Venerable Bishop Baraga

The U.P.’s ‘snowshoe priest’ has cleared the first hurdle on the path to sainthood.

Bishop Frederic Baraga has now gained the official title ‘Venerable’.

In february, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican recommended that Bishop Baraga be called ‘Venerable’ because he lived a life of heroic virtue.

Pope Benedict XVI agrees with that recommendation, and the Diocese of Marquette learned about it this morning.

Bishop Alexander Sample says this church-wide recognition of Bishop Baraga’s virtue means Catholics can now have more public veneration of the diocese’s first-ever bishop.

That includes the ability to pray directly to Bishop Baraga.

To reach sainthood, two verified miracles must be attributed to Bishop Baraga.

One has been under investigation at the Vatican since 2010.

Bishop Baraga passed away in his home in Marquette in 1868.

His crypt in the basement of St. Peter Cathedral is open to the public, but the diocese is working on moving his remains to a more accessible place in the cathedral.

Posted by: Mike Hoey