André est né le 18 décembre 1922 à Liège, dans la paroisse de Sainte-Foy sur les bords de la Meuse, dans une famille nombreuse et pratiquante. Son père écrivait au supérieur de Thy-le-Château : «Ma femme et moi remercions Dieu de nous avoir fait la grâce de jeter les yeux sur notre fils André qui désire être missionnaire. » La famille était abonnée à notre revue missionnaire Grands Lacs et connaissait le père Henri de Langle. Elle avait assisté à une conférence du père Léon Leloir, qui avait fortement impressionné le jeune André. Il fit les humanités gréco-latines au collège Saint-Hadelin à Visé et au collège Saint-Barthélémy à Liège. Afin d’obtenir son diplôme, il dut doubler la rhétorique.

André entre à Thy-le-Château en septembre 1943 ; en 1945-1946 il fait le noviciat à Varsenare. Il commence la théologie à Marienthal et la termine à Heverlee, où il prononce son serment missionnaire le 21 juillet 1949 et est ordonné prêtre le 8 avril 1950. Ses formateurs le décrivent comme un homme de devoir, ordonné, appliqué, travailleur consciencieux ; il a un bon jugement, malgré ses faibles résultats aux examens. Ils apprécient son bon cœur et son esprit de service, son caractère équilibré et très sociable. Ils estiment surtout son esprit surnaturel.

Le 4 octobre 1950, le voilà à Mungombe, dans le Vicariat de Costermansville (qui sera plus tard rebaptisé « Bukavu »). Il débute comme vicaire, mais est bientôt nommé professeur au petit séminaire. Le régional de l’époque, le père Hellemans, qui a assisté à plusieurs reprises aux cours d’André, le trouve bon professeur et éducateur. En 1954 André est nommé à Uvira, où il est chargé des écoles primaires. Il a des difficultés à apprendre le Swahili et les instructions aux chrétiens sont une croix pour lui. En 1955, André est nommé à l’école normale de Mugeri et deux ans plus tard à celle de Bobandana. Il y assure aussi l’économat. Pendant son premier congé en 1960, il suit la grande retraite à Mours.

Son congé doit malheureusement se prolonger. Il souffre de tuberculose. En juin 1961 on l’envoie au sanatorium à Mont-sur-Meuse en France. Quand il revient plus d’une année plus tard, il est nommé économe à Namur (Chaussée de Charleroi 14 à Salzinnes). Fin août 1963, malgré l’hésitation des médecins du Centre médical de la rue Brederode et sur la promesse des supérieurs d’un retour annuel en congé, André peut repartir au Congo, cette fois-ci pour le diocèse de Goma, comme supérieur-fondateur du petit séminaire de Buhimba. Il y restera jusqu’en 1969, la dernière année comme simple professeur. Le premier juillet 1969, il est nommé professeur à l’Ecole Normale de Jomba. Quand il part en congé en février 1975, le père Hugo Verwimp, régional, note que son « retour en mission est peu probable, en raison de son état de santé. » Et de spécifier : « Diabète assez accentué avec effet pernicieux sur les yeux ; menace de cécité ». Il ajoute encore qu’André entend mal à cause d’un tympan percé…

Quelques mois plus tard, nous retrouvons André comme vicaire à Mont-sur-Marchienne dans la région de Charleroi. Pas pour longtemps, car début septembre 1976 il rejoint notre maison d’accueil de la rue de Linthout. Au service des confrères en Afrique, il organise l’achat et l’envoi en Afrique de voitures de toutes sortes. Il est officiellement engagé dans la pastorale de l’archidiocèse et affecté à la paroisse Saint-Vincent à Evere, où il se rend régulièrement pour les eucharisties, les baptêmes, les mariages, etc. Il consacre beaucoup de soins à la préparation des futurs époux. Travail de qualité dans la discrétion, qu’il affectionne. Il donne volontiers un coup de main dans d’autres paroisses, celle de Saint-Albert par exemple.

En 1982 il suit la session/retraite à Jérusalem. Le premier juillet 1983 il fait partie de la première équipe de notre nouvelle maison de Bruxelles, sise avenue Milcamps. En janvier 1986 il devient supérieur de cette communauté, tout en continuant ses engagements pastoraux. En 1995, quand mademoiselle Lydia Verbeek aura fait don de sa maison rue Général Tombeur, toute l’équipe de l’avenue Milcamps va s’y installer.
La santé d’André baisse petit à petit et il se retrouve de plus en plus malvoyant. En juin 2002 il rejoint la communauté de La Plante à Namur. Il continue, malgré ses handicaps, à participer pleinement à la vie communautaire et à s’intéresser à ce qui se passe dans le monde et autour de lui.

Quand la Province trouve en 2005 la possibilité d’envoyer quelques confrères âgés à Liège sur les bords de la Meuse, dans la ‘Maison de repos et de soins’ Saint-Joseph, André fait partie de la première équipe. Au soir de sa vie, sa santé en fait le disciple du Serviteur souffrant. Pratiquement aveugle, abandonné par tous ses sens, il reste l’homme affable, de bonne humeur, toujours intéressé par l’Afrique, retrouvant tout dans sa chambre car chaque chose y a sa place.

Ses charmants confrères l’aident aux repas, lui font la lecture et le tiennent au courant. André ne se plaint jamais. Intérieurement il est prêt à aller rejoindre son Seigneur et à Le regarder face à face, en toute clarté. Quand, très souvent, une religieuse de la maison présente à l’aveugle quelque objet à bénir qu’elle distribuera ensuite – ce sont souvent de petits anges – il lui est arrivé d’entendre André lui dire : « Pour en avoir autant bénis, j’espère qu’ils viendront à ma rencontre le jour voulu. »

Il s’est éteint paisiblement le 8 juillet 2015. Le lundi 13 juillet, nous avons fêté son départ dans l’église même où André avait été baptisé et où il avait célébré sa première messe. Il est enterré parmi ses confrères à Varsenare.

