Joannes Gijsen

Joannes Baptist Matthijs Gijsen ( born October 7, 1932 in Oeffelt, Netherlands, † June 24, 2013 in Sittard, The Netherlands) was Roman Catholic bishop of Roermond and Reykjavik.

Life

Joannes Gijsen studied philosophy and Catholic theology at the seminary in Roermond and received on 6 April 1957, the sacrament of Holy Orders. He was until 1959 a chaplain in Valkenburg and then a teacher at the Minor Seminary in Rolduc in Kerkrade. He studied theology and church history at the Rheinische Friedrich- Wilhelms- University of Bonn and the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and received his doctorate in church history. From 1963 to 1966 he has taught at the major seminary in Roermond and from 1964 Beeldende at the Academie Kunsten Maastricht in Maastricht. Until 1972, he was also rector of the monastery Sint- Elisabethsdal to Nunhem at Leudal.

On January 20, 1972, he was called by Pope Paul VI. appointed bishop of Roermond; this was done against the will of the Dutch bishops, especially Cardinal Bernard January Alfrinks. On February 13, 1972 he was in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome by Pope Paul VI. ordained a bishop. Co-consecrators were the Archbishop of Utrecht, Bernard Cardinal Alfrink January, and the Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal William John Conway. His motto is Parate viam Domini ( German: 'Prepare the way of the Lord ). He engaged in particular for the reorganization of the diocese and implementation of the decisions of the Second Vatican Council. Gijsen came again and again because of its conservatism with the Dutch Bishops' Conference in conflict. He built the conservative seminary Rolduc again, were formed at the numerous present-day Dutch clergy.

In 1993, he had to provide his post for health reasons. Until 1996, he served as Titular Bishop of Traiectum ad Mozam pastor in Walpersdorf monastery in Austria. 1995 Pope John Paul II appointed him Apostolic Administrator in 1995, a year later the bishop of Iceland's capital Reykjavik. On 30 October 2007, Pope Benedict XVI. Gijsens reasons of age pre- attached to resignation. He took his retirement home in the convent of the Carmelites in Kollenberg.