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“It’s better in Heaven…”– On the death of Bishop Joseph Lescrauwaet
Less than two weeks ago, a short tweet from a priest friend broke the news that Bishop Joseph Frans Lescrauwaet was coming to the end of his earthly life. That end came today. At the age of 90, the...
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Happy birthday to Cardinal Simonis
Happy birthday to Adrianus Johannes Cardinal Simonis, who today marks his 82nd birthday. Cardinal Simonis was born in Lisse, then in the Diocese of Haarlem and today in the Diocese of Rotterdam, and...
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A letter home – Bishop Punt on the ad limina
Following the example of some other bishops, Bishop Jos Punt of Haarlem-Amsterdam shares some of his thoughts on and experiences of the ad limina visit in a letter to the faithful of his diocese:...
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The Congregation comes, meets, clarifies and clears the way for a new convent
Earlier this week, representatives of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (the Curia dicastery for all religious orders and groups) visited the...
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In Haarlem-Amsterdam, a downsizing
With his signature Bishop Jos Punt today finalised the sale of his residence on Haarlem’s Nieuwe Gracht. The monumental building has been the home of the bishops of Haarlem and most of the diocesan...
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In Utrecht, the seminary returns
Breaking and unexpected news today as the Archdiocese of Utrecht announces that, after a four-year hiatus, it will once more be housing its own seminary within the borders of the archdiocese. In 2010,...
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Pentecost – new priests in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands
In the time during and following Pentecost, the dioceses in Northwestern Europe generally get new priests, as seminarians are ordained during this time in which the Church remembers and celebrates the...
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From six to one – the seminary question in the Netherlands
The old debate about the number of seminaries in the Netherlands was restarted this week as the rectors of two of them – Fathers Jan Vries of Rolduc (Diocese of Roermond) and Gerard Bruggink (pictured...
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New beginnings and returning home at the Dutch seminaries
Everywhere the summer holidays are over, and that means that the seminaries are staring their new academic years as well. Notable among them is the Ariëns Institute of the Archdiocese of Utrecht, which...
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The pain of closure – A Dutch community pleads with the Pope
In more than a few dioceses in Europe, bishops and parish councils are forced to make choices about which Church buildings to maintain and which to close. The reasons are generally financial and...
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From the island and the desert, a new Nuncio to the Netherlands
Pope Francis today appointed the new Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands, the successor to Archbishop Andre Dupuy, who is now retiring. The new Nuncio is Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, an experienced...
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Ordination season – eleven deacons and a priest
The first half of November is ordination season in the Dutch dioceses, with this year one priest and eleven deacons (six transitional and five permanent) being ordained in five dioceses. On 31 October,...
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For Groningen and Rotterdam, 60th birthdays
60 years ago today, the Dutch dioceses of Groningen and Rotterdam were officially established. This was the most recent major change in the composition of the Dutch Church province (in 2005 and 2008...
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Sent out into the world for mercy
Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent (yes, it’s almost Lent already), and in this Holy Year of Mercy it is also the day of another notable event: the day on which more than one thousand...
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Thoughts about the next bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden
Apparently there are people who look to me to predict who the new bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden will be. Well, surprisingly, I don’t know. I am not privy to the deliberations of the seven-priest...
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An end in sight? Taking responsibility for and compensating victims of sexual...
In the past five years, the Catholic Church in the Netherlands, in the form of her various dioceses and religious congregations, processed a total of 3,656 reports of sexual abuse by clergy and other...
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The Church grows, if slowly
Easter is the time for Baptism, and every year, the Church rejoices in welcoming new faithful to her flock. Catholic weekly Katholiek Nieuwsblad asked the seven Dutch dioceses how many Baptisms they...
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Just another church? Utrecht to close its cathedral
An archdiocese closing its cathedral. An unheard of development, surely? Not so in Utrecht, and it really is a logical conclusion in a diocese which is merging parishes and selling excess property:...
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Succession assured – Haarlem-Amsterdam gets a coadjutor
Bishops Jan Hendriks and Jos Punt The announcement had been long expected, but it was a surprise nonetheless, coming as it did just before year’s end, and only weeks after another new bishop’s...
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2019: A look ahead
A new year, so a good time to look ahead to what 2019 may bring. The year will undoubtedly have its share of surprises, but there are always some things we can know for sure. Among these is the...
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