Reflections on our patriarch Monsignor Joseph Buh: Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary (replaces 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time as we celebrate our 125th anniversary in the Diocese of Duluth)

             I wasn’t awake to see it, but I guess we had snow late Friday night/early Saturday morning.  Snow—on October 3^rd!  Welcome to International Falls, Fr. Ben!

            This made me think—what was it like to live 125 years ago?  We have all lived through the diverse, and at times brutal, weather in northern Minnesota.  Imagine what it would be like without electricity, heat, air conditioning, plumbing or modern transportation.  125 years ago this was the norm for everyone.

            One person who lived in this time not only survived, but thrived.  He was the patriarch of our diocese, Monsignor Joseph Buh.  He traveled more miles in his ministry than St. Paul—all without enjoying a mild Mediterranean climate.  He built more churches (over a dozen) and missions than anyone else in our region, using snowshoes and dogsled to travel.

            As we celebrate the 125^th anniversary of our diocese, I would like to share three features about Monsignor Buh.

            First, he was a man of deep prayer.  The Ojibwe had a term of endearment for their beloved pastor—(pardon my butchering of the Ojibwe language!)—Masinaigans—little book.  They were referring to the breviary which he always carried.  (They also called him meshidong—beard—which was worthy of the fellas from Duck Dynasty).  Everyone considered Buh as a spiritual giant and the Bishop of our vicariate (pre-diocese) asked him to be his personal confessor.

            Second, he was a man in love with culture.  This began with his own.  In our society, openness to culture often seems like endorsing everything but your own.  Yet before Buh excelled in ministering to those of different backgrounds, he was proud of his Slovenian heritage.  He developed small groups of Slovenians in our region to bring their culture to a new place.  He owned and published a Slovenian paper to foster his peoples’ traditions.

            While grounded in his Slovenian culture, Buh effectively worked with other ethnic groups in northern Minnesota—Germans, Irish, Italians and American Indians.  He never pretended to be someone he was not, but was open to learning the rich traditions of other national groups.  When it came to ministering to the Ojibwe—those who were here long before Europeans—he modeled proclaiming the Gospel.  He learned the Objibwe language (his sixth) and even wrote an English-Ojibwe dictionary.  He translated prayers, Scripture and the missal in order to foster prayer in the Ojibwe language.  He was adored by the Indians to which he ministered and helped foster numerous conversions.

            Finally, Monsignor Buh was tough.  Even though everyone living in northern Minnesota in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century had to be strong, Buh was known for his grit and determination.  He overcame every obstacle—distance, cold, heat, mosquitoes—to anoint one person or baptize one baby.  Even on his days of vacation, he was always with the people in the Sacraments or through preaching.

            We celebrate the 125^th anniversary of our diocese today, remembering the response of Our Lady of the Rosary to the angel Gabriel: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”  God has abundantly blessed our diocese.  Through the yes of many men and women—priests, religious orders including the Oblates and Benedictines, married couples—God has built up an amazing local church.

            Please pray in gratitude for all of God’s gifts in our diocese, and continue to offer your yes, like Mary, to God.  May we continue to build upon the great traditions of our diocese as we strive to serve God and our neighbor well in this beautiful local Church.