BARAGA, FRIEDRICH. - One of the greatest missionaries of modern times in North America and the first bishop of Marquette. Born on June 29, 1797 at Kleindorf in Carniola (Austria). Having first devoted himself to legal studies, he later became a priest (1823), and after some time of ministry in his homeland, he set out (1830) for the United States, where he labored indefatigably among the Indians, first among the Ottawa, then among the Chippewa. In 1853 he was appointed the first bishop of Marquette (Michigan) and as such labored until his death, which occurred there on Jan. 19, 1868. Besides being an apostle, B. is deserving of credit for Christian native literature in the Ottawa and Chippewa languages. In addition to many books of prayers, devotion and religious instruction, he wrote the first grammar and the first dictionary of the Chippewa language, published in English at Detroit in 1850 and at Cincinnati in 1853 respectively, works that went through several editions. B. won esteem and love from the natives as much as from the Europeans: several towns and institutions in Michigan and a street in Marquette are named after him.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: Chr. Verwyst, s. v. in The Cath. Encycl., II, pp. 282-283; id., Life and labours of Right Rev. Fr. B., Milwaukee 1900; Streit, Bibl., III, pp. 738-42.

Giovanni B. Tragella

@incollection{ec2_baraga_friedrich, author = {Tragella, Giovanni Battista}, title = {Baraga, friedrich}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {796}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/baraga-friedrich} }

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Baraga, Friedrich

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