Joannes Gijsen
Encyclopedia
Joannes Baptist Matthijs Gijsen (born October 7, 1932, Oeffelt
, The Netherlands
) is a Dutch bishop
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He holds a doctorate (Ph.D) in Church History. He was first for more than twenty years Bishop
(emeritus
) of Roermond
, Limburg
, the Netherlands
, later Bishop
(emeritus
) of Diocese of Reykjavík (Iceland
). His episcopal motto is Parate viam Domini (Prepare the way of the Lord).
appointed him bishop of Roermond in 1972, his appointment was seen as an attempt to bring the Dutch Church Province, with its image of being rebellious or modernistic, more in line with Rome.
Paul VI himself was the Principal Consecrator
in Rome's St. Peter and he urged Cardinal
Bernard Alfrink to be present as first Co-Consecrator. To Alfrink this was a personal humiliation, for one year before, in his speech at the ordination of bishop
Simonis
of Rotterdam
(later: cardinal Archbishop of Utrecht
Simonis) Alfrink had openly said that such a nomination should never happen again. Alfrink however went to Rome, being afraid that they would be all too willing to accept his resignation.
Bishop Gijsen replaced his staff with solid supporters. Soon, in 1974, Gijsen also opened up his own seminary
in Rolduc
, that delivered far more priests than all the six other Dutch dioceses and religious orders together. Gijsen was in his diocese and in the country known for his obstinate character.
Gijsen always had serious health problems. In 1993, he finally resigned, being only sixty years. His doctor urged him to do so, fearing for a collapse of his patient's intestines. Not long before his resignation, the seminary in Rolduc, the apple of his eye, was in the middle of a scandal: homosexuality, prostitution - a former and already ordained student told the press what happened inside the walls of the seminary. The professor involved was hastily transferred to a little parish in Austria
. Gijsen did not link his resignation to this incident, only to his health.
as bishop of Maastricht
, (Traiectum ad Mosam), Gijsen felt better. In Roermond, he was already succeeded by bishop Frans Wiertz but in Reykjavik, the diocese with its little priests for an enormous area, happened to be vacant for already two years, due to the rather sudden death of the American
bishop, Alfred Jolson
(aged 65).
Bishop Gijsen moved from the heavily Catholic Dutch diocese to Reykjavik, where the Catholic population is very small and rising solely due to immigration. Gijsen remained bishop in Iceland for another ten years. On October 30, 2007, the Pope Benedict XVI
accepted the resignation from the pastoral government of the Diocese of Reykjavík, presented by Joannes Gijsen, in accordance with canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law. Since then the bishop lives in Valkenburg
(Limburg) as a pastor of the Carmelitan Sisters. In Reykjavik, he was succeeded by the Swiss-born bishop Pierre Bürcher.
Oeffelt
Oeffelt is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Boxmeer, about 5 km north of the town of Boxmeer.Oeffelt was a separate municipality until 1994, when it became part of Boxmeer....
, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) is a Dutch bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He holds a doctorate (Ph.D) in Church History. He was first for more than twenty years Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
(emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
) of Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
, Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, later Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
(emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
) of Diocese of Reykjavík (Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
). His episcopal motto is Parate viam Domini (Prepare the way of the Lord).
Roermond, the Netherlands
When Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
appointed him bishop of Roermond in 1972, his appointment was seen as an attempt to bring the Dutch Church Province, with its image of being rebellious or modernistic, more in line with Rome.
Paul VI himself was the Principal Consecrator
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
in Rome's St. Peter and he urged Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Bernard Alfrink to be present as first Co-Consecrator. To Alfrink this was a personal humiliation, for one year before, in his speech at the ordination of bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Simonis
Simonis
Simonis is a surname or given name, and may refer to:*Simonis Palaiologina, Byzantine princess and third wife of Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia*Simonis de Kéza, chronicler*Simonis Starovolsci, Polish scholar...
of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(later: cardinal Archbishop of Utrecht
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht
The Archdiocese of Utrecht is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The archdiocese is the metropolitan for 6 suffragans, the dioceses of Breda, Groningen-Leeuwarden, Haarlem-Amsterdam, Roermond, Rotterdam, and 's-Hertogenbosch....
Simonis) Alfrink had openly said that such a nomination should never happen again. Alfrink however went to Rome, being afraid that they would be all too willing to accept his resignation.
Bishop Gijsen replaced his staff with solid supporters. Soon, in 1974, Gijsen also opened up his own seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Rolduc
Rolduc
Rolduc is the name of a medieval abbey in Kerkrade, the Netherlands, which is now a Roman Catholic seminary and an affiliated conferencing center.-History:...
, that delivered far more priests than all the six other Dutch dioceses and religious orders together. Gijsen was in his diocese and in the country known for his obstinate character.
Gijsen always had serious health problems. In 1993, he finally resigned, being only sixty years. His doctor urged him to do so, fearing for a collapse of his patient's intestines. Not long before his resignation, the seminary in Rolduc, the apple of his eye, was in the middle of a scandal: homosexuality, prostitution - a former and already ordained student told the press what happened inside the walls of the seminary. The professor involved was hastily transferred to a little parish in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Gijsen did not link his resignation to this incident, only to his health.
Reykjavik, Iceland
But after a few years at the titular seeTitular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
as bishop of Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, (Traiectum ad Mosam), Gijsen felt better. In Roermond, he was already succeeded by bishop Frans Wiertz but in Reykjavik, the diocese with its little priests for an enormous area, happened to be vacant for already two years, due to the rather sudden death of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bishop, Alfred Jolson
Alfred Jolson
Monsignor Alfred James Jolson, S.J. , was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and former Bishop of the Diocese of Reykjavík, Iceland....
(aged 65).
Bishop Gijsen moved from the heavily Catholic Dutch diocese to Reykjavik, where the Catholic population is very small and rising solely due to immigration. Gijsen remained bishop in Iceland for another ten years. On October 30, 2007, the Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
accepted the resignation from the pastoral government of the Diocese of Reykjavík, presented by Joannes Gijsen, in accordance with canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law. Since then the bishop lives in Valkenburg
Valkenburg aan de Geul
Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.-History:Siege and conquest were characteristic of the history of Valkenburg. Each event is withheld, followed by subsequent restorations. This most definitely holds for the castle perched atop of a hill in the middle of the...
(Limburg) as a pastor of the Carmelitan Sisters. In Reykjavik, he was succeeded by the Swiss-born bishop Pierre Bürcher.
See also
- Bishop of ReykjavíkBishop of Reykjavik (Catholic)-The Christianization of Iceland:The Norsemen who settled in Iceland from the end of the ninth century were pagans; and it was one of the functions of their chieftains, called goði, to conduct religious services...
- Diocese of Reykjavík
- Christ the King Cathedral, Reykjavík (Iceland)LandakotskirkjaLandakotskirkja , formally named Basilika Krists konungs , is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland. It is often referred to as Kristskirkja . Landakotskirkja is located in the western part of Reykjavík, on the Landakot property. It has a distinctively flat top, as opposed to the standard...
- Roman Catholicism in IcelandRoman Catholicism in IcelandThe Roman Catholic Church in Iceland is part of the Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope. The current Bishop of the Diocese of Reykjavík is H.E. Msgr. Pierre Bürcher...
- Religion in IcelandReligion in IcelandReligion in Iceland was initially the Norse paganism that was a common belief among mediaeval Scandinavians until Christian conversion. Later, the nation became half-Christian and then more fully Christian. This increasing Christianization culminated in the Pietism period when non-Christian...