Jef Vleugels

Père Jan van den Kieboom

1924 - - 2015

Jan est né à Ginneken le 9 mars 1924. Il a suivi sa formation missionnaire à St. Charles près de Boxtel, et à ‘s-Heerenberg, où il a fait son serment missionnaire le 9 avril 1948, et a été ordonné le 11 juin 1949.

Jan avait un bon jugement et était franc. Un de ses dictons préférés disait que les personnes qui ont un idéal doivent garder les pieds sur terre. Il savait prendre des initiatives et des décisions avec fermeté et assurance. Il était facile de s’entendre avec lui, même s’il manquait parfois un peu de diplomatie. Il était toujours prêt à rendre service. C’était une personne pratique, surtout en électricité.

En septembre 1949, il a étudié à l’université St. Andrew en Écosse et il a obtenu en juillet 1953 une maîtrise en Économie Politique et en Géographie Économique. Cette même année en septembre, il est arrivé en Ouganda pour apprendre la langue et la culture locale à Kisubi. Avant d’aller au petit séminaire, il a fait une année de travail pastoral dans cinq paroisses différentes pour mieux connaître la mentalité des étudiants.

Il s’est ensuite rendu au petit séminaire de Bukalasa dans le diocèse de Masaka. Ce séminaire avait célébré son jubilé d’or. Il a enseigné les mathématiques, la biologie et la chimie au groupe de troisième année du secondaire. A partir de 1939, le diocèse était dirigé par le premier évêque africain, Mgr Kiwanuka. En 1955, Jan écrivait: “Je me plais au petit séminaire, mais ce serait agréable d’avoir plus de variété dans le travail”.

En 1957, il a enseigné les sciences: mathématiques et géographie dans les classes supérieures. Il était aussi assistant économe et aumônier de la communauté Européenne et de celle des goanais. En décembre 1957, il écrivait que le séminaire avait pour la première fois un prêtre diocésain Ougandais comme Recteur et que “tous étaient bien contents”.

A la fin de 1958, Jan a quitté le séminaire de Bukalasa pour une nomination en Tanzanie au petit séminaire d’Itaga près de Tabora. Il enseignait les mathématiques. Depuis son ordination, 10 ans auparavant, il avait vécu dans quatre archidiocèses et un diocèse, et maintenant un autre pays. Il écrivait que le changement avait été plus facile que prévu malgré le changement de climat, de système scolaire, de confrères et de situation politique.

En plus de l’enseignement, il a construit des châteaux d’eau et a installé des pompes à eau. Il a fait de la maçonnerie, de la menuiserie et a aussi construit des ponts et des terrains de football. A un âge avancé, il était fier de dire qu’il était possible de voir ces terrains de football sur Google!

En septembre 1966, il est retourné définitivement aux Pays Bas. Il a travaillé un certain temps dans une paroisse pour s’ajuster à la nouvelle situation avec les changements de Vatican II. En août 1967, il est allé à notre petit séminaire à Santpoort; les séminaristes étudiaient dans une école secondaire dans le village voisin. Jan enseignait les mathématiques, était l’accompagnateur d’une classe et aussi bibliothécaire avec un grand souci d’aider les étudiants qui empruntaient un livre. Après la fermeture du petit séminaire, Jan est allé vivre avec quelques confrères dans une petite maison.

Son expérience d’Afrique faisait partie intégrante de son enseignement et il savait rejoindre les étudiants. Au moment de sa retraite en 1983, après 16 ans d’enseignement, l’administration scolaire a écrit: “le Père Jan est connu pour sa gaieté et son esprit de groupe. Il a beaucoup contribué à favoriser une atmosphère agréable dans notre école… Il a transmis aux étudiants qu’il croyait à la jeunesse et à un futur meilleur. Sa personnalité était aussi un témoignage positif”. Pour cette occasion, les étudiants et professeurs ont composé un livret mémoire de 38 pages.

Dans un interview Jan disait: “ j’ai étudié jusqu’à 30 ans, enseigner jusqu’à 60 ans, maintenant je vais ralentir jusqu’à 90 ans. Je pense que c’est un cycle de vie bien equilibré”. Sur le terrain près de leur petite maison, Jan a fait un jardin et il gardait aussi quelques moutons. Il aimait aussi marcher et faire de la bicyclette. Il était aumônier de deux communautés religieuses et donnait un coup de main à la bibliothèque de “Spaarnberg”, notre ancien petit séminaire qui était voisin.

Au mois d’août 1998, il a rejoint la grande communauté de Leidschendam, ce qui a été un changement important après avoir vécu plusieurs années avec deux confrères, et même seul pendant un certain temps. Il s’est bien adapté et il était toujours disponible pour toutes sortes de petits travaux manuels.

En novembre 2003, il s’est rendu à Heythuysen. Au cours des années, il a monté une collection de pierres spéciales qu’il ramenait de ses voyages à l’étranger. Il classifiait les petites sur des fiches, et les plus grandes dans des boites transparentes; chaque pierre avait un nom, un lieu et un pays d’origine. Cette collection lui a tenu compagnie.

A partir de 2010, sa santé s’est détériorée et il avait besoin d’une canne, mais il est resté spirituellement alerte et il a toujours conservé son esprit présent.

Quand la température le permettait, il cherchait un endroit pour profiter du soleil et passer une heure dans la tranquillité. En 2013, au moment d’engager un nouvel économe du Secteur qui était un laïc, il était heureux de découvrir que celui-ci était son ancien étudiant en mathématiques. Durant l’année 2014, il a eu besoin d’une chaise roulante, et plus tard de soins spéciaux. Il est mort paisiblement le 10 octobre 2015. Faisant un retour sur sa vie, l’aspect de Jésus qu’il a vécu spécialement était : “ Il leur enseignait comme quelqu’un qui a autorité” (Mt.7,29). Ensemble avec parents et amis il a été enterré à notre cimetière de St. Charles le 16 octobre 2015.

Marien van den Eijnden .

Père Maurice Boissinot

1925 - - 2015

Maurice est né le 28 octobre 1925 dans la paroisse du Très-Saint-Sacrement de Québec, P.Q. Après avoir fréquenté l’école primaire paroissiale, il entre au collège jésuite Saint-Charles- Garnier à Québec où il fait ses études classiques de 1939 à 1947.

