Father Baker Miracle Investigation

Father Baker Miracle Investigation Begun UPI: Religious News -

LACKAWANNA, N.Y., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A Vatican investigation has begun to determine whether the blood of the late Rev. Nelson H. Baker, which some say remains fresh 63 years after his burial, is a miracle. A tribunal named by the Buffalo Diocese at the direction of the Vatican will collect sworn testimony from medical experts and people who handled the blood and bodily fluids exhumed last year. At that time, Bishop Henry J. Mansell of the Buffalo Diocese said a panel of doctors and university experts had found the blood to be "unexplainably fresh." The work of the new tribunal is not made public, and no timeline is given for the investigation, which could lead Baker one step closer to sainthood. "When Father Baker was buried, some anticipated he may someday be considered for canonization so the blood and bodily fluids that filled three large jars were collected and buried in a separate concrete vault underground," said Beth Donavan, spokeswoman for Our Lady of Victory Homes of Charity. Last March, Baker's body was exhumed from Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, N.Y., and placed at the nearby Our Lady of Victory Basilica at the suggestion of the Vatican, "where more would be inspired to pray for his intercession," according to Donavan. Donavan stressed that the Vatican requires that the church not bring additional attention to the canonization process, but when a tent appeared at the grave site of Baker, the reaction was a "bit overwhelming." "On the day of internment at the basilica 2,500 people attended," Donavan said. "We estimate that about 10,000 people visit the Our Lady of Victory Basilica each year, but since Baker's remains were placed in the church, that number has doubled." Because of his "life in service to children and adults that society ignored," Baker was named "Servant of God" in 1987 by Pope John Paul II -- the first step in the canonization process. Baker, a Buffalo, N.Y. native, served as a union soldier at Gettysburg in the Civil War and later ran a successful feed and grain business, but was unfulfilled, so he entered a Roman Catholic seminary. When he was ordained in at age 34, he was assigned to the Lackawanna orphanage, which was heavily in debt at the time. Baker used his own personal fortune to retire the debt, and then proceeded to expand the orphanage and build an extensive series of services for children and adults in Lackawanna, a city located adjacent to Buffalo. Baker founded a "protectory" for troubled youth, a school and a hospital. Known as "Padre of the Poor," he served a parish with very poor immigrants many of whom worked in the steel industry. He founded a home for unwed mothers after he learned that each summer when the Buffalo River was dredged infant bones were found from babies that had been drowned. By the time he was age 85, he had raised the funds and built the massive Our Lady of Victory Basilica and National Shrine in six years. When he died at age 95, a half-million people attended his funeral. Since his death, the complex of services provided under the Our Lady of Victory umbrella has grown. It currently serves up to 2,000 at-risk children a day. The complex is the largest employer in Lackawanna.