Rev. Robert Baer

Paulist Father Robert W. Baer, CSP died March 20, 2020, at the age of 94. Born December 12, 1925 in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, he was the son of John W. and Catherine (Weber) Baer. After one year at Fordham University, he joined the United States Navy during World War II. In 1946, he received a BS degree from Northwestern University,an honorable discharge from the Navy, and studied for 3 months at Georgetown University Medical School. Responding to a desire to be a Roman Catholic priest, he joined the Paulist Fathers in 1947 and was ordained a priest on May 1, 1954.

After serving as parish priest, vocation director, and university chaplain (Tufts; Brandeis – where he met the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; University of California @ Berkeley, during the early days of the Free Speech Movement), Fr. Baer received a Doctorate in Pastoral Theology, in 1970, from the University of Nijmegen, Holland. He was the founding pastor of People of the Promise, a Eucharist-centered worship community in Boston.

Fr. Baer received a Doctorate in Analytical Psychology from the CG Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland in 1982.He was a Jungian analyst in Boston for over 30 years. In recent years, he was a resident at Marian Manor.

Fr. Baer was predeceased by his parents; brother, Jerome; and sisters Mary Heiser and Jane Blaney.Fr. Baer is survived by his brother, George; brother-in-law John Blaney; numerous nieces and nephews, especially MaryJane Blaney and Cathy Blaney (Michael) Petralia; and the Paulist Fathers Community.

Due to the current health crisis, burial will be private. A Memorial Mass in New York City and Boston will be scheduled when appropriate. More information and photos can be found at Paulist.org or #PaulistFathers. Contributions in memory of Fr. Baer can be made to The Paulist Fathers, 405 West 59th Street, New York NY 10019 or online at Paulist.org.

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