THE BLOOD OF FATHER BAKER
Father
Nelson Baker was undoubtedly the single most loved Catholic priest in the
history of Western New York. He is best known for two notable things...
tirelessly serving the poor and needy in his community, and building the
world-renowned landmark "Our Lady of Victory Basilica" in the Buffalo,
New York town of Lackawanna. It is a breathtaking accomplishment!
Even when there are no people to be found in that church, the architectural
design itself shouts the praise and worship of God continually.
When he died in 1936 at the age of 95, his body was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery adjacent to the Basilica.
In the Spring of 1999, church officials voted to exhume Father Baker's body and relocate it within a sarcophagus inside the Basilica. That's when an amazing discovery was made public. The Buffalo News reported it this way...
"When Father Baker's grave was opened, a separate vault was discovered, buried on top of the one which contained his earthly remains. This smaller vault held three vials of bodily fluid taken from Father Baker at the time of his embalming in 1936. Although the discovery of the small vault was a surprise, the containers were found in remarkable condition and immediately sent for testing.
"During the Spring of 2001, the Congregation established a tribunal in Western New York to obtain information concerning further details of Father Baker's life, and, specifically, the vials of fluid which were removed when the humble priest was reinterred in 1999. Over the course of several weeks, sworn testimony was taken by official eyewitnesses to the transferal of Father Baker's remains, and has since been transcribed, translated into Italian, and sent to Rome for review. "
This same news article went on to say...
"A visit from a Rome official last June led to an announcement that three vials of bodily fluid, recovered when the earthly remains of Father Baker were exhumed in Spring of 1999, were being studied closely by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican. The intense study was brought about after it was discovered that Father Baker's blood was still in "a liquid state" after more than 60 years since his death. "
Incorruptible blood? Perhaps it is a miracle. But WHY did they bury vials of Father Baker's bodily fluids along with his body? This is not a common practice. It "surprised" church officials. Did the people who buried the vials INTEND for them to be dug up at a later date as a possible miraculous attestation of the deserved sainthood-canonization of their most beloved priest? If so, I would think it would have been well-documented somewhere. Instead, it was a surprise to all. There were no future body-relocation plans at the time of Father Baker's burial in 1936. How would anyone even know there was a separate vault of vials down there for future inspection?
According
to Monsignor David M. Lee, director of communications for the Buffalo Catholic
Diocese, Father Baker's body was exhumed and restationed inside the Basilica
in order to "give people the opportunity to show respect for his remains
and encourage them to ask Father Baker to pray for us and for our needs."
The theory is that more accessibility means more prayers for the miracles that are needed for Father Baker's canonization.
So often we are led by spiritual forces we are not even aware of. Were the people who inspired the relocation decisions (leading to the discovery of the incorruptible blood) unwittingly persuaded by some external spiritual influence? I think so! They thought their only motivation was to hasten Father Baker's hopeful canonization by making his remains more present to people. But there may have been more to it than that.
And what about the mourning men and women who were inspired to bury Father Baker's bodily fluids? No doubt they thought their only motivation was to show reverence to the very life-blood that he poured out in selfless service to his community. But there may have been more to it than that.
God knows everything about a man's destiny long before he is ever born, right? Did he know Father Nelson Baker was destined for sainthood? If so, GOD HIMSELF may have been the spiritual persuasion that caused the burial of fluids in 1936, AND the surprising discovery of them in the Spring of 1999. In both cases, the people involved did what they did as an expression of their PRESENT love and appreciation for their hopeful-saint, Father Baker. But God may have been unraveling an even higher FUTURE plan for the sainthood of Father Baker through their actions without them even realizing it.
Incorruptible blood. What is the spiritual message? What does it dramatize? Could it be that the very essence of Father Baker's life... his eternal soul... is being PRESERVED for sainthood?
The Buffalo News (March 10, 1999) detailed the relocation process this way...
"The vault containing the casket was opened Tuesday. The plan is to remove the metal casket today and take it to Our Lady of Victory Hospital and make sure it is in good condition, Monsignor Robert C. Wurtz, pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish, said.
"There are no plans to open the casket, he said.
"Thursday, six former "Father Baker Boys" will carry the casket into the Basilica, where Bishop Henry J. Mansell will lead a prayer service, and it will be entombed "forever," Monsignor Wurtz said."
Damn! They should have opened that casket! How much you wanna bet Father Baker's BODY has ALSO shown no hour of decay since the day he was lowered in the ground in 1936?