En septembre 1947, il entre au postulat des Pères Blancs à Everell, près de Québec. Au cours de cette première année chez les Pères Blancs, Maurice se montre bon travailleur tant au point de vue intellectuel que manuel. La vie de communauté n’est pas toujours facile pour lui. Un peu fermé et timide, il a parfois quelques difficultés avec l’un ou l’autre de ses confrères. Mais doté d’une bonne volonté, d’un caractère énergique et d’un jugement droit, Maurice fait des efforts pour s’ouvrir aux autres et s’adapter progressivement à la vie communautaire.

Le 12 août 1948, Maurice commence son année de noviciat à St-Martin de Laval. L’année suivante, le 14 août 1949, il arrive à Monteviot, en Écosse, pour entreprendre ses trois années de théologie. Au scolasticat, Maurice se distingue par sa facilité d’expression avec ses confrères. Toujours prêt à rendre service, il est bien apprécié par tous. Il manifeste une certaine dextérité dans les sports et les travaux manuels. Il fait preuve d’une piété solide et ne craint pas d’affronter les difficultés qui se présentent à lui, tout en se montrant humble, obéissant et généreux. Il est très attaché à sa vocation missionnaire. Le 29 mai 1951, il fait son serment missionnaire et est ordonné prêtre, à Monteviot, le 31 mai 1952.

Après un congé dans sa famille au Canada, le Père Boissinot part pour l’Afrique en octobre 1952. Il avait demandé d’aller travailler en Zambie, mais il est nommé en Tanzanie, plus précisément à Ngote dans le diocèse de Bukoba. Il sera ensuite vicaire à Bugene et à Kagondo. Maurice se met généreusement à l’apprentissage de la langue locale qu’il parvient à bien maîtriser. Il a le contact facile avec ses paroissiens qui apprécient sa simplicité et sa bonne humeur. Il a la charge des écoles de la paroisse et a de très bonnes relations avec tous les instituteurs. Son supérieur régional lui reproche parfois sa tenue un peu négligée, mais il reconnaît que le Père Boissinot est agréable en communauté et a à cœur le bien-être spirituel de ses paroissiens.

En 1956, Maurice est nommé curé de Isingiro. Il va ensuite à Bushangaro et à Chato, pour revenir à Bugene en 1973. Trois ans plus tard, il a de sérieux problèmes avec ses yeux. Ce qui nécessite son retour au Canada pour y subir une opération chirurgicale. Il prend ensuite un temps de repos et suit quelques cours de recyclage à l’Institut de Pastorale des Dominicains à Montréal. Le 29 août 1979, Maurice retourne en Tanzanie.

Mais quelques mois plus tard, il doit rentrer d’urgence à Québec. Il est devenu presque aveugle et doit subir une opération suite à un décollement des deux rétines. C’est une lourde épreuve qu’il doit supporter. Comme il l’écrit dans une lettre à son Provincial : « Lorsque je suis parti d’urgence de l’Afrique, je savais que je commençais un long calvaire…Dieu ne m’a pas abandonné et il a été bien bon de m’aider à porter ma croix petit à petit…Les maladies des yeux sont les pires que l’on peut avoir. On est heureux seulement le soir quand on se couche pour dormir. Ce sont des maladies qui ne laissent aucune seconde de répit. On se sent sans sécurité, comme dans les nuages, et on manque d’équilibre…Maintenant, je dois accepter de vivre avec une vue bien différente, supporter cette limitation avec sérénité et surmonter la peur de tomber quand je marche dehors. »

Désormais, Maurice ne pourra plus retourner en Afrique et accepte d’être nommé à la Province canadienne des Missionnaires d’Afrique. Il se porte volontaire pour faire du ministère pastoral dans le diocèse de Québec. Il est nommé soit vicaire-économe soit administrateur dans les paroisses suivantes : Sainte-Claire de Dorchester, Saint-Gédéon de Beauce, Saint-Louis de Courville, Saint-Romuald et Sainte-Geneviève. Ce service pastoral est interrompu pendant quelques mois lorsque Maurice demande d’aller à Jérusalem, en septembre 1986, pour y faire sa grande retraite de 30 jours et suivre une session biblique.

Le 1er mai 1992, le Père Boissinot accepte la nomination de supérieur de notre communauté Pères Blancs de Québec. Deux ans plus tard, il est nommé par l’Archevêque de Québec aumônier des Sœurs missionnaires Notre-Dame d’Afrique de Québec. Une nomination qui sera renouvelée plusieurs fois.
Le 1er septembre 2014, Maurice est frappé par la maladie et doit être transporté à l’hôpital Laval de Québec. En mai 2015, une hémorragie cérébro-vasculaire le rend paralysé d’un côté. C’est le mardi 12 mai 2015, à l’hôpital Laval, qu’il décède à l’âge de 89 ans. Le service religieux a été célébré le 21 mai, en l’église du Très-Saint-Sacrement de Québec. Après la messe, la dépouille a été mise en terre dans le lot des Missionnaires d’Afrique au cimetière Belmont.

Le P. Marcel Boivin, qui a connu Maurice pendant 40 ans, a tenu à donner un témoignage de la vie de ce missionnaire exceptionnel au cours de l’homélie des funérailles : « La clé qui révèle le secret de la vie de Maurice, la voici : il s’est laissé émouvoir par Jésus tel qu’il est présenté dans l’Évangile : Jésus, qui se laisse attendrir et qui prend les moyens de venir en aide à qui est dans le besoin… Maurice a choisi de marcher dans l’humble sentier de la charité qui se fait bienveillante… Il s’est appliqué par la parole et par l’action, à apporter le bonheur à qui était laissé pour compte, la consolation à qui pleurait, la santé à qui était malade…Il a connu des revers, il lui a fallu porter sa croix et souvent une croix pesante…

À la fin de 1979, il était presque totalement aveugle… Mais il a tenu bon. Et une fois qu’il a quelque peu recouvré la vue, il s’est fait missionnaire au Québec… À travers d’autres épreuves de santé qu’il a connues cette dernière année, Maurice a conservé la direction et le sens qu’il avait donné à sa vie pendant sa jeunesse.

