{"id":141,"date":"2020-02-27T20:53:11","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T20:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/?p=141"},"modified":"2020-03-28T18:34:20","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T18:34:20","slug":"homily-in-honour-of-fred-bakers-100th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/homily-in-honour-of-fred-bakers-100th\/","title":{"rendered":"Homily in Honour of Fred Baker\u2019s 100th"},"content":{"rendered":"

Homily given by Fr Christopher Basden, Saturday 22nd February 2020<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is lovely to be back here. \u00a0I spent seven of the happiest years of my life (1983-1990) at St. Stephen\u2019s, Welling. \u00a0I thought it was the centre of the universe and just down the road I found a real \u201cBethany\u201d at the house of Fred and Della.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1920!<\/span><\/p>\n

The First World War had not long ended \u2013 the most horrendous casualties!<\/span><\/p>\n

The influenza epidemic was in full flow \u2013 even more horrendous casualties.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pope Benedict XIV\u00a0<\/span>was in Rome and George V was our King and Emperor of India. \u00a0In that year Mahatma Gandhi began his campaign of <\/span>\u201c<\/span>non violent<\/span>resistance\u201d (he got the idea from the Sermon on the Mount \u2013 some of which was the Gospel I just read).<\/span><\/p>\n

Silent films were all the rage and cars beginning to be noticed on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

In that year on 1<\/span>9<\/span>th<\/span> February a baby was <\/span>born:<\/span> Frederick Baker – not a bad vintage as Pope John Paul II was born that year! (as was my dear Mum).<\/span><\/p>\n

What a life! \u00a0He grew up in one of the worst economic depressions of modern times. \u00a0When he was 19<\/span>,<\/span> World War II<\/span>\u00a0broke out and he did service in the Army. \u00a0The aftermath was a struggle with rationing, etc. but happiness in marrying Della in 1949. \u00a0I remember well Joe (how we hoped he would be our Deputy Head, but it was not to be). \u00a0Gerard, who was our altar boy, and went off to become famous \u2013 I remember too those three most stunning daughters! \u00a0Della had the most amazing radar \u2013 she noticed that I had noticed <\/span>this<\/span> and she assured me that it was hereditary and showed me photographic evidence. \u00a0She indeed had been a beautiful woman. \u00a0Her life and Fred\u2019s were marred by a most terrible cross \u2013 the killing of their young son Martin by a lorry on Edison Road. \u00a0What an unspeakable grief; Della suffered from acrophobia for years afterwards. \u00a0No wonder Fred had his heart tenderised! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you might ask<\/span>,<\/span> \u2018<\/span>what has Fred done for this Parish<\/span>?\u2019 –<\/span> you should rather ask <\/span>\u2018<\/span>what has Fred NOT done!<\/span>\u2019<\/span> \u00a0For years he did the count with old Mr <\/span>Glandfield<\/span> (whose grandson is now the Archbishop\u2019s Secretary). \u00a0He was a wonderful member of the SVP and looked after the needy; then there was reading<\/span> at Mass<\/span>, visiting the sick \u2013 in other words he is one of the pillars of this Parish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fred is a real Christian; it takes most of us over a hundred years to get where he has got! \u00a0He has beaten most of us with his kindness, patience and gentleness. \u00a0What is his secret? \u00a0He recognises Jesus who loves us so much in the daily breaking of the bread. \u00a0The daily Mass, which is part and parcel of his life, is so wonderful. \u00a0St John Vianney once said that if we knew what Jesus actually does for us at each Mass we would die for joy. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I came to <\/span>Welling<\/span> in 1983 Fred had not long been retired and he had walked all the way to Lourdes. (I remember <\/span>Della \u00a0went<\/span> down to Portsmouth to minister to his blistered feet!)<\/span><\/p>\n

He called at presbyteries throughout France \u2013 a real act of faith! \u00a0We had such happy Parish pilgrimages. \u00a0I can remember laughing so much! \u00a0We went to Lourdes, Rome and Fatima. \u00a0Let me tell you a story. \u00a0I am ashamed to say that I lost my temper with Fred at Fatima for he interrupted me during the Stations of the Cross. \u00a0When we finished the <\/span>Stations I\u00a0<\/span>went to apologise. \u00a0Fred said, \u201cIt\u2019s ok <\/span>Father ,<\/span> don\u2019t worry, I don\u2019t mind \u2026\u2026. but Della does!\u201d \u00a0When I went around the <\/span>corner<\/span> I encountered a furious Della like a bull in the arena. \u00a0She wiped the floor with <\/span>me<\/span> and I totally deserved it!<\/span><\/p>\n

Fred has always kept in touch. \u00a0I remember Fr Wilfred driving him the short distance from St Stephen\u2019s to St Bede\u2019s, Clapham Park but it took hours as they got badly lost. \u00a0Fred has been a great support to all seven\u00a0<\/span>Parish Priests, starting with Fr Clifford Nevatt. \u00a0And<\/span>\u00a0what happy memories we have of the Daughters of Jesus and the lovely Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament!<\/span><\/p>\n

2020! (100 years later)<\/span><\/p>\n

We now fight our wars on other people\u2019s territory<\/span> \u2013 Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. \u00a0<\/span>We are threatened by the outbreak of the Coronavirus \u2013 please God it can be contained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pope Francis (quite unique) is in Rome and George V\u2019s granddaughter, Elizabeth, has been on the throne since Fred was 32!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

India, now partitioned, has colonised the World<\/span> with d<\/span>octors, workers and priests (Gandhi, who was inspired by the Gospel of tonight<\/span> is part of history).<\/span><\/p>\n

Our World is filled with gadgetry \u2013 TVs, computers and mobile phones, etc! \u00a0<\/span>There are so many cars on the road it is hard to park<\/span>, or even to get anywhere!<\/span><\/p>\n

. . . . . . <\/span>and after 100 years Fred is still here!<\/span> \u00a0We all love <\/span>him and praise God and<\/span>\u00a0Our Blessed Lady<\/span>!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Homily given by Fr Christopher Basden, Saturday 22nd February 2020 It is lovely to be back here. \u00a0I spent seven of the happiest years of my life (1983-1990) at St. Stephen\u2019s, Welling. \u00a0I thought it was the centre of the universe and just down the road I found a real \u201cBethany\u201d at the house of … Continue reading “Homily in Honour of Fred Baker\u2019s 100th”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227,"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions\/227"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saintstephens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}