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Robert Joseph Baker

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This article is about the Catholic bishop. For the mammalogist, see Robert James Baker.
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Robert Joseph Baker
Bishop Emeritus of Birmingham
Bishop Baker with friars
ChurchCatholic Church
DioceseBirmingham
AppointedAugust 14, 2007
InstalledOctober 2, 2007
RetiredMarch 25, 2020
PredecessorDavid Edward Foley
SuccessorSteven J. Raica
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationMarch 21, 1970
by Paul Francis Tanner
ConsecrationSeptember 29, 1999
by John Francis Donoghue, Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, and John J. Snyder
Personal details
Born (1944-06-04) June 4, 1944 (age 80)
Willard, Ohio, US
MottoRejoicing in hope
Styles of
Robert Joseph Baker
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Robert Joseph Baker (born June 4, 1944, in Willard, Ohio) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama from 2007 to 2019 and as bishop of the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina from 1999 to 2007

Baker became a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) in 2008 and became the state AOH chaplain in Alabama.[1] He has written several books.

Biography

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Early life

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Robert Baker was born on June 4, 1944, in Willard, Ohio. He entered the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, in 1966. He graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree.[2][3]

Priesthood

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Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, St. Augustine, Florida.


On March 21, 1970, Baker was ordained into the priesthood at Saint Wendelin Church in Fostoria, Ohio, by Bishop Paul Tanner for the Diocese of St. Augustine.[4] After his ordination, the diocese assigned Baker as assistant pastor of St. Paul Parish in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.[3] In 1972, Baker went to Rome to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University, receiving a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in dogmatic theology in 1975.[2]

In 1976, after returning to Florida, Baker was appointed director of the Catholic Student Parish at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and assigned as pastor of the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine Parish in St. Augustine.[2]During that time, he founded the St. Francis Ministry in Gainesville to assist individuals discharged from state mental hospitals who were homeless.[5]

In 1977, Baker was granted a Doctor of Theology degree.[3] He was appointed in 1981 as instructor of sacramental theology at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.[2] In 1984, Baker was appointed pastor of the Cathedral-Basilica Parish of St. Augustine and in 1997 was transferred to Christ the King Parish in Jacksonville.[3]

Bishop of Charleston

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On July 12, 1999, Pope John Paul II appointed Baker as bishop of Charleston. He was consecrated on September 28, 1999, by Archbishop John Donoghue at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina.[4] During his tenure as bishop, Baker dedicated new or expanded churches, schools, and parish facilities.

On January 26, 2007, the diocese reached a $5 million minimum settlement with sexual abuse victims and their family members. Baker said that he deeply regretted their anguish.[6]

Bishop of Birmingham

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On August 14, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Baker as the bishop of Birmingham. He was installed as bishop on October 2, 2007.[2][4] In 2019, Baker opened a eucharistic conference in the diocese. [5]

Retirement and legacy

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On March 25, 2020, Pope Francis accepted Baker's resignation as bishop of Birmingham.[7]

Positions

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Abortion

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U.S. President Barack Obama at Notre Dame University commencement exercises 2009

Baker was critical in 2009 of the honorary doctorate that Notre Dame University granted to President Barack Obama, since Obama supported abortion rights for women. Baker suggested that Catholics assemble and pray on the Notre Dame commencement day; he discouraged public demonstrations, however.[8]

Sexual abuse among clergy

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In a 2020 interview with the Catholic World Report, Baker gave his opinion on the cause of the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church:

I agree with Pope Benedict XVI that the origins of the scandals we’re experiencing are related to the changing sexual mores in society that we really began to see in the 1960s. The 1969 music festival at Woodstock, New York symbolized the change in American culture. Moral values in our country, and in the Western hemisphere, had changed. The drug culture came with it.[9]

Bibliography

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  • When Did We See You, Lord? Baker, Robert J. and Groeschel, C.F.R., Benedict J., Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. (Huntington, Indiana), 2005.
  • The Redemption of Our Bodies: The Theology of the Body and Its Consequences for Ministry in the Diocese of Charleston, pastoral letter by Baker, Robert J.
  • Cacique: A Novel of Florida’s Heroic Mission History, Baker, Robert J. and Sands, Tony, Saint Catherine of Siena Press, 2006
  • The Questioner’s Prayer, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. (Huntington, Indiana), 2007[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "New Catholic bishop to be installed". Gadsden Times. September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Bishop Baker curriculum vitae". Diocese of Birmingham. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  3. ^ a b c d "Bishop Robert J. Baker (1999-2007) · History of the Diocese of Charleston". Diocese of Charleston Archives. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  4. ^ a b c "Bishop Robert Joseph Baker [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  5. ^ a b Graves, Jim. "Bishop Baker of Birmingham reflects on being a shepherd, scandals, and the South". www.catholicworldreport.com. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  6. ^ Santaella, Tony (January 26, 2007). "Catholic Diocese in Charleston Reaches Settlement Over Abuse". wltx.com. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  7. ^ CNA. "Bishop Steven Raica to follow Bishop Baker as head of Birmingham, Alabama diocese". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  8. ^ Baker, Robert Joseph. "On Notre Dame's Choice of a Commencement Speaker". EWTN. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. ^ Graves, Jim. "Bishop Baker of Birmingham reflects on being a shepherd, scandals, and the South". www.catholicworldreport.com. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
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Episcopal succession

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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Birmingham
2007–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Charleston
1999–2007 		Succeeded by
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