Maurice a été un homme de Dieu, fidèle à la prière et vivant en présence de son Créateur et Sauveur. Qu’il nous suffise de savoir qu’il est entré dans la proximité de son Dieu, qu’il y est heureux, pacifié et reconnaissant ».

Michel Carbonneau

PROFILES

Father Pieter Wels

1937 - - 2015

Pieter was born in Zuilen, Utrecht, Netherlands on the 5th March 1937. His first years of formation were in the Netherlands and he studied in Sterksel, Santpoort and St. Charles near Boxtel. He did his novitiate in Alexandria Bay in the USA and his theological studies in Ottawa, Canada. He took his Missionary Oath on the 23rd June 1962 in Ottawa and he was ordained priest in Utrecht on the 6th July 1963.

Pieter had a sound judgment and a kind disposition. He preferred structure in his life and work by following a regular programme. Patience was not his strongest virtue and this made him appear bossy. He was ever ready to render a service. He was a hard and regular worker who, sometimes, had trouble making decisions and he avoided the limelight.

Pieter followed a 3-months pastoral course in Mours, France in the autumn of 1963. He went to Portugal in February 1964 to learn Portuguese as he had been appointed to Mozambique, then a Portuguese colony. In June 1964, he left for the Archdiocese of Beira in Mozambique. Earmarked for teaching in the Junior Seminary, he spent a year in rural and town parishes getting acquainted with the Sena language and culture as most of the students came from this background. The Portuguese authorities, both ecclesiastic and civil, were not happy with that, as, in their view the White Fathers fostered the Mozambique culture rather than the Portuguese one.

Fr. Wels went to teach in the junior seminary of Zobwe in September 1965. It had 160 students (later increased to 190) covering the seven year secondary school cycle. Pieter taught Religion, Latin and Portuguese. It was the only seminary not under the control of Portuguese priests. In fact, after 18 years in charge, the White Fathers were summarily dismissed from their responsibilities and had to hand it over to Portuguese Jesuits. This was the first official sign of the growing friction between the authorities, both ecclesiastical and civil, and the White Fathers.

Pieter moved to Bárué parish in 1967. In the spirit of Vatican II, the White Fathers were working towards inculturation and building a genuinely local church community. They emphasised ongoing religious formation of adults, and visiting homes in the outstations. Pieter became the Parish Priest in 1968. The Bishop and the Regional Superior were pleased, but politicians viewed this pastoral policy as anti-Portuguese. Censorship of the mail became stricter and false complaints were made to the secret police.

Pieter left Mozambique together with the other White Fathers in 1971. After a rest in Holland, he left for Malawi in March 1972. He studied the Chewa language & culture in Lilongwe. He found the experience of being in a free country striking. The population was self-assured, not fearful and frightened as in Mozambique. He was appointed to teach in a junior seminary, but he got some pastoral experience in Nambuma Parish beforehand. This was a large parish with four priests, 10-trained catechists for a Catholic population of 30,000 and some 5,000 catechumens. There were 23 outstations to be looked after. He was happy especially with the personal and free contacts with the population.

In June 1973, Pieter went to Mtendere minor seminary in Dedza diocese. It also had students from Lilongwe. He taught Religion/Bible, English and Latin over 28 periods a week. He was also the sports master. In 1975, 12 of the 25 sixth-formers went to the major seminary. He wrote in September 1975, “I always felt happy as a priest ... A missionary is a bridge-builder fostering the realm of God. He lives on the frontiers of cultures ... both in and outside his home, he is a guest, someone sent.” He followed a sabbatical year in Missiology at Nijmegen University from September 1975. He returned to Mtendere. The seminary got its first Malawian rector in 1977 but when the Bishop appointed him counsellor in 1980, Pieter became Acting-Rector. He wrote, “I endeavour not to develop “rector“ airs.” It was not so easy as he was inclined to perfectionism, and he could not relax. At the end of September 1981, he was elected Assistant-Regional for Malawi.

In February 1986, he moved to the Kanengo community in Lilongwe to teach religion in five secondary schools, some colleges, and the university. On Sundays, he assisted in the parish. He became the community-bursar. He wrote in June 1986, “I like the work, I am freer than in the seminary, and the work is less stressful. The experience of the past year has taught me that ‘the candle cannot burn at both ends‘, and I am now definitely working accordingly.“

In the community, Fr. Wels was an excellent bursar, arranging things meticulously. Writing in January 1996, “I aim to create a pleasant atmosphere in the house that ought to be simple, but clean and cared for. It ought to be a true home.” He organised a mobile library for the schools with literature about Jesus and the church. The students made a lot of use of it. He went to visit the homes of Catholic teachers in the various institutes. From 1992, he was also the diocesan Youth Pastor.

From January to June 1997, he helped nine Malawian secondary school leavers prepare themselves for entry into the White Father international formation programme. He became Parish Priest in Kawale in June 1997 and was Pastor in Kanengo in November 1999. In April 2000, he became Treasurer for the WF Sector in Malawi residing in Lilongwe

Pieter went for leave in the Netherlands in September 2000 meaning to return to Malawi. However, after careful reflection he decided to stay. Writing in April 2001, he wrote, “With gratitude I remember the good years, both in Mozambique and in Malawi.” In June, he went to the WF community serving Lage Mierde parish. He was again the caring bursar. He was also the community’s representative in the Provincial Commission for JPIC. He was happy and felt that all together, they were fostering God’s reign.

Pieter’s health gradually deteriorated. He moved to Heythuysen in November 2010. From the end of 2013, he needed special care. He died peacefully on the 3rd September 2015. Overseeing his whole life, that aspect of Jesus, which he lived especially, was “You shall receive power ... and ... be my witnesses” from Acts 1, 8

Together with his relatives and friends, we buried him in St. Charles Heythuysen on the 10th September 2015.

