Shepherd of the Wilderness

by Bernard J. Lambert

A biography of Bishop Frederic Baraga (June 29, 1797 – January 19, 1868) who founded a mission in L'Anse, Michigan. He earned the nickname, "the Snowshoe Priest" because he would travel hunderds of miles each year on snowshoes during Michigan's harsh winters. He also worked to protect the Indians from being forced to relocate, as well as publishing a dictionary and grammar of the Ojibway language, which are still used to this day.

He was the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, now the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan.

Bishop Frederic Baraga has been declared a Servant of God by the Roman Catholic Church. The village of Baraga, Baraga Township, Baraga County, and Baraga State Park (all in Michigan) bear his name.

Genres: Biography

255 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Thomas Funke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent chronological story of Bishop Baraga. It bounces between a narrative and a documentary.

I wish the author would include dates of all the events & tell us his inland routes of travel. The dates would be easy to document. The trails probably not as much.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garage sale score. Thought I'd read up on a little local history. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of this missionary who became the first Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette. Much of this bio comes from his own diary as well as the letters he wrote to his sister back in Slovenia.