Final Vows of Fr. Dennis Baker, S.J.
Loyola Blakefield
September 13, 2024
A Word of Congratulations and Thanks
First let me offer a word of deepest thanks, to you Fr. O’Keefe, and to your collaborators in the Province, for making Fr. Dennis Baker available to lead Loyola-Blakefield. Recognizing the personnel challenges all of us are facing, I am doubly grateful that you have missioned to this great school such a wonderful priest, a true son of Ignatius of Loyola, an experienced educator, a missionary, and a pastor of souls.
And Fr. Dennis, let me offer you a word of congratulations and thanks! First, warmest and heartfelt congratulations on making your final vows. As all of us know, in the Society of Jesus, it’s a long journey to final vows, with its share of consolations and desolations, with exquisite discernment, and with perseverance made possible only by the grace of God. Thank you for saying “yes”, again and again, to the call of God.
And warmest congratulations as you begin your leadership of Loyola Blakefield. You have discovered, no doubt, that few schools have more devoted alumni, few have a prouder tradition, few can boast of greater attainments, and indeed, few have a more beautiful campus than what surrounds us. But at the heart of such attainments and such beauty is a mission, the very mission and charism that the Holy Spirit planted so long ago in the heart of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his companions – the mission to bear witness to Christ, to proclaim his Name, to make disciples, to teach the faith, and to build up the Church, united under the leadership of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. It is this mission for which this great school was founded and it is this charism and mission that imparts to it its excellence! Thank you for saying “yes” and thank you for all you are already doing together with your board and school leadership to further the challenging and awe-inspiring mission of Loyola-Blakefield.
Still another word of thanks is in order. Since you came to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Fr. Baker, you have been most generous in reaching out to surrounding parishes to offer Holy Mass on Sundays and at other times when help is needed. No doubt, these are occasions to hold up the Loyola-Blakefield flag – but they also demonstrate the pastoral heart that you bring both to this school and to this local church. Together with my brother priests in the Archdiocese, I say, “thank you!”
Vocation
And finally, a word to you, the students, the reason why we’re here. As you witnessed Fr. Baker’s first vows and listened to what is being said about his life as a Jesuit, I hope the Spirit of the Lord will move your hearts to consider the possibility that God may be calling you to the priesthood, and if the Lord is calling you, as he called Fr. Baker, I hope you respond generously, just as Fr. Baker has responded. . . And if the Jesuits are full up . . . I have openings!
All vocations are from the Lord and all of them are good and necessary, and the priesthood is at the service of them all. What a joy it is to proclaim the Lord’s teaching far and wide, what a joy to renew the sacrifice that brings salvation, what a joy to bring peace and reconciliation. If God is calling I hope you, like Ignatius of Loyola, will say “yes”. And finally I hope and pray that this will turn out to be the best year ever in the long and storied history of Loyola-Blakefield. Oh, and by the way, on this occasion, with Fr. Baker’s approval, I am happy to grant you a day off, on a day of Fr. Baker’s choosing! Ad maiorem Dei gloriam! Roll on, dons, roll on!