U.S. Bishops Affirm Advancement of a Cause for Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh Bringing him Closer to Sainthood

U.S. Bishops Affirm Advancement of a Cause of Beatification and Canonization for Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh

The bishops of the United States held a canonical consultation on a possible cause of beatification and canonization for Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh, a diocesan missionary priest who spent decades evangelizing and serving the spiritual needs of Indigenous communities and frontier settlers in remote parts of northern Minnesota in the late 1800s.

June 10, 2026
ORLANDO, Fla. – During their June Plenary Assembly, the bishops of the United States held a canonical consultation on a possible cause of beatification and canonization for Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh, a diocesan missionary priest who spent decades evangelizing and serving the spiritual needs of Indigenous communities and frontier settlers in remote parts of northern Minnesota in the late 1800s.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, and Bishop Daniel J. Felton of the Diocese of Duluth, facilitated the bishops' discussion. By a voice vote, the bishops expressed their support for advancing the cause of beatification and canonization on the diocesan level.

The following biography of Monsignor Buh was drawn from information provided by the Diocese of Duluth:

Joseph Francis Buh was born on March 17, 1833, in Zadobje, Slovenia. He is said to have shown profound piety and a strong desire to become a priest from a very young age. He entered seminary and excelled academically, becoming fluent in Polish, Latin, French, and German. His language skills would later aid his missionary work. While in seminary, he learned about the work of Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga in the United States, prompting a desire to serve as a missionary in the United States.

Father Buh was ordained to the priesthood in Slovenia for the Diocese of Ljubljana on July 25, 1858. Due to a shortage of priests, his requests to assist Bishop Baraga’s apostolic efforts in the United States were not immediately approved by his bishop, and he served in his home diocese for six years. During that time, he published two prayer books that later helped fund his missionary work.

In 1864, Father Buh was invited by Father Franz Pierz to undertake missionary work among Native Americans in Minnesota. With the approval of his bishop, Father Buh arrived in Saint Paul, Minnesota on May 27, 1864, and immersed himself in the life, language, and culture of the Ojibwe people. For over 25 years, he traveled extensively throughout northern Minnesota and the Iron Range, serving nine missions in Ely, Two Harbors, Biwabik, Hibbing, Virginia, Mountain Iron, McKinley, Eveleth, and the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa on Lake Vermilion. He provided pastoral care to numerous Indigenous and new immigrant communities from Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, and Ireland, among others, who settled in the area.

When the Diocese of Duluth was established in 1890, Bishop James McGolrick appointed Father Buh as chancellor and vicar general of the diocese. During his time in Duluth, he sought to address the needs of the growing communities, including establishing the first Slovenian newspaper in the United States. During the Panic of 1893 and the economic depression, Father Buh created a relief station and boarding house for the unemployed. To address the exploitation of migrant mine workers, he helped form the American Slovene Catholic Union, an organization that continues its work today in parishes across the United States.

Recognizing his extraordinary service to the Church, Pope Leo XIII named Father Buh a Domestic Prelate, earning him the title of “Monsignor” in 1899. The following year, Monsignor Buh returned to the pastoral care of the mission in Ely, which he continued for 18 years. When Bishop McGolrick died in 1918, Monsignor Buh was appointed as diocesan administrator, guiding the local Church until Bishop John McNicholas, O.P., was named Bishop of Duluth. In 1921, in honor of his decades of mentoring young priests, the diocese opened the Buh Mission House, a place where priests could live in community and be formed by his example of apostolic poverty.

Monsignor Buh died on February 2, 1922, at the age of 88.

During his sixty-four years of priesthood, Monsignor Buh founded or incorporated fifty-seven parishes, published books and newspapers, organized social outreach, and fostered a fraternal movement that continues to benefit Catholic families today. His local town acknowledged his contributions by naming it Buh Township in his honor in 1894.

Monsignor Buh saw Christ in those he ministered to – the miners, mothers, Indigenous communities, and immigrants. His tireless missionary zeal serves as a reminder today to trust God completely, meet people where they are, and bring them to Christ with humility and joy.

More biographical information on Monsignor Buh can be found at: www.josephbuh.org

USCCB Release