ARTICLES
April 2003 ARTICLES
Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Don't Hate Him Because He's Beautiful
Father Tom Baker -- The Archdiocese's Poster Boy
By Jonathan Fierro
Father Tom Baker is the man. Whether adorning the halls of the chancery building decked in his form-fitting, bike-riding gear, or in a Roman collar for archdiocesan fundraising efforts, Baker, with his winning smile, has become a sort of chic male model for the Los Angeles archdiocese. He looks good.
But now, Father Baker's boyish good looks haven't been enough to spare him from the wrath of his parishioners, who chide him for having kicked out his assistant, an elderly priest from Guatemala. His mostly Latino, Spanish-speaking flock at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in El Sereno says that Baker falsely accused Father Gustavo Lara of stealing money, solely to get rid of him. (See, "We Aren't Going Away," January Mission.) Picketers have been showing up at Baker's Sunday masses since September. Attracting the attention of the Latino media, the protestors have been demanding that Lara be reinstated and that Baker publicly apologize to him, something that Baker has steadfastly refused to do.
In addition, a group of parishioners allege that Baker -- who has been pastor at Our Lady for the last six years -- does not click well with his flock, especially after the priest downplayed Mexican devotions like Las Posadas and veneration to the Virgin of Guadalupe. According to some parishioners, Father Baker prohibited the mariachis to render Our Lady Las Mañanitas, a centuries-old Mexican tradition that consists of singing a "good morning" song to the Virgin, prior to Mass. Baker, though, has allowed the mariachis to play during Mass. According to several former parish council members, including Gustavo Rodriguez, Baker tried to prohibit Las Posadas as soon as he arrived at the parish, but the tradition was far too ingrained in the community to stop it.
Then there's Baker's temper, which parishioners say is sort of Jekyll and Hyde-like: Baker is cheerful and exceedingly polite during Mass, but as soon as he steps out of church, there's no telling how he'll react. He, reportedly, removed from the parish council members who have opposed him.
But his small, English-speaking group of supporters, made up largely of more-assimilated Latinos, say that the immigrant band of protestors got it all wrong. Baker is a good priest, they say, who has been unjustly excoriated by his detractors. His supporters point out that Baker has learned Spanish and takes great pains to reach immigrants. Don't hate him because he's beautiful, they say; he's much more than style over substance.
"Father Baker has acted civilized with the protestors, telling us to pray for them and to be kind to them," says a parish member who asked not to be identified. "The protestors are acting like animals. They are hypocrites."
Then there's the archdiocese, which has apparently given Baker its full support. According to an archdiocesan spokeswoman, Carolina Guevara, Baker was acting under chancery rules when he fired Lara. Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, who is in charge of the region in which Our Lady of Guadalupe is located, has told protestors to patch things up with Baker and to submit themselves to him. In fact, Zavala seems to have so much confidence in Baker 's work that he assigned him for another six years to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The decision seems to be an anomaly, since few archdiocesan priests get to serve more than a one six-year term at Our Lady's church.
Whatever the outcome, the Baker scandal has shed some light on a man who, many say, could be one of the rising stars in the archdiocese. Despite Our Lady's humble abode, it has been a training ground for priests like Monsignor Timothy Dyer, who was once the archdiocesan vicar. (Dyer is currently being questioned by a grand jury for his knowledge of the Church's sex scandals.)
But despite Baker's seemingly amicable relationship with Bishop Zavala and the archdiocese, things may not bode well for his career if the protests continue, alleges Carlos Lopez, one of his main detractors. He adds that Baker may have the hierarchy on his side, but that his reputation has already received a serious blow.
"It's clear that the archdiocese doesn't care about the concerns of the faithful and that, despite all of the complaints against him [Baker], they are backing him up," Lopez said. "But we will continue to pressure him. It is not fair that Baker can just kick Father Lara out like a dog into the streets, and get away with it; people should know how he really is."
Father Tom Baker was ordained a priest in 1989, according to the archdiocese 's yearbook. He was 30 years old. Because Baker (who has repeatedly refused to be interviewed by the media, including for this article) seems to be particularly distant from most of his parishioners, information on his background is hard to find. Most of his flock -- both supporters and detractors -- agree that Baker seems aloof (except during Mass), rarely dining with them, preferring the company of friends outside of Our Lady.
Abraham Mendoza, a former Our Lady parish maintenance worker and now an anti-Baker protestor, said that he can't recall, during the five years that he worked under Baker, a time when Baker invited some of his parishioners for lunch or visited their homes for dinner. He sometimes would dine with Lara at the parish house and would have light dinner conversation with Father Stephen Hernandez, who last year slit his wrists after being investigated by the Los Angeles police department for allegedly abusing minors.
