Approaching retirement, Monsignor Barker reflects on shepherding one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Note: Six priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be retiring July 1. The Review profiles the six as their parishes bid them farewell. Click here to read more retirement profiles. 

Monsignor James M. Barker has a simple way to sum up his ministry as a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“A real pleasure,” says Monsignor Baker about his 43-year priesthood that has taken him from an associate pastor to the archdiocese’s director of vocations and for the last 23 years as pastor of bustling St. Ignatius in Hickory.

The feeling has been mutual for the burgeoning Harford County parish that the Arbutus native has served for the last two decades.

“He is a pastor who has led with humility, compassion and deep faithfulness,” said Cetta York, the director of religious education for the past 21 years and a parish member of St. Ignatius for 35 years. “It’s why this place feels more like a family than a parish.”

Monsignor Barker landed in the northern reaches of Maryland after serving as associate pastor at St. Joseph, Cockeysville (1981-87), and St. Louis, Clarksville (1987-91), and a 10-year stint as the archdiocese’s director of vocations (1991-2001).

He took the reins of a parish that he said was in the process of going from being a small rural one to a “more suburban one.”

He was tasked with completing the renovations of the historic church. He hired the same architectural firm that refurbished the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary to apply the finishing touches. He then helped direct the renovation of the parish hall and added eight classrooms to the parish school, living space to the rectory and an addition on the parish center. Along the way, he hired nearly the entire current staff at the parish.

“He’s always had a great vision and been an excellent steward,” said York, who noted that Monsignor Barker administered the foundational sacraments to her three daughters and held her hand while her mother died. “He opened our eyes to what we should be and how we should live out our faithfulness. We’ve always felt like more of a family at St. Ignatius than a staff because of his leadership.”

St. Ignatius has more than 3,500 registered parishioners; nearly 2,400 attend weekend Mass regularly.

“St. Ignatius is a real prize of the diocese,” Monsignor Barker, 70, said. “It’s been very rewarding serving here. I’ve been very blessed. We’ve nearly doubled in size since I started here. I love this parish. I’ve learned more about being a priest serving here than I did in eight years of seminary. The parish is a model of Catholic faithfulness.”

After more than two decades as a pastor and a year of health challenges that included four surgeries for knee replacement and a hernia, the graduate of the now-closed Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore is ready for a well-earned break.

He plans to retire to Mercy Ridge Retirement Community in Timonium, where he looks forward to being close to his retired brother priests, especially one of his mentors, Monsignor Paul Cook. His immediate plans are to travel and work on his Christmas ornament-making hobby before eventually assisting again in a pastoral setting.

The highlights of his ministry were directing the Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for St. Pope John Paul II’s visit to Baltimore in 1995 and mentoring young priests and seminarians as director of vocations.

He said the day-to-day ministry of the priesthood has been a joy.

“Just being with people and walking with them in their journey of faith is a real pleasure,” Monsignor Barker said. “It’s so rewarding to baptize little ones and then see them make all of the sacraments.”

His advice for young priests?

“Try to listen to your people,” he said, “and sometimes take a day or two to think things through. Also, seek out other priests for advice.”

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

Also see

Father William Au, pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, is set to retire

Father Demek retires after nearly 50 years as a priest

Father Gills retires after a ministry that took him around the world and around the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Father Foley, pastor to retired priests, set to retire himself

‘Unflappable’ pastor who shepherded major parish projects ready to retire

Founding pastor of Frederick parish to retire

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