Frederic Baraga

In 1830, Father Baraga left for the United States under the auspices of the Leopoldine Society of Vienna. He arrived in New York on December 31, 1830, and then joined Cincinnati. He was sent to Arbre Croche in 1831 to evangelize the Ottawa and the Ojibwe. He founded several missions (Grand River, La Pointe, L'Anse) and published major linguistic works, including a grammar and a dictionary of the Ojibwe language. Nicknamed "the snowshoe priest," he traveled great distances in the cold to visit his faithful and actively defended their territorial rights.

On July 29, 1853, Pope Pius IX appointed him Vicar Apostolic of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Consecrated bishop on November 1, 1853, by Bishop John Baptist Purcell, he established his see in Sault Sainte-Marie and later in Marquette, becoming its first bishop. Despite a severe stroke in 1866 in Baltimore, he chose to return to his faithful. He passed away in destitution on January 19, 1868, in Marquette.

The reputation for holiness of Bishop Baraga led to the creation of the Bishop Baraga Association in 1930. The diocesan process opened in 1952, and his cause was introduced in Rome in 1973, declaring him a Servant of God. On May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, proclaiming him venerable. The cause now awaits the recognition of a miracle for his beatification.

Inspired by his motto "Unum est necessarium," Baraga lived in absolute poverty and total dedication to the marginalized. His writings inspired numerous vocations, including that of Saint John Neumann. His name is borne by several localities (Baraga County and village), and an 18-meter-high monument is dedicated to him in L'Anse. His tomb is located in St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette.