Father Richard Baker, the only son of Andrew Baker and Mary Falzone Baker, was born in Yonkers, New York, on January 31, 1945. He has one sister. Dick studied at Most Holy Trinity Elementary School and Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers. He entered Maryknoll in 1959 as a sophomore at Maryknoll Apostolic College (Venard) and was ordained at Maryknoll, New York, on May 22, 1971.

During his Deacon Year he worked at Transfiguration Parish in New York City. At ordination, he was assigned to the Society's Mission "X" Experiment of that time, which was to be a team approach with his classmate Father Vincent Cole and Father John Halbert to Apostolic Mission Work in the Archdiocese of Karachi in then West Pakistan. In preparation, he took a Masters Degree Program in Islamic Studies at McGill University in Toronto, Canada, along with studies in the Urdu Language. The Karachi project did not materialize and in 1973 Dick was reassigned as a member of the team to initiate an experimental mission project in Indonesia, where he worked for two years. He then pursued studies in Urban Planning at Portland State University in Oregon.

In November 1977, Father Baker was assigned to the Africa Region where he took up work in the Chang 'ombe Parish in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, after studying the Swahili Language, and then, after two years, moved on to the Mugumu Parish. In January 1987, Dick moved to Sudan where he worked for the Diocese of El Obeid.

In April 1992, he was assigned to the U.S. Region to pursue studies in Library Science while working simultaneously in the Society Library at Maryknoll, New York. He obtained a M.L.S. from St. John's University in New York in January 1996.

In March 1995, Father Baker was assigned to the Kenya Region in Africa and in June took up work in the Jimma-Bonga Apostolic Prefecture with residence in Gambella, Ethiopia, where he continues today. (His work is with an Education Project of UNHCR and UNESCO for local people in Gambella and for refugees from the Sudan.) He was asked by the Jesuit Refugee Service to undertake a survey of the education situation in Region 12 (Gambella) and Pinyudo Refugee camp in the same Region. He is also assisting in pastoral responsibilities in the parish and camp.

     View the Gambella Photo Album    

Dick's Reflections             Dick's Ministry

Maryknollers in Ethiopia