archdiocese of utrecht – Page 8 – In Caelo et in Terra

Archdiocese of Utrecht on the map

More than once, I lamented the fact that the Dutch dioceses offer virtually nothing in the way of maps of their areas of jurisdiction. Whereas dioceses, and even parishes, abroad sometimes have appealing and useful maps of their territory, in the Netherlands we have to make do with the vaguest of indications of what diocese begins and ends where – a bit of this province, a part of that.

The Archdiocese of Utrecht now makes a start in filling that gap. On this map we find the borders of the archdiocese and of the 49 parishes – the result of mergers and consolidation. Also indicated are the locations of churches and parish offices.

Now, it must be emphasised, as the makers of the map do, that the map is not excessively accurate. “It is a general indication. The map is not meant to indicate the borders of parishes to the centimeter.” Still, it does indicate some of the anomalies that are ever present along diocesan boundaries: stretches of empty (or not so empty) land which one would expect to belong to one diocese, actually belong to Utrecht, and vice versa.

The image at the top of this blog post also show how Catholicism is spread in this part of the Netherlands. A very strong presence in the south and east (and also west, but that is also due to the fact that that area is more heavily populated anyway), and not so much in the centre and north; areas that are traditionally very orthodox Protestant, part of the Dutch Bible belt.

A good start of the process of offering accurate map of the Catholic Netherlands, offering ample room for development and improvement.

Preparing for Madrid

Next month I’ll be away from my usual haunts, digital and otherwise. There will be little time for blogging or any other social media activity, for Iĺl be at the World Youth Days in Madrid, Spain, from 10 to 23 August, with a group of about 100 young people, youth workers and clergy from the Archdiocese of Utrecht. Yesterday This weekend, the organising team hosted a preparatory weekend for all attendees. I was only able to join them for the Saturday, but I did get the core of the information and preparation on offer.

There were several aspects to the weekend: practical, social and spiritual. Father Hans Pauw, one of the archdiocesan regional vicars, covered the first aspect, going over the program and events in both Zaragoza and Madrid; there were games and sports activities to get to know the other attendees; and youth worker Hao Tran spoke about topics such as ‘God is love’ and our image of God that plays a major role in our relationship with Him. The day ended with a time of Adoration, Confession and prayer.

Some photographic impressions:

WYD preparation — Young people from all over the archdiocese (and beyond) arrive at the primary school where the weekend was held

wyd preparations — Fr. Pauw goes over the practicals

WYD preparetion — Lunch time in the school yard.

Prayers for the pope: the Dutch contribution

pope benedict xvi — Pope Benedict during the Corpus Christi celebrations in Rome, yesterday

As mentioned earlier here, Cardinal Piacenza has written to the bishops of the world with the request that they organise 60 hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s ordination to priest, five days from today. A number of Dutch dioceses have responded positively and announced various prayer vents and moments. An overview.

The Archdiocese of Utrecht announces various initiatives in its three vicariates, most of them by religious orders. The 60 hours are easily reached, and the Community of St. John at the church of St. Gerard Majella in Utrecht is the greatest contributor with the better of 40 hours of Adoration offered. The ‘pink’ Sisters of the Cenacle, also in Utrecht, will pray for the pope from Corpus Christi to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. The Basilica of St. Lambert in Hengelo and the church of St. Martin in Arnhem also contribute. In Wageningen, there will be two all-night vigils per week. The link above also features an extensive list of other initiatives.

The Diocese of Roermond has created a rotating schedule for all the diocese’s fourteen deaneries. Every day, a different one will hold several hours of Adoration.

The Diocese of ‘s Hertogenbosch mentions Adoration in several major towns, as well as at the cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, where the 60 hours will be concluded on 4 July, during the annual day for priests.

In the Diocese of Breda Adoration will take place in the Community of Chemin Neuf in Oosterhout, the cathedral of St. Anthony, the Bovendonk seminary and the seminarians’ St. Anthony House.

The Diocese of Rotterdam, then, the Blessed Sacrament has been exposed every day of this week for Adoration, between the morning Mass of 9:30 until 22:30. The local parish as well as various international parishes in Rotterdam joined in this Adoration.

Five out of the seven dioceses in the Netherlands responded well to Cardinal’s request. It must be said that these are the initiatives that have been publicly announced. There are bound to be more which are limited to local faith communities, prayer groups and parishes. The involvement of religious communities, especially in Utrecht, but also in Roermond, is encouraging. Their efforts, especially those of young groups such as the Community of St. John, are often overlooked, but they play a very important part in the communication and witness of faith, especially among young people.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito

Congratulations to a Philippine bishop

Amid an impressive list of appointments (eleven in total) made yesterday is the name of Msgr. Sergio Lasam Utleg. The 67-year-old Philippine prelate was appointed to the archiepiscopal see of Tuguegarao. Archbishop-elect Utleg has a distinct Dutch connection, and that is reason enough for this blog to congratulate him.