Marien van den Eijnden.

Father Baudouin Waterkeyn

1931 - - 2014

Baudouin was born on the 14th May 1931 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels, Belgium. He was the youngest child in a profoundly Christian family of nine children. World War II hardly affected his childhood schooling. A scout chaplain gave him Latin lessons. He entered the White Fathers at Thy-le- Château in 1951. This was followed by the novitiate in Varsenare and four years of theology in Heverlee. He took his Missionary Oath there on the 7th July 1956 and he was ordained on the 21st April 1957.

Baudouin was appointed to Kalima, Maniema Province in what was then the “Belgian Congo.” He studied Kiswahili, became director of primary schools, did pastoral safaris in the bush, was chaplain to the scouts and the Young Christian Workers (JOC), and organised cinema shows. At the time of Independence in June 1960, he was badly beaten up and left for dead in prison. On the 2nd August 1964, the Flemish Service of Belgian Radio announced his death. It was only three days later that he was able to inform his family that he was still alive.

On his return to Kalima, Baudouin became chaplain to the Scout movement for the Kasongo District, which was 2½ times the size of Belgium. He took care of lepers and gave them medicines. He founded the Parish of Kakutya in 1975. He built many outstations with the help of young unemployed people who had been driven from school by war. He trained them to be masons, carpenters, joiners and brick makers. He became an advocate of preventive medicine. With the help of the basic communities, he launched a campaign to tap springs and build toilets. Each time a new well was inaugurated, there was a big feast of rice and monkey, the monkey meat being supplied by the PP turned hunter.

Baudouin did some recycling at Lumen Vitae in 1981. He also underwent his first knee operation. The day following the operation, his brother Louis brought him an electric buggy and it was a moment of inspiration. “I had a mad dream of putting all the handicapped of Kasongo diocese on wheels, not being able to make them walk like Jesus curing the lame.” He launched a campaign “Roues de Secours” and soon celebrated the arrival of the 1,000th wheelchair. He sent out a first container with bicycle wheels and other materials, including the forks. He sent everything to Kampene where he had been appointed. In a workshop, some 20 handicapped people, woodworkers, welders and blacksmiths made the wheelchairs. Others ground glass and assembled spectacles while others made rosary beads.

Fr. Waterkeyn did the Session/Retreat in Jerusalem at the end of 1988. He was then appointed to Sola in the Diocese of Kongolo. He was to stay there for ten years. He had an excellent relationship with the Franciscan Sisters from Manage, Belgium. He started mini-cooperatives consisting of four family groups. He said, “It was at Sola that I experienced the worst of the wars (of the seven he mentions in his notes). We were in continual danger of death. The Rwandan soldiers burnt all the houses of the villagers who had fled into the bush, as well as the churches, and the dispensaries.” The Spiritans gave him refuge and he was evacuated to Belgium in July 1999.

Between 1999 and 2000, Baudouin had two knee replacement operations. In February 2001, he returned to Mingana in the Diocese of Kasongo. He resumed his safaris going from village to village and to remote outstations, often by bike and travelling for many weeks. Thanks to twinning with the Parish of Saint-Nicolas de la Hulpe in the Brabant region of Belgium, he was able to acquire mattresses, medical instruments, wheelchairs, books, and scout uniforms, which were sent to Kipaka. Baudouin was a communicator par excellence, a professional scrounger for others. He did everything to keep his benefactors informed as is testified by his newsletters (the 24th is dated September 2014), which were sent to friends in the Saint-Nicolas parish and his “the friends of Fr. Baudouin Blog” which was full of photos, reports and stories.

Baudouin was becoming more handicapped himself. His last post was chaplain to the Sendwe hospital in Lubumbashi. He continued to get hundreds of wheelchairs, crutches, and Zimmer frames. He founded a charitable organisation “Au bon Samaritain,” which helped the poorest among the sick, even supplying meals to them, all financed by selling waffles and cold drinks.

To conclude, here is a testimony given by a confrere, Fr. Alfred Goffinet: “Baudouin remained a scout all his life. He retained his adventurous and romantic character and his child like trust. A man of God, he was always there for community prayer. He had a great and original imagination. He enjoyed a staggering inventiveness. What stories did he have to tell? He was also a man of strong emotions. If it happened that he wronged somebody, he was quick to ask pardon, shake hands, and murmur, ‘my emotions got the better of me.’ His strong feelings, which were equal to his size, were straight from his heart. They pushed him to extreme, possibly blind, generosity. It was never enough, never too much. He was particularly sensitive to the unfortunate, the sick and the crippled. A single word of Christ is sufficient to honour his memory; “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25 31-40).

Baudouin became quite handicapped himself but nothing could keep him in Belgium. This Iron Man left for Lubumbashi in September 2013 and his death on the 19th November 2014 in the Afya Don Bosco clinic took us all by surprise. His great wish to die in Africa had been granted. The funeral of this friend of the humble and the poor took on an air of tragedy and triumph. Archbishop Jean-Pierre Tafunga of Lubumbashi presided at the Funeral Mass. The Cathedral was full to overflowing and people were standing in the square outside. At the cemetery of Kiswishi, the scouts dug the grave and sang the Scout’s promise. In Belgium, a Memorial Mass for Fr. Baudouin Waterkeyn was celebrated on the 28th November 2014 in the Church of Saint-Nicolas à La Hulpe.

A great missionary, with a very particular charism, had left us.

