Father Anthony Constant Taeyaerts was another priest who came to Oklahoma via the “Louvain Connection,” the alma mater of Oklahoma Bishop Theophile Meerschaert and a seminary designed to provide missionaries to the United States.
Born in Antwerp in 1881, he came to the state in 1910 and was immediately made pastor of Athon. In 1915, he began a 13-year stint in Kingfisher. This was followed by the assignment that was the joy of his life, the Church of the Assumption in Muskogee where he was pastor for 23 years.
A competent and likeable man, Bishop Kelley considered Father Anthony for the position of rector of The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City. The bishop stated that the rector “is a grown man’s assignment” citing extreme debt and the large size of the parish.
Father Anthony responded to the letter by saying he was honored to be offered the post. Apparently, Bishop Kelley was not pleased and retorted that he was being “consulted about the opening” and was not offered anything. Consequently, he spent the rest of his priestly life in Muskogee.
The Southwest Courier newspaper summed up his life in this way: “Father Taeyaerts was beloved all over Oklahoma. He won thousands of friends by his gentlemanly ways. He had been in Muskogee 23 years and the businessmen esteemed him highly. In fact, he was liked by rich and poor, all his parishioners and by many non-Catholic friends.”
This humble servant was the epitome of the quiet, hard-working priest who gave up all that was familiar to serve in a place radically different than his homeland. He not only survived, he thrived, and won the love and admiration of the people to whom he so graciously ministered.
Not surprisingly, he died in his rectory at age 70 still serving as pastor. At his Requiem Mass, it was stated: “It was often said of Father Taeyaerts that once he became your friend, he was your friend forever. His great gift was loyalty and he proved it during his 41 years in Oklahoma.” It would be difficult to imagine any higher praise.