Harold Napier Baker (c. 1877 – 4 July 1950), often referred to as Canon Baker, was an Anglican priest, for many years

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St Thomas' Anglican Church, North Sydney, Australia.

Life

Baker was born in

Masulipatam Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarte ...

, Southern India, where his father was a worker with the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

. He was educated at

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...

, New Zealand, and graduated BA at the University of New Zealand in 1900. He came to Australia in 1901 and was ordained in 1902. Baker was at one time curate of St Mary's Anglican Church, Balmain, followed by temporary placements at

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

and St Peter's, Sydney. He was rector of St Peter's, East Sydney, from 1904 to 1913; he graduated MA at Sydney University in 1912. He was rector of St John's, and

Rural Dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective. ...

of Launceston, Tasmania, from 1913 to 1919. In 1919 he was appointed as rector of St Thomas', where he remained until his retirement in 1945, when he was appointed Rural Dean of North Sydney. He died at St Ives Hospital, North Sydney, aged 73, after a short illness. His remains were cremated at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium after a service at St Thomas' Church.

Other interests

Baker was interested in amateur theatre, and wrote several plays on Biblical subjects, presented at St Thomas' Memorial Hall: *''The King of Love'' in March 1938, and revived a year later. *''Thy Kingdom Come'' in March 1940 *''Miriam'' in August 1950. Players were members of the congregation of St Thomas' and, in at least one production, pupils of

Wenona School , motto_translation = That I May Serve , established = , type = Independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding , denomination = , educational_authority = NSW Department of Education , slogan = Empowering yo ...

, and the Church of England Grammar School for Girls, North Sydney. He has been credited with founding the Christian Social Order Movement and was recognised as one of the leading scholars of the Australian Church of England.

Family

Baker married Dora Smith on 5 December 1938 and had two children, a son and a daughter. Rev. William J. Baker, about whom nothing has been found, was a brother. as was Donald Baker (1882–1968), Anglican Bishop of Bendigo from 1920 to 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Harold Napier 1877 births 1950 deaths 20th-century Australian Anglican priests