Former Gibbons and St. Mark Teacher Celebrates Ordination Anniversary
Priests and deacons celebrating anniversary MassLiz Kehrman/posted on Facebook
Pope Francis has declared this the year of St. Joseph. It is fitting for William John Jauquet to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the diaconate during this year of St. Joseph.
On June 13, 2021, Deacon Jauquet was surrounded by family and friends as he celebrated his years of service to Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Arbutus and the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The celebration began with a special Mass followed by lunch in the OLV Hall. Deacon Jauquet offered the homily and recounted many of the milestones of his life.
On June 15, 1996, Cardinal William Keeler ordained Bill Jauquet along with 17 other men as permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Following ordination, he immediately began his ministry at Our Lady of Victory. He has faithfully served at the Wilkens Avenue parish ever since. At time of his ordination, Deacon Jauquet was a history teacher at Cardinal Gibbons High School just up the road from OLV.
In discussing his early life, Deacon Jauquet began with his roots in Northern Wisconsin. The oldest of six children, Deacon Jauquet, grew up in a lumber town in Forest County, Wisconsin. He was baptized and later confirmed in St. Hubert’s, a small country church in Newald, Wisconsin
When Deacon Jauquet was in seventh grade, his family moved to Green Bay, WI. He described his journey as “thousands and thousands of miles of hitchhiking, summer service projects, part-time jobs, the excitement of Vatican II, and all the turmoil of the 60’s” that led to a teaching job in Laurel, Maryland. After two years in Laurel, Deacon Jauquet moved to Cardinal Gibbons High School. He taught there for 32 years mostly as an American history teacher. He later taught both English and religion at St. Mark in Catonsville.
For Deacon Bill Jauquet, his family was and is an essential component of his faith formation. Sharing about his childhood in Wisconsin, “My religious education is what I learned in and through my family.” His faith continues to be an example and is seen in the lives of his five children and 23 grandchildren.
In a beautiful tribute to his late wife, Pat, Deacon Jauquet shared how in 1988, she encouraged him to consider the diaconate. Eight years later, he walked down the aisle of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore to receive Holy Orders. Permanent deacons in the Catholic Church assist in ministry and may perform baptisms and officiate weddings. Unlike priests, deacons cannot consecrate the Eucharist, or hear confession.
Deacon Jauquet has baptized all 23 grandchildren, participating in First Communion and Confirmation Masses for those who have met those sacramental milestone. He has officiated the marriage of several of his children, including at a wedding Mass in Cuenca, Ecuador. And after twenty-five years of service, he gave the homily at his ordination anniversary Mass.
As a tribute to their father, his five children were each involved in preparing, coordinating, and participating in the anniversary Mass. They decorated the Church and the OLV hall, led the choir, served as lectors, and brought up the gifts. Many of Deacon Jauquet’s 23 grandchildren also participated in the Mass by singing in the choir, greeting parishioners, handing out programs, acting as cross-bearer or altar servers, or bringing up the gifts. While Deacon Jauquet would remind the congregation that Jesus is the reason why they are at Church, it is also a testament to his faith and years of service that so many participated in-person and as far as Wisconsin watching the live stream of the service.
In recognition of Deacon Jauquet’s 25 years of ministry, his service as an educator, and in honor of his late wife, Pat’s long service in Our Lady of Victory as a catechist, the Arbutus parish community created a William and Patricia Jauquet scholarship for Catholic education. The endowed scholarship will give $1,000 a year towards tuition for one of their parishioners enrolled in a catholic high school within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Later, Deacon Jauquet shared with his children that the scholarship idea was “thoughtful, surprising, appreciated, enduring, and practical all at the same time.” In memory of his beloved wife, he is thinking of it also as a “fiftieth wedding anniversary for the celebration that never was.”
His children all agree that their mother would have loved celebrating this milestone with them and would have smiled all day. The legacy she left behind continues through her husband’s ministry and the faith of her children and grandchildren.
Deacon Jauquet’s years of service are a legacy left not only to the parishioners at Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus but also to his wife and children. He is an example of living like St. Joseph and the adage, “We are called to serve one another.”
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