June 23: The Apostle of the Upper Midwest

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is June 23rd, and our story is The Apostle of the Upper Midwest. The house, despite its generous proportions, was full past overflowing. Canadian trappers perched in the windows. Native Americans filled the lawn outside.

Even the Protestants of Sault Ste. Marie came out on June 23, 1833, eager to hear the baby-faced man in black preach the gospel and offer the Mass. Properly speaking, as a Dominican, the man in black, Father Samuel Mazzucchelli, should have worn white. But when Mazzucchelli arrived in Wisconsin three years before, he discovered that the natives still spoke reverently of the black robes, the Jesuits who left the region decades earlier. With the permission of his bishop, Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati, the priest exchanged his white robes for black, thereby enhancing his credibility with the Chippewa, Menominee, Winnebago, and Pottawatomie Indians he'd come to evangelize.

Mazzuchelli was only 23 then. He arrived in America still a deacon, was quickly ordained by Fenwick, then sent north by himself to serve as the lone priest in a territory half the size of his native Italy. In the three years since his arrival, he'd kept busy rebuilding an abandoned church in Mackinac, building a new church in Green Bay, translating textbooks into Menominee, and opening schools for Native Americans and European immigrants.

He also traveled thousands of miles to catechize Catholics who hadn't seen a priest since their baptism, perform marriages, hear confessions, say mass, and baptize new converts. Administering the sacraments would eventually take Mazzucchelli across Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. Over the next 30 years, he would build more than 20 churches, design the Iowa Old Capitol building in Iowa City, found more schools, teach oil painting and astronomy, advocate for the rights of Native Americans, and bring untold numbers into the church. The Apostle of the Upper Midwest contracted pneumonia in 1864 while caring for the sick of his Wisconsin parish.

He died that February. Pope John Paul II, 129 years later, conferred upon Mazzucchelli the title Venerable. Faith without action is incomplete. Mazzuchelli integrated prayer, service, and practical problem-solving, leaving a lasting impact on the Midwest. His life reminds us that devotion to God and neighbor often demands bold initiative, flexibility, and tireless effort.

Identify a cause or community need where your talents and resources can be used to make a difference in the lives of others. can make a tangible impact this week. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, June 24th, for another story of faith and courage in America.