Fr. Joseph Baker

Father Jack, the former pastor of St. Perpetua in Waterford Township, was removed from his position in June 2019 due to an ongoing investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse that occurred early in his ministry. Subsequently, he was arrested on July 8, 2019, and charged with “sexual-conduct penetration with a person under the age of 13.” The accuser, who was a second-grader preparing for First Communion at St. Mary’s in Wayne in 2004, claimed that Baker raped him in a storage closet. Finally, in October 2022, Father Jack was convicted and sentenced on March 1, 2023, to serve 3-15 years in prison.