Bishop Daniel J. Felton opens canonization cause for Joseph Francis Buh

Bishop Daniel J. Felton of Duluth officially opened the canonization cause for Msgr. Joseph Francis Buh during a Mass on Sept. 22 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. The opening of the inquiry grants Buh the title "servant of God."

Buh was a Slovenian immigrant priest who arrived in Minnesota in 1864. He ministered to immigrants and indigenous communities, including the Ojibwe, and established as many as 57 parishes in northern and central Minnesota before his death in 1922 at age 88. His ministry was inspired by his fellow countryman, Venerable Frederic Baraga, the first bishop of Marquette, Michigan.

The local investigation follows a June consultation with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which voted to support the inquiry. If the process leads to his canonization, Buh would be the first saint from Minnesota. The Mass was attended by representatives from the Slovenian government, the Catholic Church in Slovenia, local indigenous communities, and the Slovenian American community.