In 1999, Msgr. Utleg was one of the consecrators, next to Cardinal Simonis and Bishop Wiertz, of Bishop Wim Eijk. The dioceses of the two respective bishop, Ilagan and Groningen-Leeuwarden, developed friendly relations and several exchanges. In 2006 Bishop Utleg was present at the annual St. Boniface Day in Dokkum and later that year, a group of young faithful from Groningen-Leeuwarden visited Ilagan.

Bishop Utleg became bishop in Laoag in 2006, and Bishop Eijk went on to become the archbishop of Utrecht in 2007. The five-year term in Laoag was ended yesterday, when Msgr. Utleg was appointed to archbishop of the northernmost archdiocese of the Philippines.

The class of 2011

Belgian weekly Tertio has polled the various dioceses in the Netherlands (and Flanders) about the number of ordinations taking place this year. After thirteen ordinations to the priesthood in 2010, this year the number drops to a mere six. Also unlike last year, the ordinations are spread out more over the year. Two of them have already taken place: Fr. Karel Donders was ordained in Utrecht on 14 May, and Fr. Tjitze Tjepkema followed in Groningen on 21 May.

The four remaining priestly ordinations will take place on 18 June for Maciej Sendecki (Haarlem-Amsterdam) and Eugène Dassen (Roermond), and 29 October for Pascal Huiting and Maurits Damsté (both Groningen-Leeuwarden). A final unusual element is the fact that Groningen-Leeuwarden, the diocese with the smallest number of Catholic faithful, provides half of this year’s harvest.

In addition to the six ordinations to the priesthood, there will also be ordinations to the diaconate, both permanent and transitional: seven in Haarlem-Amsterdam (four permanent, three transitional), two in ‘s Hertogenbosch (both transitional) and four in Roermond (all transitional). The class of 2012 will then number at least nine and hopefully herald a renewed increase over the following years.

On the occasion of 60 years of priesthood, a spiritual bouquet for the pope

I haven’t read much about yet, but on the website of the Archdiocese of Utrecht I read that Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, has written a letter to all the world’s ordinaries of dioceses and other ecclesiastical jurisdictions. In it, the cardinal asks them to provide for 60 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in their diocese, for the occasion for the 60th anniversary of the ordination to the priesthood of Pope Benedict XVI, “to demonstrate to him our gratitude, our affection, and our communion with him, both in his service to God and to the Church and above all in that “Truth which shines upon the world” to which he continually calls us through his teaching”.

The anniversary is on 29 June, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Do read the letter via the link above. There’s little need for me to repeat it here, after all.

The archdiocese has had a prayer composed for this reason, a prayer that is in the first place intended for use during Adoration, but may also be used at the end of Mass, other liturgical celebrations or in personal prayer. The original Dutch text is available here. Below is my translation.

Lord Jesus Christ,
who art our Bread of Life,
our sustenance for time and eternity,
like the Apostles after Your Resurrection we adore You,
You who are truly present among us,
especially through the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

We thank You for protecting and guiding Your Church through the ages.
In His care for the Church Your Spirit has appointed our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI
to be the successor of Peter, the first among the Apostles.
With the pope we thank You this month for the sixtieth anniversary of his priestly ordination.
We pray that his dedication to You and Your Church may bear rich fruits,
fruits of faith, hope and love which last.
Keep on supporting him with Your wisdom, power and love;
that he may show us the way to You in faith and joy.

We pray for Your entire Church;
That all the baptised live from Your Gospel,
and are a blessing for all on Earth;
We pray for all the priests,
That they, as your special friends, be dedicated shepherds of Your people,
honest and servient
and that they may thus bring many to You.
We pray for vocations to the priesthood;
that many understand Your voice and serve You and Your Church
as holy and joyful priests, to the joy and sanctification of many.
Grant us the priests we need.

Lord Jesus Christ,
with Pope Benedict we pray you
on the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
of Saint Joseph, protector of the Church,
and of Saints Peter and Paul, blood witnesses and foundations of the Church:
remain with us, Your entire Church and every one of us personally,
You, our Shepherd, our Protector, our High Priest, who lives in eternity.

