Bessie Anstice Baker | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Bessie Anstice Baker from the Library of South Australia | |
| Born | 24 September 1849 Magill, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 16 October 1914 (aged 65) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | writer, lay Catholic leader |
| Notable work | A Modern Pilgrim's Progress |
Elizabeth Anstice Baker (24 September 1849 – 16 October 1914) was an Australian writer, philanthropist, and social reformer. Born into an Anglican family, she converted to Roman Catholicism and wrote a book about her religious journey, entitled A Modern Pilgrim's Progress. The book was widely read in Catholic circles and was translated into French. She received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal from Pope Pius X in 1902, becoming the first Australian woman to be honored with this medal.[1]
Baker was active in supporting charitable causes, both in Australia and in England. With her mother, Isabelle Baker, she established the first Catholic hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. A women's rights activist, she participated in the suffrage movement in Australia and England, and was a member of the Catholic Women's League. She also organized a mobile church ministry in England and Wales, known as a motor church, to serve the needs of both Catholics and non-Catholics in rural areas.
- ^ Thomas, Robert Kyffin, ed. (14 June 1902). "Miss Baker in Rome". Echoes from London. The Register. Vol. LXVII, no. 17343. Adelaide, South Australia, Australia: Register Newspapers Limited. p. 9. ISSN 1837-3860. Retrieved 13 September 2021 – via Trove (National Library of Australia).