Titus Brandsma
Encyclopedia
Blessed
Titus Brandsma (Bolsward
, February 23, 1881 – Dachau July 26, 1942) was a Dutch
Carmelite
priest and professor of philosophy
. Brandsma was vehemently opposed to Nazi
ideology
and spoke out against it many times before the Second World War
.
, Netherlands in 1881. He was baptized Anno Sjoerd Brandsma. He joined the Carmelites on September 17, 1898, and took the religious name Titus.
Ordained a priest in 1905, Brandsma was knowledgeable in Carmelite mysticism
and was awarded a doctorate in philosophy at Rome in 1909. He then taught in various schools in the Netherlands. Among his accomplishments was a translation of the works of Saint Teresa of Ávila
into Dutch.
One of the founders of the Catholic University of Nijmegen (now Radboud University), Brandsma became a professor of philosophy and the history of mysticism at the school in 1923. He later served as Rector Magnificus. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone, rather than for his scholarly work as a professor.
Fr. Brandsma also worked as a journalist and was the ecclesiastical adviser to Catholic journalists by 1935. It was his fight against the spread of Nazi ideology and for educational and press freedom that brought him to the attention of the Nazis.
Brandsma's documentation on Middle Dutch
mysticism was the basis for the current Titus Brandsma Institute in Nijmegen, dedicated to the study of spirituality
.
He was arrested in January 1942, when he tried to persuade Dutch Catholic newspapers not to print Nazi propaganda (as was required by law of the Nazi German occupiers). He had also drawn up a Pastoral Letter read in all Catholic parishes, by which the Dutch Roman Catholic bishops officially condemned the German anti-Semitic measures and the deportation of the first Jews. In the Pastoral Letter, the Dutch Bishops also outlined Nazism
as incompatible with Catholicism in its core ideology.
After this Pastoral Letter, the first ca. 3,000 Jews to be deported from the Netherlands were all Jewish converts to Roman Catholicism
. Brandsma was transferred in February 1942 to the concentration camp Dachau on June 13, after being held prisoner in Scheveningen, Amersfoort
, and Cleves. He died on July 26, 1942, by a lethal injection administered by a doctor
of the Allgemeine SS
, to whom he gave a rosary.
Titus Brandsma is honored as a martyr
within the Roman Catholic Church. He was beatified
in November 1985 by Pope John Paul II
. His Feast Day is 27 July.
In 2005, Brandsma was chosen by the inhabitants of Nijmegen as the greatest citizen to have lived there.
In his biography (2008, Valkhof) of Titus Brandsma, The Man behind the Myth, Dutch journalist Ton Crijnen claims that Brandsma combined some vanity, a short tempered character, extreme energy, political simpleness, true charity, unpretentious piety, thorough decisiveness and great personal courage. His ideas were very much those of his own age and modern as well. He combined a very negative theological look upon Jewry with a strong rejection of any kind of Antisemitism in Hitler's Germany.
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Titus Brandsma (Bolsward
Bolsward
Bolsward is a city in Súdwest Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000.- History :The town is founded on three artificial dwelling hills, of which the first was built some time before Christ....
, February 23, 1881 – Dachau July 26, 1942) was a Dutch
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...
Carmelite
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
priest and professor of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. Brandsma was vehemently opposed to Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
and spoke out against it many times before the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Biography
Brandsma was born at BolswardBolsward
Bolsward is a city in Súdwest Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000.- History :The town is founded on three artificial dwelling hills, of which the first was built some time before Christ....
, Netherlands in 1881. He was baptized Anno Sjoerd Brandsma. He joined the Carmelites on September 17, 1898, and took the religious name Titus.
Ordained a priest in 1905, Brandsma was knowledgeable in Carmelite mysticism
Christian mysticism
Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity. It has often been connected to mystical theology, especially in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions...
and was awarded a doctorate in philosophy at Rome in 1909. He then taught in various schools in the Netherlands. Among his accomplishments was a translation of the works of Saint Teresa of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
into Dutch.
One of the founders of the Catholic University of Nijmegen (now Radboud University), Brandsma became a professor of philosophy and the history of mysticism at the school in 1923. He later served as Rector Magnificus. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone, rather than for his scholarly work as a professor.
Fr. Brandsma also worked as a journalist and was the ecclesiastical adviser to Catholic journalists by 1935. It was his fight against the spread of Nazi ideology and for educational and press freedom that brought him to the attention of the Nazis.
Brandsma's documentation on Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects which were spoken and written between 1150 and 1500...
mysticism was the basis for the current Titus Brandsma Institute in Nijmegen, dedicated to the study of spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
.
He was arrested in January 1942, when he tried to persuade Dutch Catholic newspapers not to print Nazi propaganda (as was required by law of the Nazi German occupiers). He had also drawn up a Pastoral Letter read in all Catholic parishes, by which the Dutch Roman Catholic bishops officially condemned the German anti-Semitic measures and the deportation of the first Jews. In the Pastoral Letter, the Dutch Bishops also outlined Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
as incompatible with Catholicism in its core ideology.
After this Pastoral Letter, the first ca. 3,000 Jews to be deported from the Netherlands were all Jewish converts to Roman Catholicism
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...
. Brandsma was transferred in February 1942 to the concentration camp Dachau on June 13, after being held prisoner in Scheveningen, Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
, and Cleves. He died on July 26, 1942, by a lethal injection administered by a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
of the Allgemeine SS
Allgemeine SS
The Allgemeine SS was the most numerous branch of the Schutzstaffel paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany. It was managed by the SS-Hauptamt...
, to whom he gave a rosary.
Titus Brandsma is honored as a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
within the Roman Catholic Church. He was beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
in November 1985 by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. His Feast Day is 27 July.
Afterlife
In his biography (2008, Valkhof) of Titus Brandsma, The Man behind the Myth, Dutch journalist Ton Crijnen claims that Brandsma combined some vanity, a short tempered character, extreme energy, political simpleness, true charity, unpretentious piety, thorough decisiveness and great personal courage. His ideas were very much those of his own age and modern as well. He combined a very negative theological look upon Jewry with a strong rejection of any kind of Antisemitism in Hitler's Germany.