The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-05-21

FREDERICK BARAGA.
Interesting Biography of the
Great Indian Mis-
siOnary.
EPISCOPATE OF BARAGA.
He Obtained Episcopal Control
Over all the Territory of
the Upper Peninsula.
EPISCOPATE OF BARAGA.
Continued from Last Week.

Continued from Last Week.
Direct episcopal jurisdiction owe
the upper lake missions of Michigan
was established by Plus TX, July
20, 1853, by the creation of tn,
Apostolic Vicariate of Upper Michi
gan.
Rev. Frederick Baraga was ap
pointed vicar apostolic. He was a.
the time 56) years old, and fol
twenty-three years he had labored
among the Ottawas and Chippewas
He was consecrated Bishop oI
Amazonia in partibus infidelium in
the cathedral at Cincinnati, by
Archbishop Purcell, in whose prov
ince the newly created vicariate
was, November /, 1883. There
were present at the solemn cere-
mony the coadjutor bishop of De-
troit and the bishop of Milwaukee,
in whose respective sees the vicarial
territory was situated. Bishop
Spalding of Louisville, was the
orator
Bishop Bara9a. thus honored by
the hierarchy of the American
church, and with the concurrence of
the Holy See, obtained episcopal
control over all the territory of the
upper peninsula of Michigan, over
the littoral and islands of Lakes
Huron and Michigan in the northern
portions of the lower peninsula, and
in that part of Wisconsin which had
been the scene of his earliest mis-
sionary labors in the Lake Superior
region. Most of the Indians resid-
ing in this extensive territory had
been evangelical during the two
preceding decades, and were leading
Christian lives.
Leaving his missionary home at
l. 'Anse, Bishop Baraga came to
Sault Ste Marie and established
there the cathedral of his apostolic
vicariate.
Upon assuming the mitre he is
said to have exclaimed: Now |
can do something for my missions"
He probably had in mind that as a
bishop he could recruit and ordain
priests; while he would personally
receive ALLEGATIONS annually made
by the propaganda at Lyons, France,
and of the Leopoldine Society of
Vienna, for the spread of the gospel
in this part of America. Now /
can do something!'' There was
much significance in this exclama-
tion.
He who uttered it began his
apostolic work when be landed at
LaPoint in 1885, with three dollars.
After one years experience among
the unfortunate Chippewas on this
island, during which year he suf-
fered from the rigors of the climate
and the paucity of the food, he be-
came so appalled, at the apparent
misery that he went to Europe to
procure financial aid wherewith he
might be enabled to relieve their
utter wretchedness.
BY hard work and persistent eff
fort, before the end of his first
decade among the Chippewas on the
island of LaPoint and subordinate
missions, he had succeeded in1im-
proving their social condition
Divine Providence inspired him to
move to L'Anse, and to establish
there colony Of Chippewas who
would cultivate the soil and provide
a comfortable support for their
families.
To purchase from the government
the tract of land upon which the
Chippewas were to make their new
homes, to build the houses in which
they were to live, and to furnish
these houses to some extent, alb
sorbed the last dollar realized from
the capitalization of his patrimonial
income. So that when he assumed
the mitre of his apostolic vicariate
it became serious question with
him, so denuded was he of material
resources, where he was to procure
the funds requisite to provide his
episcopal outfit. Such was the
status of Bishop Baraga when he
was consecrated. From whatever
source the money came to enable
him to appear according to his epis-
copal rank is "a question immaterial.
1t did come, and not in stinted
measure.
Bishop Baraga had so well estab-
lished his Indian missions that the
priests to whom he confided their
spiritual care had but little trouble
in continuing his apostolic work.
These missions, during all his SUBJ
sequent episcopal experience, never
caused him inquietude; while the
welfare of those he had won from
paganism-men. women and child
ren-was ever cherished. We shall
Conuinued on mage four.