about the life of this remarkable man. You can also support us by becoming a member of the Bishop Baraga Association or by making a financial contribution. Additionally, you can share information about Bishop Baraga, visit the Baraga Educational Center and Museum in Marquette, MI, or help us spread the word in your parishes and communities.
LEARN ABOUT BISHOP BARAGA
The Bishop Baraga Association is the official organization for Bishop Baraga's Cause for Canonization. For those interested in the life and labors of Bishop Baraga, we encourage you to reach out to the BBA and visit our website at www.bishopbaraga.org.
DONATE
The Bishop Baraga Association is completely donor funded. Monetary donations are always accepted graciously! When donations are made to the BBA, the donor can specify where they would like their contribution to be made. Contributions can be designated as a General Donation, to the Baraga Educational Center & Museum, or Rome Expense. You can make a donation here.
MEMBERSHIP
Annual memberships to the Bishop Baraga Association (BBA) are available to everyone. Members will receive the quarterly Baraga Bulletin and updates on activities at the association, the Baraga Educational Center & Museum, and upcoming events.
Youth memberships are also offered for just $5, and they are valid until the member's 18th birthday. These youth memberships include the receipt of youth bulletins five times a year during the school year.
VISIT THE BARAGA EDUCATIONAL CENTER AND MUSEUM
The Baraga Educational Center and Museum, located in Marquette, Michigan, is open to the public and serves as a museum, preserving the artifacts and tools used by Bishop Baraga during his ministry and telling the story of the man, the priest, and the bishop as he ministered throughout the Great Lakes Region. We welcome people to visit the Prayer Gardens and Votive House also located on the grounds.
Thank you so much, Carley, for introducing all of us to the life of Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga! I've had the opportunity to visit and pray at his tomb and tour the Bishop Baraga Association's center. It is worth the pilgrimage! You can learn more about Bishop Baraga here on his page at American Saints and Causes.