The Featured Image
This large photograph portrays Pope Leo XIII in a formal setting seated in a throne-like chair. Note the pillows at his feet used as an ottoman: Pope Leo was extremely short. His shoes also resemble some of those in the Papal Artifacts’ Collection.
The photo is very large, measuring 330 X 230 mm.
At the bottom of the photo is a blessing, which is then signed by him.
It is important to note that signed blessings with photographs of him are nearly unheard of, which makes this a rare and valuable addition to this Collection.
Here are just a few artifacts belonging to Pope Leo XIII in this Collection
A Very Brief History of the Diocese of Duluth, MN
Diocese of the Curator of Papal Artifacts
Fr. Richard Kunst
Catholicism in Northeastern Minnesota can trace its ancestry back to Jesuit missionaries who accompanied French voyageurs on their visits in the 17th and 18th centuries but the Church’s more permanent presence is more recent.
In 1835, Bishop Frederick Baraga, from Marquette, Michigan, and his guide, Louis Gaudin, landed on Lake Superior’s north shore at the mouth of the Cross River. The site was so named because after surviving a storm-tossed crossing of Lake Superior in an eighteen-foot boat, the men immediately erected a wooden cross on a rock ledge in thanks for their deliverance. Pious Indians called the site, “wood of the soul.” Bishop Baraga went on to establish missions at Grand Portage and Fond du Lac, Minnesota. In 1875, the Vicariate of Northern Minnesota was erected to provide for the spiritual need s of immigrants and American Indians.
On October 3, 1889, Pope Leo XIII designated the northern half of the Vicariate as the Diocese of Duluth. The first Bishop, James McGolrick, worked to gain acceptance for the Catholic Church through his gentle ways and civil leadership. Nine bishops have served the diocese. The current bishop, Daniel Felton, was ordained May 20, 2021.
The Diocese of Duluth numbers over 56,000 Catholics and 92 parishes scattered throughout the ten counties of northeastern Minnesota. Through our parishes we strive to educate our children in the faith, support our seniors, and respond to the broad challenges facing the communities in which we live. We are to be the face of Christ for others.
The Bishops of the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota
- James McGolrick † (29 Nov 1889 Appointed – 23 Jan 1918 Died)
- John Timothy McNicholas, O.P. † (18 Jul 1918 Appointed – 18 May 1925 Appointed, Bishop of Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Thomas Anthony Welch † (14 Dec 1925 Appointed – 9 Sep 1959 Died)
- Francis Joseph Schenk † (19 Jan 1960 Appointed – 30 Apr 1969 Retired)
- Paul Francis Anderson † (30 Apr 1969 Succeeded – 17 Aug 1982 Resigned)
- Robert Henry Brom † (25 Mar 1983 Appointed – 22 Apr 1989 Appointed, Coadjutor Bishop of San Diego, California)
- Roger Lawrence Schwietz, O.M.I. (12 Dec 1989 Appointed – 18 Jan 2000 Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska)
- Dennis Marion Schnurr (18 Jan 2001 Appointed – 17 Oct 2008 Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of Cincinnati, Ohio)
- Paul David Sirba † (15 Oct 2009 Appointed – 1 Dec 2019 Died)
- Michel Joseph Mulloy (19 Jun 2020 Appointed – Did Not Take Effect)
- Daniel John Felton (7 Apr 2021 Appointed – )