Everyone agrees that Baker has always shown interest in sports. Since he arrived at Our Lady in January 1997, Baker made his passion for jogging and for cycling well known.
According to a Tidings story written by Father Robert Juarez -- a former priest-friend of Baker when he was assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (Hammel) -- Baker has been running in marathons ever since he was 26 and a student at St. John's seminary. Baker, who is now 43, is a veteran of the Ironman Triathlon, where competitors swim for 2.4 miles, pedal a 112-mile bike race, and complete a 26.2-mile marathon. Last year, the archdiocese geared up for Baker's participation in this Lake Placid, New York, event, sponsoring him and promoting his involvement by distributing posters of Baker decked out in a yellow, skin tight uniform, with his hands raised in a sign of victory.
According to Juarez's story, Baker promotes vocations through his involvement in sports and in the triathlon, under the banner, "Tri 4 vocations." According to Juarez, Baker said that he continued to push himself "in the physical, spiritual, and emotional areas of his life in order be a healthy, happy and productive priest for God and God's people."
The archdiocese's willingness to use Baker's looks is evident this year in its "Together In Mission" program, the yearly fundraising event to help out the poorest of parishes. Baker's winning smile is emblazoned this year in this event's top poster.
Lopez says that nobody has a problem with Baker's magazine-cover looks or his penchant for wearing tight-fitting jeans and torso-hugging, maroon sweaters. He is a fixture in El Sereno, where he drives his racing bikes through the neighborhood.
But his Catholicity is another matter.
Yes, his parishioners agree that Baker is a very nice priest during Mass. He will often perform magic tricks during the homily. And he has introduced teenage, liturgical dancing girls during Christmas Masses -- something that seems a bit strange to his immigrant parishioners, who are more used to traditional devotions, like kissing the Christ Child in the manger. Despite his criticisms of him, Mendoza says Baker does seem to have a gift with young people. He is regularly invited to speak to big rallies of teenagers as part of the archdiocese's "God's Team." Proof of his way with youngsters is Baker's successful youth group, his supporters say. Mendoza says that young people are the ones with whom the priest seems to feel more at home.
But according to Gustavo Rodriguez, Baker had no problem dissolving the local Acción Catolica group, a venerable, Mexican youth organization which has produced martyrs and saints. In spite of the fact that Acción Catolica inspired dozens of honest, hard-working men and women (including some vocations), Baker allegedly told Rodriguez (the group's former leader) that the reason he did away with it was that he wanted a group that was more involved with English-speaking youths.
Although Baker's fondness for young people is unquestionable, Mendoza says it does not extend to his immigrant, adult parishioners. Mendoza recalled an incident where Baker shouted at Mendoza's pregnant wife for parking her car where a friend of Baker was about to park his. Dumfounded, Alma Mendoza didn 't know how to react to the priest, alleged Mendoza.
"Father Baker is like the Michael Jackson of the Church," said Mendoza. "He' s this attractive, sports star who wants to be alone in his kingdom, all by himself."
Mendoza said that the brought up his concerns about Baker in 1997 to the archdiocese's vicar for clergy, Monsignor Richard Loomis, who told Mendoza that he would handle the matter and assured him not to worry about his job at Our Lady. But Loomis left that position in late 2000. Mendoza alleges that in April 2002, Baker sent him a letter saying he was cutting Mendoza's hours by half -- which went into effect that August. "I couldn't live on a part-time salary, so I left the job," Mendoza said. "I felt that was his way of getting rid of me. When I left, I told Father Lara, 'watch out. You're next.'"
Three months later, Lara was also out of the parish.
Father Baker would not be suffering the ire of his flock if it were not for the Lara incident, Lopez said. But when Baker got rid of Lara, that was the last straw. Lara, a 76-year-old priest who has spent the last nine years at Our Lady, was looking to retire from the priesthood when Baker accused him of stealing $760 from the collection bag, according to Lara. Since Lara is not incardinated in the Los Angeles archdiocese, he is not entitled to receive a pension or medical benefits. Since last September, Lara, who denies Baker's accusations, has been living with a niece. Lara suffers from diabetes and heart problems and lacks the money to pay for his medical bills.
Rosa Arevalo, a longtime Guadalupe lector and a member of the parish council who sympathizes with Lara, said that, though she deplores the latest scandal, it is a good opportunity for parishioners to learn more about their Church and help clean it up -- especially in light of recent church scandals, where the tight-knit world of priests often acts condescendingly towards the faithful. "We should be catalysts for change. Father [Baker] said that we don't know nothing of canon law, so we need to know more of that to be prepared to participate and make a change in the Church," Arevalo said. "The pope said that Latinos would be the future of the church; we just can't leave."