Baraga, Frederic

Baraga, Frederic bârˈəgə [key], 1797–1868, Roman Catholic missionary to the Native Americans of Upper Michigan, b. Slovenia. He received (1821) a law degree from the Univ. of Vienna, and after study at the Laibach seminary he was ordained (1823). As a missionary, he reached (1831) Cincinnati, where he was later (1853) consecrated bishop of Upper Michigan. The seat of that bishopric was Sault Ste Marie, and in 1865 he was given authority also over the see of Marquette. His authoritative grammar and dictionary of the Ojibwa language are still used by scholars.

See biographies by E. Jacker (1957) and B. J. Lambert (1967).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches: General Biographies