Jef Vleugels

Father Gregorio Migueliz

1935 - - 2015

Gregorio was born in Lumbier in the Province of Navarra, Spain on the 4th August 1935. When he was four years old, his family moved to Bermeo, near Bilbao. He lived there until the day he decided to enter the White Fathers in order to train as a brother. He did two years of novitiate in Gap, France and he took his first temporary Missionary Oath on the 14th August 1959. He went to the Brother’s Training Centre in Mours where he spent two years. From there he went to Thy-le-Château, Belgium where he took his perpetual Missionary Oath on the 15th August 1965. After some time of reflection, he decided to become a priest in the White Fathers. Once he had finished his theological studies, he was ordained on the 29th June 1969 in Logroño, Spain

Gregorio arrived in Kigali in September 1969. He began the study of Kinyarwanda straightaway. In March 1970, he was appointed to the Parish of Rwaza in the Diocese of Ruhengeri because he wanted a dynamic superior who would allow him to engage fully in pastoral work. He passed through many parishes, among them Muyanza and Rushaki (Diocese of Byumba), spending about two years in each. In September 1981, he did the Session/Retreat in Jerusalem. In June of 1982, he returned to Rwanda and he was appointed provisionally to Nyamati Parish (Archdiocese of Kigali). His Regional commented, “I found a man who appeared to me to be singularly mature from the spiritual point of view.” Gregorio’s big problem was he never quite learned Kinyarwanda. The Regional team proposed that he return to the language centre (CELA) to repeat the language course.

Gregorio asked to do a sabbatical year in 1985. He wanted to see more clearly if he had a vocation to monastic life. Without giving up the idea of an eventual return to Rwanda, he accepted an appointment to Spain. He was appointed to the community of Barcelona and he became its bursar. Two years later, he became Chaplain to the Alcañiz Hospital (Teruel Province) and he worked there from 1987 to 1990.

Being the good pastor he was, he was interested in sick people and their families by bringing them help in a spirit of pastoral solidarity. In 1990, he was appointed to Bilbao once again as bursar. He was also involved in Missionary Promotion work. A very important aspect of this work was exhibiting African Arts and Crafts that people could buy. In October 1993, we find him once again in Barcelona once more serving as bursar of the community. He joined the confreres in their Missionary and Vocation Promotion work, which was the priority task of the community. It was decided to sell the house in 2000. The confreres stayed on until 2002 and after the sale was completed they, including Gregorio, left Barcelona and moved to the community of Barañáin in the Province of Navarra which had been founded nine years earlier.

So, Gregorio returned to his native province. Unsurprisingly he was appointed as bursar of the community. He also did some pastoral work. He took part in a number of groups including UMOYA, which is federation of solidarity groups working for North Africa and which is present in many cities of Spain. As he was a diabetic, he also took part in meetings of support groups. He learnt a great deal about this condition and dealt with it by submitting himself to a severe diet that he followed rigorously. He also followed faithfully a course in the Basque (Euskera) language. He had learnt a little when he was a child and young man growing up in Bermeo before he entered the White Fathers.

We, his confreres, noticed that Gregorio was getting thinner and thinner and that his health was declining steadily. He suffered a stroke in October 2013 and he was hospitalised in the Pamplona General Hospital for nearly two months. At the end of November 2013, he was admitted to a nursing home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in Pamplona. We are very grateful to the Sisters and the personnel who looked after him day and night. There was always one sister and sometimes more who spent whole afternoons with him. In the morning, it was the turn of the confreres. We visited him every day for at least an hour bringing him out in his wheelchair for a little promenade outside the residence. He loved these little outings.

Despite his limits, Gregorio showed his great qualities of a thoughtful, serene and peace-making man. He had a sound and sincere spiritual talent. He liked clarity and did his best to fulfil his missionary commitments faithfully including the demands of prayer and community life.

Gregorio had many doubts and uncertainties during the course of his missionary life in Rwanda. He was able to find the way and take decisions thanks to dialogue with his superiors and the other qualified people whom they recommended to him. Patience was one of his qualities. It was useful in his life and especially during his illness and he never complained despite knowing very well about his state of health. He did not like to bother anybody.

The Lord came to take him on the 5th May 2015. Gregorio left for the Father’s house without making a sound, in the greatest possible discretion, which was very much in character. His funeral took place on the 6th May 2015 in the Parish Church of Lumbier, his native village.

The Lord certainly found Gregorio ready and willing to meet Him. May he rest in peace!

José Maria Sarasola

Father André Ralet

1922 - - 2015

André was born on the 18th December 1922 in Liege, Belgium. His large and practising family came from the parish of Sainte-Foy in the city. His father wrote to the Superior of Thy-le-Château, “My wife and I thank God for the grace he has bestowed on us, for laying his eyes on our son André who wishes to be a missionary.” The family were subscribers to our magazine “Grands Lacs” and knew Fr. Henri de Langle (+1968) well. The young André had been very impressed by a talk given by Fr. Léon Leloir (+1945). André studied in the College Saint-Hadelin at Visé and at the College Saint-Barthélémy in Liege. However, in order to get his Diploma he had to repeat his final year in college.

André entered the White Fathers at Thy-le-Château in September 1943. He did his novitiate in Varsenare from 1945 to 1946. He began his theological studies in Marienthal, Luxemburg and finished them in Heverlee. He took his Missionary Oath in Heverlee on the 21st July 1949 and he was ordained priest there on the 8th April 1950. Those in charge of his training described him as a man of duty, tidy, diligent and a conscientious worker. He had good judgement even if he did not do very well at exams. They appreciated his good heart and his spirit of service, his balanced and pleasant character. They particularly valued his supernatural spirit.

André arrived in Mungombe in the Vicariate of Costermansville (rebaptised later as Bukavu) on the 4th October 1950. He started as a curate but was appointed to teach in the Junior Seminary soon afterwards. The Regional of the time, Fr. Hellemans (+1968) observed him teaching and considered him a good teacher and educator. André was appointed to Uvira in 1954 and took over the running of the primary schools. He found it difficult to learn Kiswahili and instructing catechumens was a real cross for him. In 1955, André was appointed to the Teacher Training Centre at Mugeri and two years later, he moved to that of Bobandana. He was also the bursar. During his first home leave in 1960, he did the Long Retreat in Mours.

Unfortunately, Andre’s home leave had to be extended as he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was sent to a sanatorium at Mount-sur-Meuse in France in June 1961. When he came home one year later, he was appointed bursar at our house in Namur on Chaussée de Charleroi. At the end of August 1963, despite the qualms of the doctors and on the promise of the superiors that he would come home every year, André was able to return to the Congo. He went to Goma as the founding Superior of the Junior Seminary of Buhimba. He stayed there until 1969, only doing teaching in his final year.

