Now in his 60th year as a priest, Msgr. Joaquin Bazan remembers a lesson he learned from the pastor at his first parish assignment in 1962. Newly ordained as a priest of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, then-Father Bazan was assigned as a parochial vicar at Holy Cross Parish in Garrett Park, which was led by Msgr. W. Louis Quinn, the founding pastor since the parish was established two years earlier.
“One thing he emphasized and did himself, was visiting all the families,” said Msgr. Bazan, who is now 85. He added, “I’ve done that ever since to know the people. That’s what we’re all about.”
Interviewed recently at the Jeanne Jugan Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington, D.C., where he has lived for the past two decades since his retirement, Msgr. Bazan reflected on his years of priesthood, including his busy first years as a newly ordained priest serving at a new Maryland parish.
“We planted about 800 trees (there),” he said. “We built the entire parish, the school, the rectory, the convent and the church.”
He joked that when he was in the seminary studying to be a priest, he prayed that he would get a good assignment, and those prayers were answered for him at Holy Cross and in the other parishes where he has served during his priesthood. “They (the people there) were wonderful,” he said.
That example of priestly presence from Msgr. Quinn – who later served as the rector of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and who was the archdiocese’s longest serving priest when he died in 2010 at the age of 90 – has remained in Msgr. Bazan’s heart and guided his own priesthood over the years.
Msgr. Bazan served as the pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington from 1976-84. Then he was the pastor at St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish in Chillum, Maryland, for 10 years until leading St. Francis Xavier Parish in Washington from 1994-95. Before his retirement, he assisted at parishes in New Mexico while helping to care for his elderly father there.
“Each place I was at, I visited all the homes,” he said, noting that was a way to get to know people personally and understand their lives and the challenges they were facing. Sometimes he would bless their homes. “I didn’t have an agenda,” he said.
And at his parishes that had Catholic schools, “I would visit every classroom every day,” Msgr. Bazan said.
A native of Washington, he was the son of Joaquin Ambrosio Bazan and Justina Romero Bazan, who over the years raised their six children and also took in three teen-aged girls who needed a home. His father worked for the Department of Labor and the State Department.
“In my family, faith, hope and charity were from God, (they were) virtues God gave to us,” he said. Remembering his parents and their example of faith, the priest said, “They were very religious, but they had a sense of humor about the whole thing.”
The future priest was baptized at St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill, but he spent some of his childhood years in New Mexico, where his parents were born.
“I was five years old, and I decided to become a priest,” Msgr. Bazan said. “…I just wanted to be a priest. I knew that’s what I wanted.”
Before becoming the pastor at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, then-Father Bazan was appointed to serve as the coordinator of services to the Spanish-speaking people in the archdiocese. In that role and as a parish priest, he promoted having Masses in Spanish and also religious processions, celebrations and customs that connected immigrant families to traditions from their home countries. He noted that both his parents were from Guadalupe County in New Mexico, named for Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas who is honored every year in the archdiocese in the Walk with Mary procession through the city’s streets, culminating in a Mass at the National Shrine.
In 1990, Catholic Charities of the archdiocese honored him with the Caritas Medal, honoring his life of service to others, which over the years has included supporting halfway houses for alcoholics and encouraging blood donations and being honored by the National American Red Cross for having donated 17 gallons of blood over his lifetime. He was named as a monsignor by Pope St. John Paul II in 1985.
After Msgr. Bazan suffered a stroke in 1999, reading became more difficult for him. In his retirement, he continues to celebrate Masses. “That’s a wonderful privilege,” he said. Reflecting on the Eucharist, the priest added, “I believe Christ is really present there… It’s a gift from God.”
Prayer is also central to his life. “I didn’t pray as much as I should have when I was younger,” the priest said. “Now I have time to pray, and there’s a lot to pray for.”
He also hears Confessions at the National Shrine and for the people living at the Jeanne Jugan Residence. The priest, who over the years wrote art reviews for the Catholic Standard, still enjoys visiting the National Gallery of Art.
Msgr. Bazan is at home at the Jeanne Jugan Residence and greatly admires the Little Sisters of the Poor who operate it. Their ministry to the elderly reflects “the power of heaven,” he said, adding, “They are so good. They take four vows, (including) poverty, chastity and obedience. They also take a vow of hospitality. They live it.”
Summarizing his priestly ministry to the people he served over the years, Msgr. Bazan said, “I just wanted to be kind to them… I haven’t done anything spectacular. All I’ve done is be there (for them).”
Catholics encouraged to support Retired Priests Collection
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is having its Retired Priests Collection for 2022 at parishes on the weekend of Nov. 5 and 6.
In announcing the collection, Joseph Gillmer, the archdiocese’s Executive Director of Development, wrote, “Our priests have dedicated their lives to ministry and served our spiritual needs from Baptism until our final goodbyes.” Noting that retired priests “have guided us in our lifelong faith journey for many decades,” Gillmer invited local Catholics to honor those priests’ lives of sacrifice and service by supporting the 2022 Retired Priests Collection.
People can support the Retired Priests Collection in the following ways:
- Envelope – Local Catholics can use the envelope mailed to them, the envelope in the pews or near the entrance of the church, or the second collection envelope provided by the parish on the weekend of Nov. 5-6.
- Online: Please visit adw.org/rpc to support the collection online via credit card or cryptocurrency.
- Text: Please text “Priest” to (301) 231-1816. A text with a link to a secure form will be sent back to you to complete your gift for this collection.
- Stock/IRA/Donors Advised Fund: Please visit adw.org/rpc for instructions or call Joanne Pipkin at (301) 853-4486.
