Bishop Kmiec to Ordain
Transitional Deacon
“I’ve done a lot of different things
in my life; I’ve had a few jobs and dated, but I’ve never been more fulfilled
than I am with this vocation.”
How many people can honestly say
that? David Baker, a 34-year-old
Clarence native, is one of the lucky ones.
He’s not a parent, physician or attorney, golf pro, mechanic, or
teacher.
Baker is a seminarian who will be
ordained a transitional deacon on Friday, November 3 at 5 p.m. Christ
the King Seminary, East Aurora. On that
day, Bishop Edward U. Kmiec will bestow the sacrament of holy orders upon
Baker. He will graduate from the
seminary in May and will be ordained to the priesthood shortly after that.
What brings a man to this decision, a
man who has worked in the secular world and who has dated women? It all began, Baker said, when his pastor
invited him to consider the priesthood when he graduated from high school. “I told him I didn’t think that was for me,”
Baker admitted. But after some time, he
realized that “it was not what I wanted, but what Christ wanted for me.”
Baker explained that he had been involved in Quest, an outreach program
providing social service and spiritual opportunities for young adults in their
20s and 30s, when he thought maybe he wanted to make his faith life more
central to what he was doing everyday. Some
people were surprised at his decision to enter the seminary, but family and
friends said that, although they didn’t expect it at first, it didn’t surprise
them once they knew.
A graduate of Clarence Central High
School, Baker holds an associate’s degree from the State University of New York
at Alfred and a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the
State University of New York at Utica/Rome.
He pursued his religious studies at Wadhams
Hall Seminary, Ogdensburg, and Christ the King Seminary. Prior to entering the
seminary, Baker worked at Cooper Turbocompressor and
the State University of New York at Buffalo.
As a seminarian, he learned about
parish life during summer assignments at St. Vincent de Paul, Springbrook; St. Mary of the Angels, Olean; and St. Mary of
the Lake, Hamburg. Following his ordination to the diaconate, he will continue
on with classes at the seminary and with his assignment at St. Mary of the
Lake.
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