Nelson Henry Baker (February 16, 1842 – July 29, 1936) was an American Catholic priest in the Buffalo, New York, area. At the time of his death in 1936, he had developed a "city of charity" at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, New York. It consisted of a minor basilica, an infant home, a home for unwed mothers, a boys' orphanage, a boys' protectory, a hospital, a nurses' house, and a grade and high school.
Nelson Henry Baker | |
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| Born | February 16, 1842 Buffalo, New York, United States |
| Died | July 29, 1936 (aged 94) Lackawanna, New York, United States |
Since 1986, the parish and the Diocese of Buffalo have been working to secure Baker's canonization. He was declared venerable in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI.
History
editEarly life and military service
editNelson Baker was born in Buffalo, New York, on February 16, 1842, to Lewis Becker (later Baker) and Caroline Donnellan. Nelson Baker was the second eldest of four sons. Lewis Becker, a German Evangelical Lutheran, was a retired mariner who opened a grocery store on Batavia Street in Buffalo. Nelson's mother, Caroline, was a devout Irish Catholic.[1][2]
Nelson Baker was baptized a Catholic in 1851, at age nine and was raised a Catholic like all his siblings. After graduating high school, Nelson Baker worked in the family store. Lewis Baker was said to have instilled an astute business sense in his son.[1] [2]
During the American Civil War, Baker enlisted in the 74th regiment of the New York State Militia at age 21 in 1863. His regiment was stationed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was also deployed quell the New York City draft riots in July 1863
After being discharged from the militia, Baker started a successful feed and grain business in Buffalo with his friend and fellow veteran, Joseph Meyer. Baker began to exhibit a strong interest in religious matters and joined the Vincent DePaul Society. He began taking Latin classes at St. Michael's residence in Buffalo, which became Canisius College in 1870.[3]
Seminary
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In the summer of 1869, Baker took a steamer trip for pleasure along Lake Erie, using the time to think about his future. At stops along the way, he attended masses at local parishes.[1] By the time Baker returned to Buffalo, he had decided to enter the priesthood. Caroline Baker was delighted with the news, but Lewis Baker, Nelson's brother and Meyer all had reservations.
Nelson Baker entered Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Lewiston, New York, on September 2, 1869.[4] In 1872, he was hospitalized for 18 weeks with a case of erysipelas. During his hospitalization, doctors lanced 11 areas of cellulitis on his legs. While at the seminary, Baker was appointed head of its chapter of the Vincent de Paul Society.
Baker in 1874 joined a group of seminarians on a pilgrimage to Rome to support the restoration of the Papal States, which four years earlier had been seized by the Kingdom of Italy. While stopping in Paris, France, the seminarians toured the Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires.[5] Several biographers of Baker note that this visit to the basilica initiated Baker's lifelong devotion to Our Lady of Victory, a title of Mary, mother of Jesus.[6] After the seminarians arrived in Rome. Pope Pius IX granted them a brief audience at the Vatican.
