Baker_StephenP

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Stephen P. Baker

Assignment Record – Brother Stephen P. Baker, T.O.R. aka Paul Stephen Baker

Summary of Case: A Third Order Regular Franciscan brother of the Province of the Immaculate Conception, Baker was a religion teacher, baseball coach and athletic trainer at high schools in Youngstown, OH, Johnstown, PA, and Orchard Lake, MI. He worked, too, at a high school in Inver Lake, MN. Baker was also assigned at some point earlier in his career to a high school and boys' home in Norfolk, VA. Baker is said to have sexually abused "dozens, if not hundreds" of students. His modus operandi is said to have been to tell male athletes they needed massages to prevent injuries, then to proceed to rub them down with oils, including their genitals. He is also accused of digitally penetrating them. Former students have said he would grope them in hallways and during religion class. One former female student has reported that he requested she show up for treatment of a sports injury in loose fitting clothing and no underwear. Baker was the subject of a 2012 settlement with eleven of his accusers. He is said by a superior to have been removed from ministry "long before 2010." Baker took his own life January 26, 2013.

Start	Stop	Parish/Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1970s Richmond bishop was John Joyce Russell (1958-1973), followed by Walter Francis Sullivan (1974-2003)		James Barry-Robinson High School and Home for Boys	Norfolk	VA		This assignment is per a James Barry-Robinson website.
St. Paul and Minneapolis archbishop was John Robert Roach (1975-1995)	1981	St. Patrick's	Inver Grove Heights • Baker was accused of sexually abusing a boy who met Baker when he was an 8th grader in 1977. The boy's mother taught religion class with with Baker at St. Patrick's. This accuser reported the abused to the archdiocese in 2003, who referred him to the T.O.R. Provincial Superior, Rev. Anthony Criscitelli. The man received a settlement from the T.O.R.s in 2005.	MN	Catechetical Coordinator
1981	1983
1983 Detroit archbishop was Edmund Casimir Szoka (1981-1990)	1985	St. Mary's Preparatory High School	Orchard Lake • A man who received a settlement from the T.O.R.s in 2005 after reporting abuse as a child by Baker in MN said he was told in 2003 by T.O.R. Provincial Superior, Rev. Anthony Criscitelli, that "there was a similar abuse claim from Michigan".	MI		St. Mary's prep. had 235-219 students. On Jan. 31, 2013 Detroit archdiocesan officials said that there have been no reports of abuse against Baker.
1986 Youngstown bishop was James William Malone (1968-1995)	1992	JFK High School	Youngstown • Baker was accused in a lawsuit of the sexual abuse of 10 male JFK students, and a boy from another school, from 1986-1990. His accusers said his modus operandi was to tell them they needed massages to avoid sports injuries, then to fondle and digitally penetrate them. They said he also groped students in the hallways, and that sexual abuse also occurred on sports the teams' road trips. • In late 2012 a 12th man not involved in the earlier lawsuit disclosed past abuse by Baker. • In Jan. 2013, after allegations of Baker's abuse became known publicly, many more accusers came forward. By Jan. 18 there were 18 alleged victims from JFK and 2 from another school, St. Mary's. • One former JFK student, a woman, disclosed in Jan. 2013 that when she was being treated for a sports injury Baker told her to come back to the training room at 6pm in loose fitting shirts and no underwear. She did not comply.	OH	religion teacher, sports trainer, baseball coach	Diocesan officials stated in Jan. 2013 that they first became aware of allegations against Baker in 2009. Youngstown bishop George Murray said in Jan. 2013 that the diocese settled because they believed the allegations against Baker to be credible.
		St. Mary's Middle School	Warren • Baker has been accused of abusing students at St. Mary's.	OH		St. Mary's was a "feeder" school for JFK High School.
1992 Altoona-Johnstown bishop was Joseph Victor Adamec (1987-2011)	2000	Bishop McCort High School	Johnstown • When news of the allegations against Baker broke in Jan. 2013, former McCort students began to surface with their own accounts of abuse by Baker in the 1990s-more than 15 by Jan. 19. Again, the former students said Baker would have them strip naked in the athletic training room, and proceed to massage them, genitals included. There were also reports of Baker groping students during religion class.	PA	religion teacher, sports trainer, baseball coach	McCort High School had 545-473 students. Per Rev. Patrick Quinn, T.O.R.,Provincial Superior of the Province of the Immaculate Conception in 2013, Baker was removed from ministry in 2000 after an allegation stemming from the 1980s surfaced. Baker's accuser sued, received a settlement in 2002, and was required to sign a confidentiality agreement. The Altoona-Johnstown diocese issued a statement in Jan. 2013 that it learned of allegations against Baker in November 2011.

