The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-03-12
Interesting Biography Of the
Great Indian
Missionary.
AMONG THE oTTAwAs.
His Life Among the Ottawas of
Lake Huron and the Chip
pewas of Lake Superior.
Continued from Last Week.

ioohSi Doio oSo PiiOopiJ 'ooO's
were commenced in his native
province, first as assistant pastor at
Melitka, and then as parish priest
at Smartna. 1t has been said OF
Father Baraga shat he was priest
whose exemplary devotion and
whose unwearied pastoral care,
whose great charity and abstemious
example endeared him to the people
among whom he ministered. No
journey was too great, no hour of
the night too inopportune when the
consultations Of religion were re-
quired at his hands. He was seven
years the shepherd in this field.
In the meantime an arrangement
had been made with regard to the
succession to his ancestral estate
Father Baraga renounced his right
of succession, reserving for himself
an annuity Of $50 Austrian forms.
His intention to devote his life to
the evangelization of the Indians of
Northern Michigan had probably
been maturely considered. 1t was
evidently among the results accom-
plished by Very Rev. F. Rene, who
while vicar general of Cincinnati,
visited Vienna to gain volunteers
for these Indian missions and to
establish permanent means for their
support. BY the efforts of this
young and distinguished prelate the
Leopoldine society of Vienna was
founded with an imperial arch
duchesssis its patroness, whose an
nual alIocations were to be principal
ly applied to the support of these
Michigan Indian missions of the
lakes.
After his resignation as pastor
had been accepted, and after some
tedious formalities had been com
pleted at Vienna, Father Baraga
left that city November II, 1890; he
visited Paris and embarked on board
a sailing packet which left Havre
for New York December 1st The
voyage lasted thirty days and on the
last day of the month he landed on
American soil in the city of New
York. 1t required eighteen days,
more than half the time consumed
on the Atlantic, to reach Cincinnati,
at which city he arrived January Is,
1881. He was then thirty three
years old. Here he was warmly
welcomed by Bishop Fenwick, to
whom he announced his intention of
devoting his life to missionary work
among the Indians upon the shores
of the lakes and on the upper penin-
sula OF, Michigan. Access to these
regions, however, during the winter
season was closed.
Father Baraga was a man frail in
appearance, whose weight appar-
emily would not exceed one hundred
pounds. He was short in stature,
with regularly proportional frame,
small feet and hands; his features
were classic and mild in expression;
his eyes were blue, but passive;
while his face was tanned to the
color of half-breed. the general ex-
preston of which tended to abstrac-
ton. His hair, which he wore
rather long, was a light brown; it
was abundant, but apparently life
less. 1t had probably become 50
from the necessity of keeping his
head protected from the cold atinos-
phere in which he lived during ten
months of the year. Or. r. Elliot,
c. A. Rev.
During his detention in Cincin-
natl, Father Baraga studied the
English language. while with the
assistance of young Ottawa who
was studying for the priesthood, he
acquired his first knowledge of the
Ottawa dialect, which he continued
to study until he became a proficient
in this language.
Baraga accompanied Bishop Fen
wick to Detroit and left that city on