Bishop Daniel Felton consulted the bishops of the United States during the June 2026 Spring Plenary Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the possible cause for canonization of Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh, a diocesan priest and missionary.
Buh (known affectionately as Father Buh) was a foundational Catholic missionary priest who served as the pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Ely, from November 1900 until 1918.
During the consultation, Bishop Felton presented Monsignor Buh’s life, missionary witness, and reputation for holiness, and will invite questions, concerns, and counsel from the bishops. A recording of the consultation will be available at https:// www.usccb.org/committees/ communications/plenary-assemblies.
The consultation is part of a broader preliminary process. Consultations have already been completed with the bishops of Region VIII, as well as with the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Duluth.
Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh was born March 17, 1833, in present-day Slovenia. Ordained to the priesthood in 1858, he came to Minnesota in 1864 as a missionary priest.
Over more than five decades, he served Indigenous communities, Slovenian immigrants, and many others throughout central and northern Minnesota. He helped establish 57 parishes and missions and became known as the “Patriarch of the Diocese of Duluth.” He died in Duluth on Feb. 2, 1922.
Known for his courage, pastoral charity, missionary zeal, and fidelity to Christ and the Catholic Church, Monsignor Buh remains an example of missionary discipleship.
The Diocese of Duluth is the petitioner for the cause of canonization. A postulator has been appointed, and the formal petition to open the cause has been submitted.
The Diocese awaits a response from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints regarding the nihil obstat. After the consultative process is complete and the Dicastery responds, Bishop Felton will decide whether to accept or reject the petition.
For a full biography of Monsignor Buh, please visit josephbuh.org.
