St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

Patrick Baikauskas, O.P.

I am the youngest of four boys having grown up in a small town in Illinois on the border with Indiana. After receiving my B.A. in political science from Bradley University, I entered banking, never thinking I would actually use my poli sci degree. But a couple years later, I was offered a summer internship with my local congressman in Washington, D.C. I went for the summer, but it was 17 years before I finally returned home to Illinois. I began my second job with an Illinois governor and ended my career in government in 2001 with a third governor. But in the interim I ran for office twice – lost twice too, but they were both great experiences. By 2001, God’s call to priestly life became irresistible. I had twice resisted – once as a teenager and again about 15 years ago. The third call was it for me, and I feel that while I have been given great experiences in life, nothing compares to this current journey. The Dominican life of prayer, active ministry, community life and study seems an ideal fit for me. My Dominican brothers have always told me that of our vows of obedience, chastity and poverty – obedience will prove the most difficult. Well maybe that will prove to be true, but for now, when I am given the opportunity to serve in places like St. Tom’s, I only feel very, very blessed.