Many people feel sorry for him and he has heard the words “You will be missed” many times recently. Bas Leijtens (49), better known to many people in Waalre and Valkenswaard as “Deacon Bas”, officially said goodbye to “his” parishioners in Waalre on Sunday.
He previously did this at the Heilige Nicolaaskerk (St. Nicholas church) in Valkenswaard. “We’re going to miss each other”, the popular clergyman says. “I feel especially loved, and this makes me happy. I try to offer a helping hand wherever I go, and I do indeed enjoy being among people. In sad circumstances, but also when there’s something to celebrate. And apparently, this makes an impression on people”.
In his new position, at the Sint-Servatiuskerk in Erp (part of Franciscus parish in Meijerijstad, ed.), Leijtens ultimately wants to be ordained as a pastor. “This could also have happened in Waalre, but normally, in my position, you stay in the same place for a maximum of eight years. So I’m already well past my ‘best before date’ here”.
‘There are people everywhere’
Yet, the faithful in Willibrord parish won’t experience it that way. Among them, Deacon Bas could have stayed for a much longer period. Even after almost thirteen years. “This is a very long time for a first appointment. I didn’t have to leave here, but it’s good to realise that you can also start working elsewhere”.
Leijtens doesn’t call it “innovative” (“Because there are people everywhere”). “But in a new environment and with a different cohesion with eight cores, I can further develop as a priest. A new step in my ecclesiastical career, on the way to the office of pastor”.
Vocation
The priest had long known what his calling was. “In 1984, I became an altar boy and later an acolyte at the Lambertus church in Drunen. Shortly after, I became a part-time sacristan at that same church. Meanwhile, I was training as a nurse. In the late 1990s, I became a sacristan in Geldrop. Paid”.
In this full-time position, Leijtens also fulfilled some pastoral duties, and according to him, it became increasingly clear that he wanted to dedicate his life to Catholic Church. He studied ‘Godsdienst en pastoraal werk’ (‘religion and pastoral work’) in Sittard and then transferred to Theologisch Instituut Bonifatius (a theological institute in the diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam).
“I studied philosophy and theology there. It’s a programme affiliated with the University of st. John Lateran in Rome. I earned my bachelor’s and licentiate degrees within this programme. I was then appointed pastoral worker in Valkenswaard”.
Inspiring
In November 2012, Leijtens was ordained as a deacon and was given charge of three parishes in Valkenswaard, Dommelen, Borkel en Schaft, Waalre, and Aalst. “I’ve enjoyed working here for thirteen years. With wonderful, inspiring colleagues and beautiful and kind people in the parish”.
Incidentally, it’s typical of Bas Leijtens. He didn’t follow the traditional path through seminary, but consciously chose a different path to achieve his ultimate goal – becoming a pastor. “I’ll be honest: from junior technical school, via healthcare, to full-time priesthood isn’t a path everyone follows. Haha!”
Service
Unlike a “normal” profession, as a Deacon you’re “on” 24/7, Leijtens says. “And this seven days a week. You’re serving God, the church, and people, and you can’t just say, ‘It’s not convenient right now.’ My mother used to say it: ‘It’s better to put your bed in the church. You’re more there than here at home'”.
Although Leijtens could have chosen to remain an independent deacon, he still wants to become a pastor. “In my current position, I can perform baptisms, funerals, or deliver sermons, but—officially—I can’t hear confessions or administer the last rites. I consider that a loss”.
Ambition
Given the increasing emptiness of churches and the apparent scarcity of people who openly profess their faith in God, Deacon Bas’s ambition to serve remains undiminished. “It’s not always fun and games, but I also see young people spontaneously signing up for baptism. I’ll just hold on to that. We’re still needed”.
At the same time, Leijtens also calls it “very interesting” to discover what people from other countries contribute to the Christian faith. “There are now quite a few churches in the region, which are alive with believers from Poland, Spain, Colombia, and English-speaking countries. A development that has been going on for some time. Moreover, everything is much more centralised than before, when you had a church in every neighbourhood”.
Accessible
The deacon enjoys mingling with people. That’s why he’s always very involved in community life, such as Carnival and guilds. “I don’t lead the conga line, and I don’t necessarily need to be popular. I mainly want to be accessible. In conversation with people. The fact that they like me for that is just a pleasant bonus”.
As of today, they have a special new resident in Erp…
Source: Studio040/Willem Jan Schampers
Translated by: Bob
