Thomas Edward Dolinay

Background

Baker, Thomas Edward was born on July 24, 1923 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Son of John Thad and Angelina E. (Rappa) Baker.

Education

Dolinay attended public schools in Struthers, Ohio, and Uniontown and graduated in 1941. He earned his undergraduate degree at Saint Procopius College in Lisle, Illinois in 1945 and completed his theological studies at the Benedictine Seminary in 1948.

Career

Dolinay had parish assignments for the next 18 years throughout the Pittsburgh Exarchate and the Passaic Eparchy. He also served as the first managing editor of The Byzantine Catholic World and the first editor of the Eastern Catholic Life eparchial newspapers. Pope Paul VI named him a papal chamberlain with the title Monsignor in 1966.

Monsignor Dolinay became the first auxiliary bishop of the Passaic Eparchy on November 23, 1976.

His installation was held at Saint Peter"s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania. As auxiliary to Bishop Michael Dudick, he served as the Vicar for the churches located in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Eparchy of Van Nuys

On December 3, 1981, Pope John Paul II by decree established a new eparchy, the Eparchy of Van Nuys, composed of 13 western states. Its center was Van Nuys, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, and its cathedral would be at Saint Mary"s Church, the first Byzantine Catholic parish formed in the western United States.

John Paul II appointed the auxiliary bishop of the Passaic Eparchy, Dolinay, to head the newly created Van Nuys Eparchy.

The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van Nuys was canonically erected on March 9, 1982. Archbishop Pio Laghi, the Apostolic Delegate to the United States, read the papal decrees. Timothy Manning, the Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles, was the homilist.

In 1990, with the retirement of Archbishop Kocisko of Pittsburgh approaching, Pope John Paul II relieved Dolinay of his duties as Bishop of Van Nuys and appointed him Coadjutor Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh on February 19, 1990.

The Pope appointed the Auxiliary Bishop of Passaic, George Kuzma, to succeed Bishop Dolinay. Metropolitan Dolinay

Kocisko submitted his resignation and entered into retirement on May 16, 1991, automatically making Dolinay the second Metropolitan of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolia.

After a brief illness he unexpectedly died at age 69 on April 13, 1993. He is buried in the cemetery of Mount Saint Macrina Monastery in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

Achievements

• Thomas Edward Baker has been listed as a reputable accountant, general, lawyer by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Served with Army of the United States, 1943-1946. Member American Legion (past service officer). Member Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Lodge: Elks, Rotary (president Kingfisher club 1957).

Connections

Married Mildred M. Younglove, December 26, 1944 (deceased May 1995). Children: Jean Ann Baker Holland, Cindy Baker Goralewicz, Linda Hogan. Married Helen Draughon, November 3, 1996.

Father:

John Thad Baker

Mother:

Angelina East. (Rappa) Baker

Spouse:

Mildred M. Younglove

Spouse:

Helen Draughon

child:

Jean Ann Baker Holland Baker

child:

Cindy Baker Goralewicz Baker

child:

Linda Hogan Baker