Priesthood
editBaker was ordained into the priesthood on March 19, 1876, by Bishop Stephen V. Ryan for the Diocese of Buffalo at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Buffalo. He returned to Our Lady of the Angels in Lewiston the next day, to celebrate his first mass.[4] After his ordination, the diocese assigned Baker as an assistant pastor to Reverend Thomas Hines at St. Patrick's Parish in Limestone Hill, New York. The parish included the St. Joseph's Orphanage, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph since 1857, and St. John's Protectory, an institution for delinquent boys.[7] In 1881, the diocese transferred Baker to St. Mary's Parish in Corning, New York, to assist Reverend Peter Colgan. In 1882, Baker was sent back to Limestone Hill to serve as superintendent of the protectory and the orphanage
Our Lady of Victory Institutions
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Several days after returning to Limestone Hill, a group of creditors met with Baker. The orphanage and protectory had amassed a $56,000 debt and the creditors were demanding immediate payment. Baker persuaded the creditors to approve a repayment plan. As part of the deal, Baker repaid a portion of the debt upfront using his personal funds and made verbal agreements to repay the balance.[1]
On taking control of the protectory, Baker had the bars removed from the windows and remodeled the building to establish a more homelike atmosphere. His philosophy was that there was no such thing as a bad boy.[8]
During this time, Baker founded the Association of Our Lady of Victory." He wrote to postmastersacross the country, asking for mailing lists of the Catholic women in their areas. He then sent solicitations to these women, asking for donations for the orphanage and protectory. The women could join the Association for a donation of 25 cents a year.[9] The charitable institutions in St. Patrick Parish soon became known as the Our Lady of Victory (OLV) Institutions[8]
In 1888, Baker started a journal, The Annals of the Association of Our Lady of Victory, that he sent to Association members to solicit donations. By 1889, Baker had eliminated the parish debt. In 1891, Baker hired a drilling company to explore for natural gas on OLV property, with hopes of offsetting heating costs for its institutions. According to local accounts, Baker buring a small statue of Our Lady of Victory in the ground and told the drillers to drill there. After several weeks of drilling without results, they finally hit gas.[1]
Having more revenue, Baker in 1893 expanded the protectory and in 1895 added a gym, a recreational hall, and a new school.[8]By 1901, the number of boys at St. John's Protectory had tripled to 385. In St. Joseph's Orphanage, the total number of children doubled to 236.[9]Bishop Charles H. Colton named Baker as vicar general of the diocese in 1904. During this time, Baker heard stories about infant remains being discovered in the local waterways. This prompted Baker in 1908 to found the OLV Infant Home for unwed mothers and abandoned infants.
In 1919, Baker opened Our Lady of Victory Maternity Hospital in Lackawanna. [1]The Vatican in 1923 named Baker as a protonotary apostolic with the title of monsignor, an honor accorded to only five other priests in the United States at that time. In 1929, the Annals was absorbed by The Victorian Magazine, also published by OLV.
Nelson Baker died on July 29, 1936 in Lackawanna at age 94.
Veneration
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In 1987, Baker was named Servant of God.[10] The diocese moved his remains from the Holy Cross Cemetery in 1999 and reinterred under the Our Lady of Lourdes altar in the Our Lady of Victory Basilica and National Shrine.[9]
On January 14, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree recognizing Baker's heroic virtue and designating him venerable.[11]
Legacy
editIn 1956, St. John's Protectory was closed and its clients moved into Baker Hall, a set of cottages, that was named after Nelson Baker.
Honored in his home community as "Buffalo's most influential citizen of the 20th century," Baker was honored by a major bridge on New York State Route 5 being named for him.
The Father Baker Museum is located in the OLV National Shrine and Basilica.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f ""The History of Fr. Baker", Erie Community College". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ^ a b "Research Portal". iro.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Kern, Walter. "The Life and Times of Father Baker," Western New York Catholic, December 1989
- ^ a b "Niagara Nuggets". www.niagara.edu. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
- ^ Pfoutz, C. (October 4, 2000). "Q: What about Our Lady of Victory?". The Marian Library/International Marian Research. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ Thomas Galvin, A Modern Apostle of Charity: Father Baker and his "Lady of Victory Charities" (Buffalo: The Buffalo Catholic Publication Co., 1925), 21; Floyd Anderson Father Baker (Buffalo, 1960), 51
- ^ "Timeline : The Sisters of St. Joseph". buffalossj.org. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ a b c "Our Story | About | Baker Victory Services". www.olvhs.org. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ a b c Pronechen, Joseph (2011-02-18). "American Sanctity: Father Nelson Baker". National Catholic Register. Palm Coast, FL. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
- ^ Villarrubia, Eleonore. "The Servant of God, Father Nelson Baker", Catholicism.org, January 31, 2006
- ^ Gribble, Richard (2013). "Father Nelson Baker and the Blessed Virgin Mary: A Lifetime of Devotion". American Catholic Studies. 124 (4): 1–25. doi:10.1353/acs.2013.0058. JSTOR 44195766. S2CID 145727172.
- ^ "Our Lady of Victory National Shrine & Basilica". www.olvbasilica.org. Retrieved 2024-09-30.