LIFE AND LABORS of BISHOP BARAGA First Bishop of Marquette, Michigan
Fr. Chrysostom Verwyst, OFM
PDF
Frederic Baraga was born on June 29, 1797, in the manor house at Mala Vas (German: Kleindorf) near the village of Dobrnič in Lower Carniola, a province of the Duchy of Carniola in the Austrian Empire. Today it is part of the Municipality of Trebnje in Slovenia. He was baptized Irenaeus Fridericus Paraga at Saint George's Church in Dobrnič, but never used the name "Irenaeus".
Frederic was the fourth of five children born to Janez Baraga and Marija Katarina Jožefa née Jenčič. His sister Antonija Höffern became the first Slovenian woman to immigrate to the United States. Upon her father's death, Baraga's mother inherited an estate at Mala Vas and substantial fortune. She died in 1808, and her husband in 1812. Frederic spent his childhood in the house of Jurij Dolinar, a lay professor at the diocesan seminary at Ljubljana.
Between 1809 and 1815, during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, France controlled Carniola. As a result, Baraga became fluent in French, Slovenian and German at an early age.[2] In addition, he learned Latin and Greek, both required subjects in the local schools. By age 16, Baraga was multilingual.
Baraga attended law school at the University of Vienna in Austria, graduating in 1821. Influenced by Reverend Clement Mary Hofbauer, a co-founder of the Redemptorist Order, Baraga decided to become a priest. He then entered the seminary in Ljubljana.
Frederic Baraga - Wikipedia