Mar 10 2008
A Biography of Bishop Baraga, the Snowshoe Priest
“The Indians of Arbre-coche are almost all converted, except for some good-for-nothing stubborn ones, who do better in not dishonoring our holy religion by accepting it. - Frederick Baraga, in a letter dated June 25, 1835
Frederick Baraga, the first bishop of Marquette, Michigan, is one of my heroes. I pray that he will be declared saint; his cause for canonization has been sent to the Vatican. He was a generous and selfless man who trekked the wilderness on snowshoes during the winter and travelled by canoe, all to care for God’s people - especially the ones who didn’t know Him.
He was also feisty, as his letter attests.
ROFL. I would certainly never have the gumption to say something like that…
The funniest part is that I can just picture the type of people he was talking about: People who would have been hypocrites if they converted for show.
He was just as blunt when it came to the Office of Indian Affairs not giving the tribes their due under the law. The more I read of him, the more I’m amazed that he managed so well despite a REAL priest shortage.
BTW, his letters inspired St. John Neuman to become a missionary - not too shabby.
If you’re interested, here’s the Barage Shrine archive of articles about him:
http://www.baragashrine.com/bbshrine/news.htm