When a new pope is chosen for the Roman Catholic Church, he takes on a new name to indicate the kind of leader he plans to be.
That is not the case with bishops, but at Steven Raica's installation this week in Gaylord, a pioneer priest in Michigan was frequently invoked as a source of inspiration for the new bishop.
Frederic Baragacame to Michigan in 1831, to an Indian mission at what is now Harbor Springs. At the ordination service, Lansing’s Bishop, Earl Boyea, urged Raica to emulate Baraga and devote himself to serving people on the periphery of society.
He told how Baraga preached in German while passing through Detroit and said it would be his last time using the language in ministry because he intended to stay "among the Indians until the last breath of [his] life."
"The times have changed," said Boyea. "But this diocese, even in these changed times, needs you to be another missionary in their midst."
Baraga eventually became a bishop for the Upper Peninsula. Boyea related how he had to warm frozen communion wine once with his breath so he could consecrate it.
"And again to melt it in order to consume the precious blood of our Savior," said Boyea, drawing laughs from the pews at St. Mary Cathedral.
Steven Raica gave communion yesterday in Gaylord after he was installed as Bishop, and he took wine from the communion cup used by Father Baraga. That’s a sacred object in the Roman Catholic Church since Baraga may soon be canonized as a saint.
Steven Raica is now the chief minister to a region covering 21 counties that includes Alpena, Traverse City and Mackinac City. He is the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord.
