Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald staff
With warm greetings, Fr. Sagar Rajesh Sare, parochial administrator of the Catholic Communities of the Bayfield Peninsula, is making an open invitation to visit the historic St. Joseph Mission Church on Madeline Island during this 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.
The La Pointe church has been designated as one of two official pilgrimage destinations, along with Christ the King Cathedral, in the Diocese of Superior.
“We are so proud to serve the oldest Catholic Church in the State of Wisconsin,” Fr. Rajesh shared. “Its richest roots of faith go all the way back to the 1660s with Jesuit missionary priests Fr. Claude Allouez and later Fr. Jacques Marquette.” These missions faltered during the period of the Jesuit order’s suppression (1773-1814) and Slovenian missionary priest Fr. Frederic Baraga came to the region establishing missions in the 1830s. He arrived to the Ojibwe settlement on Madeline Island in late July 1835, establishing the mission.
To offer the sacraments and serve Native tribes, Fr. Baraga would travel hundreds of miles by foot or canoe in the summers and by snowshoes in the harsh winters, making him known as the “Snowshoe Priest.” He was fluent in the Ojibwe language and would celebrate mass in Ojibwe, also authoring a native language prayer book and grammatical aids. Fr. Rajesh stated, “He was such a great and powerful witness of the Gospel.”
For those interested in learning more about Bishop Baraga, whose case for canonization remains open, visit The Bishop Baraga Association at bishopbaraga.org or The Bishop Baraga Shrine in L’Anse, Michigan at www.exploringthenorth.com/bishopb/shrine.html.
Given that the late Pope Francis “invited us to live out this Jubilee Year more fully,” the international priest said that making a pilgrimage “with hope for divine grace is one of the best resources.” The Church of St. Joseph in La Pointe on Madeline Island, accessible by ferry from Bayfield, makes this a relatively close and affordable pilgrimage for Catholics in the region, even statewide.
Fr. Rajesh and the local Catholic parishes invite pilgrims, “Come visit us and explore the greatest faith history of our Northland and the life of Venerable Bishop Baraga. Come celebrate Mass with us, come spend time in Eucharistic adoration and make a good confession.”
The parish church on Madeline Island is open Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. On Saturdays, the church opens at 4 p.m., with Mass offered at 6:15 p.m. and on Sundays, it will be open for prayer from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., but no clergy will be present. The season’s first Mass will be May 24, and the last will be Aug. 30. This Labor Day weekend Mass will be celebrated by Bishop James P. Powers at 5 p.m.
Other liturgical services will include Eucharistic adoration with recitation of the Divine Mercy chaplet, silent prayer and confessions available from 3-4 p.m. The church may be opened for visiting during the week if prior arrangements are made.
For Madeline Island Ferry information and schedules, visit madferry.com. Also of interest is the Madeline Island Museum, open Wednesdays through Sundays. Although not mentioned on their website, madelineislandmuseum.wisconsinhistory.org, the museum houses numerous artefacts related to Fr. Baraga and the La Pointe mission. The historic cemetery is all that is left of the original mission site on Chief Buffalo Lane near Ojibwa Memorial Park and the Madeline Island Yacht Club with a small fenced area with graves of Chief Buffalo and Cadotte family fur traders. There is an historical marker where the first log church was built.
In order to coordinate, guide and assist pilgrimage groups, Fr. Rajesh is requesting parish and school groups to contact the parish offices. Please contact any of the following: , 715-373-2676; or , 715-779-9804; or , 715-209-0024; or , 715-209-6052.
“We look forward to seeing you and praying with you at St. Joseph on the Island, and we continue to pray for your parishes,” Fr. Rajesh concluded.
St. Joseph Catholic Church in La Pointe will be open for visitors as a designated pilgrimage site for the 2025 Jubilee Year in the Diocese of Superior. (Diocese of Superior photo)