On the 1st July 1969, he was appointed as a Professor in the Teacher Training College of Jomba. When he left for his home leave in February 1975, the Regional, Fr. Hugo Verwimp (+2009), noted “his return to the missions was highly unlikely because of his state of health.” He specified that André “was suffering from severe diabetes, which was affecting his sight, and there was a threat of blindness.” He also added that André was practically deaf because of a burst eardrum.

Some months later, André was in the Parish of Mont-sur-Marchienne as a curate in the Charleroi region. However, in September 1976, he moved to our guesthouse on Rue de Linthout in Brussels. André organised the buying and dispatching of all sorts of cars to Africa. He was officially attached to the Parish of Saint-Vincent at Evere for pastoral work. He went there regularly to celebrate Mass, perform Baptisms and Marriages. He spent a lot of time preparing couples for marriage. He liked to do this work and he did it thoroughly and discretely. He was always ready to help in other parishes.

He followed the session/retreat in Jerusalem in 1982. He was a member of the first community to move into our new house on Avenue Milcamps in Brussels in July 1983. He became Superior of the community in January 1986 while continuing his pastoral work. In 1995, when Ms. Lydia Verbeek gave us her house on Rue General Tombeur as a gift, the community in Avenue Milcamps moved there.

André’s health continued to get worse slowly. He was practically blind also. In June 2002, he moved to the community at La Plante in Namur. Despite his handicaps, he took part fully in community life and kept an interest in world affairs. When the Province got the opportunity to send some elderly fathers to the St. Joseph’s Nursing Home on the banks of the Meuse in Liege in 2005, Andre was among the first group of confreres to go there.

In the eventide of his life, his health made of him a disciple of the Suffering Servant. He was practically blind and his other senses did not function too well either. However, he remained genial, good-humoured and he still had an interest in Africa. He was able to find everything in his room because each item had its place. His devoted confreres helped him at meals, read to him and kept him informed of the latest news.

André never complained but interiorly he was ready to join his Lord and to see Him face to face in all clarity. Frequently, a sister in the house would bring him religious objects, mostly little angels, to bless. One day she happened to hear André say, “I have blessed so many little angels that I hope they will come to meet me when the day comes.”

André died peacefully on the 8th July 2015. On the 13th July, we celebrated his life in the same Church where he was baptised and where he had celebrated his first Mass. He was buried among his confreres in Varsenare.

Jef Vleugels

 

Father Jan van den Kieboom

1924 - - 2015

Jan was born in Ginneken, the Netherlands on the 9th March 1924. He studied in our formation houses in St. Charles near Boxtel, and ‘s-Heerenberg, where he took the missionary oath 9th April 1948 and where he was ordained 11th June 1949.

Jan had a sound judgment and was matter of fact person. One of his famous sayings was, “People with ideals should not become ‘heaven-pedallers’ (like cycling in the air).” He acted decisively, with perseverance and from a great sense of duty. He acted “somewhat independently,” taking initiatives. He was pleasant to get along with, yet some undiplomatic utterances could have serious consequences. He was ever ready to be of service. Already as a student, he was quite handy, particularly in electrical matters.

He studied in St. Andrew’s University in Scotland from 1949 to 1953 and gained an MA in Political Economy and Economic Geography. He left for Uganda in September of that year. He went to Kisubi to learn the language and culture before going to a minor seminary to teach. He spent a year in five parishes in order to get to know the background of students. Some wicked tongues suggested that this year had more to do with installing and repairing electricity in the Parishes!

Jan went to Bukalasa minor seminary in Masaka Diocese to teach Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry to the three senior forms. Bukalasa had already celebrated its Golden Jubilee and since 1939, the Diocese was led by the first African Bishop of modern times, Bishop Joseph Kiwanuka, M.Afr. Jan wrote in May 1955, “I do not mind at all to be in a minor seminary, although a little more variety would be welcome.” In January 1957, he wrote that he was teaching “science-mathematics-geography” in the senior forms, and in addition to that, he was the assistant bursar, and the pastor for the Goan and European communities in town. In December 1957, the seminary got its first Ugandan rector and Jan wrote, “We all are very pleased with him.”

At the end of 1958, Jan left Bukalasa and Uganda for an appointment to Itaga minor seminary near Tabora, Tanzania. He taught mathematics. It was 10 years since his ordination and he had lived in four archdioceses and one diocese, and he was now in another country. He wrote that the change turned out easier than expected, notwithstanding the change of climate, school-system, confreres, and politics.

Besides teaching, he built water towers, installed water-pumps, and did masonry and carpentry, built bridges and soccer-pitches. In his old age, he was proud that the soccer pitches could be seen on Google maps!

Jan returned for good to the Netherlands in September 1966. For some time he worked in a parish to familiarise himself with the situation, which was a little troubled after Vatican II. He went to our minor seminary in Santpoort in August 1967. The students attended a local secondary school. Jan taught mathematics there as well and was librarian and a Form master. When that minor seminary closed, Jan went to live with some confreres in a small house near the property.

When he was displeased with students, Jan would tell them off in the good Swahili of Tanzania! His Africa-experience was part of his teaching, and the students responded to it. At his retirement in 1983, after 16 years service, the school-management wrote, “Father Jan is known for his cheerfulness and sincere collegiality. He contributed a lot in fostering a pleasant atmosphere in our school ... He made students aware of his belief in the youth, his belief in a good future, and his simple genuine humanity.” For the occasion, the students and teachers composed a 38-page memorial-booklet.

In an interview, Jan said, “I studied until my 30th birthday, taught until my 60th, now I am going to slow down until my 90th birthday. I think it is a well-balanced life-cycle.” Next to their little house, the community had a piece of land and Jan developed a hobby for gardening, walking, cycling, and as “farmer Jan“ kept some sheep. He was the pastor of two communities of Sisters and helped in the library of “Spaarnberg,” our former minor seminary next door.