Amen.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito

A new priest for the archdiocese

A happy day for the Archdiocese of Utrecht today, as Deacon Karel Donders will be ordained to the priesthood at the cathedral of St. Catherine in that city. Deacon Donders was ordained to the diaconate on 6 November of last year, at which point Archbishop Eijk called that ordination “the first fruit of the cooperation between the archdiocese and the Tiltenberg seminary”. Donders was educated at that seminary, which is where I met him once or twice. During one visit he shared his vocation story with me and other young men attending an orientation weekend. Of his choice to be incardinated in Utrecht despite receiving his education in Haarlem-Amsterdam, soon-to-be Father Donders says:

“I have studied there for six years: very important year of inner formation and desire for the priesthood. After my graduation in 2009 I started a pastoral internship in the parish in Heemstede. A was able to live and work there for a year with much joy. During that year I also made the decision to make myself available as a future priest for the Archdiocese of Utrecht.”

Congratulations to Deacon Donders and the archdiocese, as well as the faithful of the parishes where the new priest will work, on this very important and joyful day.

Bishop van den Hende to Rotterdam

When the news broke yesterday that the name of the new bishop of Rotterdam would be announced at noon today, the rumour mill started to turn. And in all those rumours, speculations, and (semi-) educated guesses, one name kept popping up more than any other: that of Msgr. Hans van den Hende, the bishop of Breda. And, indeed, his was the name announced at the start of the afternoon.

Mgr. H vd Hende — The official portrait of Bishop van den Hende, as used on the website of the Diocese of Breda

A bishop moving from one diocese to the next, while not unheard of, is a fairly rare occurrence in the Netherlands. In the recent past we’ve only had Bishop Eijk who moved from Groningen-Leeuwarden to become archbishop in Utrecht. The reasons why it happens now may be myriad, but the fact that it involves the youngest bishop of the Netherlands (Msgr. van den Hende is 47), who has only helmed Breda for a little over four years, may be seen as a vote of confidence from Rome.

When he started in Breda after a year of being coadjutor bishop under Bishop Muskens, Bishop van den Hende gave the impression of a man who had a job to get on with. Never one for sensationalism, budget cuts or massive overhauls of diocesan programs, the Groningen-born bishop had a job to do, and he intended to get it done. Well, that job has now been replaced by a similar job in a larger and far more urban diocese. The effects of northern sensibility in the rapidly developing industrial west may surprise us.

Before all that becomes clear, the Diocese of Rotterdam will officially receive its new bishop on 2 July, the installation date, in the cathedral of Saints Lawrence and Elisabeth.

press conference van den hende — Bishops van den Hende (2nd left) and Van Luyn (2nd right) during the press conference today

During the press conference earlier today, Bishop van den Hende spoke about having to leave Breda after only a few years. He called it “a step in faith”.

“Saying yes in faith as a deacon, priest and bishop, are extensions of each other. I said that during the press conference on 9 September 2006, when I began in Breda. That the road of your vocation keeps demanding new steps becomes abundantly clear now that I accepted the pope’s request to become bishop of Rotterdam. This new ‘yes’ is also an extension of the first. When you start somewhere as bishop it is a prerequisite to perform the pastoral task you have received with all your heart.”

Finally, the Dutch bishops’ conference released the following statement:

“The Dutch bishops are grateful and pleased with the appointment of Msgr. van den Hende as bishop of the Diocese of Rotterdam. The bishops congratulate their colleague, who is now bishop of Breda, with this appointment and look forward to continuing the good collaboration.

We know Msgr. van den Hende as a modest and congenial man who works with much dedication, loyalty and involvement in his Diocese of Breda. We are convinced that he will continue his service to the Lord and His Church fruitfully in the Diocese of Rotterdam. We therefore congratulate the Diocese of Rotterdam wholeheartedly with this appointment.

We also congratulate Msgr. van Luyn with the appointment of Msgr. van den Hende.

The Dutch bishops realise that the faithful of the Diocese of Breda, after only five years, have to bid farewell to Msgr. van den Hende.”

Photo credit:
[1] Raymond Mangold
[2] Geertje Algera

Fifth bishop of Rotterdam to be announced at noon tomorrow

Via Twitter (the social media network once again proving its value as a news disseminator) I am reading announcements that the Vatican Congregation for Bishops will announce the name of the new bishop of Rotterdam tomorrow at noon. The as yet unknown person will succeed Msgr. Ad van Luyn, S.D.B., currently serving as Apostolic Administrator of Rotterdam, as the fifth bishop of the southwestern Dutch diocese.

Sadly, I’ll be working at the time the announcement is made, but I expect to be able to draft a serviceable blog post about the appointment in the evening. The upcoming appointment will be the first one of a new diocesan ordinary since Bishop Gerard de Korte was appointed to Groningen-Leeuwarden in 2008.