2000	2003	St. Bernardine Monastery	Newry	PA
2003	2010	St. Joseph Friary	Hollidaysburg	PA
2010	2011	St. Joseph Friary	Hollidaysburg	PA		Baker is not listed in the 2011 Directory as at any of the Altoona diocese's T.O.R. monasteries. Baker may have had access to children through the late 2000s.
Adamec was succeeded as Altoona-Johnstown bishop by Mark Leonard Bartchak (2011-)	2013	St. Bernardine Monastery	Newry • Allegations have emerged stemming from Baker's time here.	PA		JFK High, the Youngstown diocese, and the T.O.R. Franciscans settled with 11 of Baker's accusers in 2012. By Jan. 27, 2013 about 60 former JFK and McCort students had come forward with allegations of sexual abuse by Baker. By Jan 31, 2013 more than 80 had come forward. Some of them stated they believed there were dozens and possibly hundreds of students victimized by Baker. Baker took his own life Jan. 26, 2013.

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Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1992-2011)

"Attorney: 3 former Bishop McCort students will receive $50,000 each in sexual abuse settlement," Johnstown, PA, Tribune-Democrat, Kathy Mellott, April 15, 2015.

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Below is the complete statement from the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown on the report that

Franciscan Brother Stephen P. Baker sexually abused at least 11 Warren John F. Kennedy High School students,

as many as 25 times each, from 1986 through 1990.

NEWS

144 West Wood Street, Youngstown, OH 44503

330-744-8451 Fax 330-742-6448

Nancy L. Yuhasz, Chancellor

Comment on "Road to Recovery, Inc." Press Conference at John F. Kennedy High School

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Diocese of Youngstown first became aware of the misconduct allegation through correspondence from the former John F. Kennedy students' attorney in 2009. Neither the diocese nor John F. Kennedy High School had any knowledge of the allegations of abuse while Brother Baker served at the school. Although the abuse is said to have occurred prior to 1991, the allegations were not reported by the former students to the school or the diocese until nearly 20 years later. As soon as the Diocese of Youngstown became aware of the allegations, we reported them to Trumbull County Children's Services.

The diocese realizes that victims often have difficulty reporting abuse until many years after it occurs. Although the Diocese of Youngstown had no legal liability in this case, the diocese voluntarily participated in a mediation process with the former students, their attorneys, and representatives of the T.O.R. Franciscan Order.

Brother Baker has never been a member of the clergy of the Diocese of Youngstown, but is a member of the T.O.R. Franciscan Brothers and was a teacher at John F. Kennedy High School from 1986-1991. Brother Baker did not admit to the allegations, but is currently living under the strict supervision of the T.O.R. Franciscan Order. He is not teaching or involved in any public ministry.

The Diocese of Youngstown encourages anyone who may have experienced sexual abuse by clergy or others associated with the Church to notify civil authorities and to contact the diocesan victim assistance coordinator (330-744-8451).

The Diocese of Youngstown Child Protection Policy may be found on the diocesan website, www.doy.org or by calling (330-744-8451) for a copy.

Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., Bishop of Youngstown, said, "The Diocese of Youngstown continues to be committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse. I am deeply sorry for the pain suffered by survivors of abuse, because nothing is more important than protecting our children."

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