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

Bishop Daniel J. Felton of Duluth 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 cause grants Buh the title servant of God.

Buh was a Slovenian immigrant who served as a missionary in Minnesota from 1864 until his death in 1922. During his ministry, he lived among Ojibwa people and immigrants, establishing as many as 57 parishes in northern Minnesota. He was inspired by the work of Venerable Frederic Baraga, the first bishop of Marquette, Michigan.

Bishop Felton noted in a homily that Buh's life was defined by a desire to be a servant of God. Buh's remains were reinterred at the cathedral in 2025.