Since the retirement of Bishop van Luyn in January, very few names of possible successors have been thrown about, although there are a fair number of possibilities. Of the current ordinaries, Bishop Hans van den Hende of Breda has been mentioned to move one diocese over; an option which I consider unlikely. Msgr. van den Hende has been in Breda for less than five years (including one year as Coadjutor Bishop), and still has enough work to do there.

Another name is that of the auxiliary bishop of Roermond, Msgr. Everard de Jong. A rumoured close runner for Groninger-Leeuwarden in 2008, he is conceivable ready for his own diocese after more than 12 years as auxiliary. Of the other Dutch auxiliaries, none seem to be likely choices: Msgr. van Burgsteden of Haarlem-Amsterdam is beyond the age of retirement himself. The two auxiliaries each of Utrecht and ‘s Hertogenbosch have only recently been appointed; moving them now will most likely be too destabilising for the diocesan curia they leave behind, let alone themselves (but it will not be entirely unprecedented).

Of course, the new bishop may come from the clergy of the Diocese of Rotterdam itself. The first one to come into my mind, as mentioned here before, is Fr. Jan Hendriks, currently the rector of the Tiltenberg seminary, which belongs to the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, although Fr. Hendriks is a priest of Rotterdam. Another name is that of Fr. Ad van der Helm, the dean of The Hague and professor in canon law at Louvain and Bovendonk. If appointed, he would be the first true twittering bishop of the Netherlands. Rotterdam’s vicar general, Father Dick Verbakel, is an option as well, but a remote one, I think.

But in the end, Rome may still surprise us. Will there be a third Bishop Adrianus* in Rotterdam, or not? Wait and see.

van luyn, bacque, van der helm — Fr. Ad van der Helm (right), pictured here with Msgr. van Luyn (left) and the Nuncio, Abp. Bacqué, may be the new bishop

*The first was Bishop Adrianus Simonis, later archbishop of Utrecht and cardinal; the second Bishop Adrianus van Luyn.

Photo credit: Peter van Mulken

A final rebuttal from the archbishop

Following the quick official response to the Volkskrant article that blamed Archbishop Wim Eijk of all manner of things, the aforementioned newspaper now publishes a letter from the archbishop himself and admits that “the editorial office of the Volkskrant concludes in hindsight that more rebuttal could have been given and publishes for that reason this letter from Msgr. Eijk.”

As I wrote about the article when it was first published, it is a shoddy piece of work based on old news and unsubstantiated claims from people who believe that their own personal vendetta against the archbishop should be fought in public. It is good to see that the Volkskrant now admits almost as much and publishes the letter from the archbishop, which follows here in my translation.

The contents of the publication on the front page of the Volkskrant of Monday 18 April lead me to write a response.

Anyone is free to disagree with the policies followed by me as archbishop in the Archdiocese of Utrecht, such as the financial cuts which were deemed very necessary and thus put in practice. The fact that two Catholics apparently turned to the Pope to complain about me will not have dictated the newsworthiness to place the article on the front page. After all, anyone is free to do that as well. The newsworthiness seems to have lain in the nature of the complaints made against me.

I have need of a rebuttal in response to a number of evidently false claims which in turn are the basis of a number of complaints, although I can’t respond to all factual inaccuracies in this short letter. I am accused of having hired investigators to search the computers of my fellow bishops while I, considering the autonomy of the dioceses and the lack of hierarchical relations between me and my fellow bishops, in no way have the capacity, let alone the actual opportunity, for that. Such an investigation can therefore only take place if a detective agency would use unlawful means. This serious accusation misses any basis in fact. Since my appointment I gave not a single detective agency any assignment, let alone to investigate the private computers of other clergymen, as I am wrongly accused of in the article. There has also never been any request from my regarding the dismissal of Msgr. De Korte, bishop in Groningen-Leeuwarden.

The claim that I fired my “seriously ill financial advisor” is also incorrect. The contract with Mr. Boeser was ended after proper consultation, after Mr. Boeser had recovered from his serious illness for a number of months. In the communications regarding his departure he himself indicated to be ready for a new challenge.

I am also wrongly accused of having closed the Ariënskonvikt, the seminary in Utrecht, when this would have been unnecessary on financial grounds, considering an inheritance of several millions. This accusation seems to be based on an e-mail from Mr. Hemels to Mr. Boeser, in which Mr. Hemels refers to the possible inheritance. After having read the article in the Volkskrant, Mr. Hemels has informed the editorial office of the Volkskrant that, in an answer to his e-mail, Mr. Boeser confirmed to him that – sadly – nothing is known of this inheritance.

Msgr. dr. W.J. Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht

And now here let the whole nasty mess rest.