After a number of years of living with just one confrere and sometimes alone, Jan moved to the large community in Leidschendam in August 1998. This was quite a change for him but he helped the community by doing all sorts of technical odd jobs.

In November 2003, Jan moved to Heythuysen. Over the years, he had amassed a big collection of special stones from his travels. They were all neatly classified and the bigger ones kept in drawers with transparent compartments. This collection kept him company in his final years.

Jan’s health began to deteriorate in 2010. He needed a walking stick. He remained quick-witted and spiritually very alert. When he sat down, he described himself as a “flopping chicken.” Whenever there was good weather, he liked to sit and enjoy the sun for a quite hour. He was pleased to discover that the layman appointed as Assistant Treasurer for the Dutch Sector in 2013 was one of his former students of Mathematics.

In 2014, he needed a wheelchair and he required specialised care from 2015 onwards. He died peacefully in his room on the 10th October 2015. The words of Jesus that applied to him especially could come from Matthew’s Gospel, “He taught them as one who had authority.” (Mt. 7, 29)

We buried him in our cemetery of St. Charles on the 16th October 2015 in the presence of his relatives and friends.

Marien van den Eijnden.

 

Father Maurice Boissinot

1925 - - 2015

Maurice was born on the 28th October 1925 in the Parish of the Most Holy Sacrament, Québec, Canada. He attended the parochial primary school in the parish. From 1939 to 1947, he attended the Jesuit run College Saint-Charles-Garnier in Québec.

Maurice entered the postulancy of the White Fathers in Everell, near Québec in September 1947. During this first year with the White Fathers, he showed that he was a good worker from both the physical and intellectual point of view. Community life was not always easy for him. He was inclined to be shy and uncommunicative and sometimes had problems with one or another confrere. However, he was full of good will, a lively character with sound judgement. Maurice made huge efforts to be more open with others and to adapt himself to community life.

He began his novitiate in August 1948 in St.-Martin de Laval, near Montreal. The following year, August 1949, he arrived in Monteviot, Scotland to begin three years of theological studies. Here, he got on well with his confreres. He was always ready to be of service and all appreciated him. He was quite good at sport and liked manual work. He showed a solid piety and was not afraid of confronting difficulties while remaining humble, obedient and generous. He was very attached to his missionary vocation. He took his Missionary Oath on the 29th May 1951 and was ordained priest in Monteviot on the 31st May 1952.

After a holiday with his family, Fr. Boissinot left for Africa in October 1952. He had asked to go to Zambia; instead, he ended up in Tanzania. He was appointed to Ngote in the Diocese of Bukoba. Appointments as curate to Bugene (1953) and Kagondo (1955) followed. He learnt the local language very well. He had easy contacts with the parishioners who liked his good humour and candour. He was in charge of all the schools in the parish and had very good relationships with the teachers. His Regional Superior sometimes criticised him for his dress code but he appreciated that Fr. Boissinot was good company in community and had the spiritual well-being of his parishioners at heart.

In 1956, Maurice was appointed as Parish Priest of Isingiro in the Karagwe area of Bukoba Diocese. After his home leave in 1960, he served as Superior in Bushangaro, which had become part of the new Diocese of Rulenge and then moved to Chato in 1968. He returned to Bugene in 1973 as curate and then Parish Priest. However, he had to return to Canada in late 1975 to seek treatment for his eyes, which were developing cataracts. He returned to Bugene in 1976 but only for a short period. He took some time for rest and followed a number of courses at the Pastoral Institute of the Dominicans at Montreal.

He returned to Tanzania in August 1979 but left again shortly afterwards as he urgently needed surgery for detached retinas which had left him practically blind. He wrote to the Provincial, “When I left Africa urgently, I knew that I was beginning a long Calvary... God has not abandoned me and he has been very good at helping me carry my cross little by little...

Illnesses of the eye are the worst things one could have. One is only happy at night when one goes to bed to sleep. They are illnesses from which there is no respite. One feels very vulnerable, like living in the clouds and one lacks a sense of balance. Now I have to accept to live life from a different point of view, to put up with this limitation with serenity and to overcome a fear of falling when I go walking outside.”

Obviously, Maurice could not return to Africa and he accepted an appointment to Canada. He was ready to do some pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Québec. He worked either as a curate or as administrator in the following parishes: Sainte-Claire de Dorchester, Saint-Gédéon de Beauce, Saint-Louis de Courville, Saint-Romuald and Sainte-Geneviève. This period of service was only interrupted when he asked to go to Jerusalem in September 1986 to do the Session/Retreat

In May 1992, Fr. Boissinot accepted an appointment as Superior of the White Father community in Québec. Two years later the Archbishop of Québec appointed him as chaplain to the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa of Québec. It was a mandate that was renewed several times.

In September 2014, Maurice fell seriously ill and had to be transported to the Laval Hospital in Québec. In May 2015, he suffered a stroke, which left him paralysed on one side. He died, at the age of 89, on the 12th May 2015 in Laval Hospital. The Funeral Mass was celebrated on the 21st May in the Church of the Most Holy Sacrament of Québec and he was buried in the Missionaries of Africa plot in Belmont Cemetery.

Fr. Marcel Boivin who knew Maurice for 40 years, gave this testimony on the life of an exceptional missionary during the Funeral Mass. He said, “The key that reveals the secret of Maurice’s life is that he allowed himself to be touched by Jesus as he is presented in the Gospels, the compassionate Jesus who took steps to come to the aid of those in need. Maurice chose to walk the humble path of love, which is compassion itself. He applied it by word and action, to bring happiness to those left behind, to console those who were crying and health to those who were sick. He knew many trials and he had to bear his cross and often a very heavy cross...

At the end of 1979, he was almost completely blind but he persevered. Once he had recovered some of his sight, he became a missionary in Québec. Over the past year, he has suffered other health problems but he retained the direction and focus that he gave to his life during his formative years.

Maurice was a man of God, faithful to prayer and living in the presence of His Creator and Saviour. It is sufficient for us to know that he has entered into the presence of His God and that he is happy, grateful and at peace.”

Michel Carbonneau