HER GIFT
Author: Fred and Patricia Baumer May 23, 2018
Like so many blessed members of Pax Christi, Jeanette LeDoux gave herself over to many ways of serving our community. The founding pastor of Pax Christi, Father Tim Power, used to say that when the community experienced a need, God sent members to fill the need. And so it has been with Jeanette and her husband Roger Hawkinson.
The couple joined Pax Christi in the mid-80s, and together were active members of the choir. Roger has served on the Worship Council, and in 1994, Jeanette became a pioneer, serving as a commissioned lay preacher. She and her team members broke open the Gospel word on one Sunday a month after completing a demanding nine-month training and formation program. Just before beginning that ministry, Jeanette wrote, “The feelings that come to mind are energy, gratitude, wonder, and anticipation.”
In 1998, Jeanette and a new team assumed responsibility for the direction of Good Friday Living Stations with teen members of the community, providing continuity for a ministry that began in 1983. She encouraged participants to go inside the minds and hearts of the characters, leading them to pray their emotion without words.
On Friday, April 20, Jeanette made her journey home to God, surrounded by her family and the prayers of so many Pax Christi minsters who had celebrated her in a gathering named “Jeanette Fest” less than one week earlier. Because we believe in the Communion of Saints, we believe that Jeanette is still a member of Pax Christi, embraced by her husband Roger, her children Olivia, Marion, and Adam, and all of us to whom she gave and gives her gifts.
Written by Fred and Patricia Baumer, Pax Christi parishioners
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