He was born in Watertown, Minnesota, on January 3, 1907, and received his early education in Ascension parochial school and at De La Salle Institute, Minneapolis. As a candidate for the Order he completed his preparatory studies at Aquinas College High School, Columbus, Ohio, and at Providence College. He made his novitiate at St. Rose Priory, Springfield, Kentucky, and there made profession on August 16, 1928. In the Dominican House of Studies, River Forest, Illinois, he pursued philosophical studies and in Washington, D.C., he made his theological studies at the Dominican House of Studies. He was ordained to the priesthood in St. Dominic's Church, Washington, June 14, 1934.

Father Barth's first assignment was to Fenwick High School, Oak Park, Illinois, where he taught from the Fall of 1935 to January 1938, when he became Secretary to the Provincial at St. Vincent Ferrer's in New York. With the erection of the Province of St. Albert the Great in late 1939, he became affiliated to the new province and resumed teaching in Fenwick

High School. From the Fall of 1940, however, he was engaged in serving in our parishes: successively in St. Dominic's, Denver, Colorado; Blessed Sacrament, Madison, Wisconsin; St. Albert's and Holy Rosary in Minneapolis; St. Anthony of Padua, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Blessed Sacrament, Madison. For the last twelve years, however, he was stationed at St. Pius, Chicago. Just recently he was appointed Assistant Director of the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus at St. Pius.

He died in Alexian Brothers Hospital, Elk Grove Village, of respiratory complications and heart failure on the evening of April 27, 1969. Following the obsequies in St. Pius Church, Chicago, and in Holy Rosary, Minneapolis, his body was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery, Minneapolis.