On Dec. 30, 2019, the Diocese of Charlotte published the name of former priest Donald Philip Baker to its list of credibly accused clergy. You may read the notification from the Diocese of Charlotte here: https://accountability.charlottediocese.org.
Donald Philip Baker served in the Diocese of Phoenix during the early 1990s at the parishes of Holy Spirit and St. Jerome. He left ministry in 1994. We are not aware of any claims of sexual misconduct against Baker while he served in the Diocese of Phoenix, and no accusations of abuse have been reported to the Diocese of Phoenix.
According to the Diocese of Charlotte, the allegation of abuse was first reported in 2017, and related to Baker’s service in Lenoir, North Carolina in the 1980s. The Diocese of Phoenix has updated its website to reflect the notification from the Diocese of Charlotte: https://dphx.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/TABLE-II-Other-Dioceses.pdf.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and the Diocese of Phoenix take accusations of sexual misconduct seriously and urge anyone who has been a victim of abuse to call a local law enforcement agency. For additional information about support services for those who have been abused, please contact the Office of Child and Youth Protection at (602) 354-2396 or at dphx.org/youth-protection.
