On July 27 of 1969, I lost one of my most favorite people...
Heeroom or Lord Uncle as we respectfully called him.
At the age of twelve, he began his gymnastic studies on September 27, 1915 in the mission house Saint Willibrord in Uden. Just two months after he'd lost his Dad who passed away at age 47...
On September 8, 1923, he was dressed as a novice in the mission house Saint Lambertus in Helvoirt. There he also took his first Vows on September 8, 1925. After the novitiate and philosophy, he left for Teteringen in 1926, to the mission house Saint Francis Xavier for the four years of theology. He took the Eternal Vows on September 8, 1928. He was ordained priest by Monsignor Petrus Hopmans, bishop of Breda on February 3, 1929.
On October 12 of that year he left for Rome for higher studies at the Gregoriana and obtained the doctorate in canon law in two years. Back in Teteringen on July 29, 1931, he began teaching morality and law. Overworked, he had to give up his teaching post after four years. He goes to seek peace in Soesterberg, first as an assistant in the parish of Hamersveld. Later he was able to teach Greek.
Father Jan Nelissen on his horse in Timor, Indonesia
(NVC March 23) In the Limburg Illustration of 1929 there was this photo of neomist Nelissen with his family. To the left of mother Nelissen is Dean Creemers. To the right of Father Nelissen (with white choir shirt) chaplain Leesens can still be seen.
Limburger Koerier, April 4, 1929 (Limburger Courier)
Horst,—First Mass. On Easter Day, March 31, the First Mass was celebrated here in the parish Church of St. Lambertus by your Reverence Father J. Nelissen. Preceded by the harmony (orchestration), which for the first time helped to grace such a feast, the newly ordained priest was picked up at the presbytery by brides, shepherds and the clergy of the parish, including Mgr. Hoogers, Ap. Prefect in China, who is currently staying here. The fest ceremony was held by Father v.d. Laar from the Mission House in Uden. After the solemn high mass, the youthful priest was led with the same procession to the parental home, where an appropriate verse was said by one of the brides, after which the neomist addressed a word of thanks to all and gave his first priestly blessing.
Heeroom with family on March 31, 1929 when he did his first Holy Mass in his home town of Horst.
Second row from top his older brother Handrie is seen next to him and his Mother, widow since Heeroom was 12 (my Dad's maternal Grandmother wears a lace toer or poffer), and another Priest. Dad's eldest sister (as a bride) and Dad's Mom, sister from Heeroom. Dad's first cousin Piet Poels to the right with his wooden leg.
Heeroom is holding his hands on the shoulder of Dad's younger sister Nel (as a bride) and the little one next to her is Dien, another of Dad's first cousin I guess.
Seated left to right is Dad's younger brother Jeu and first cousin Jan Poels, Hermans, my Dad with his folded hands, Dad's younger brother Jack and first cousin Nel Poels.
Standing in back is Aunt Anna & Uncle Lei Nelissen, Aunt Ciska (wife of Uncle Handrie), Aunt Bertha (Nelissen), Aunt Anna (Nelissen), Uncle Louis, Dad's Father, Uncle Leonards & Aunt Marie (Nelissen).
Farewell of SVD in Uden, June of 1939. Image from site BHIC
Heeroom is seated, second from left.
Received this from a history writer friend in The Netherlands...
September 20, 1938 departure to Timor, Indonesia as a missionary
In memory of my departure to the Mission of Timor
September 1938
P. Jan Nelissen S.V.D. (Society of the Divine Word).
Farewell of all Steyler Missionaries Autumn 1938 as they're sent off into their Mission
Heeroom is 2nd row from bottom, 14th
All names being mentioned here from bottom up and from left to right.
Mooi Limburg 24 September, 1938
Beautiful Limburg published it on September 24, 1938:
Two Missionaries from Horst left this month for their Mission station on the small Sunda Islands. Above the Reverend Father Vostermans S.V.D.; below the Reverend Father Dr. J. Nelissen S.V.D. left for Timor (Indonesia) on September 20.
Yes, on September 20, 1938 it was departure from Antwerp, Belgium on the 'Coburg' a freight ship, for Timor, Indonesia.
He ended up in the station of Lahoeroes.
After the invasion of the Japanese, all Dutch missionaries from Timor were interned on May 24, 1942 in Atambua and transferred to a camp at Makassar on Sulawesi in early September.
They were first able to return to Timor on November 18, 1945—3.5 years later...
No. 5: Cemetery under the mango (Kali Bodjo January 1945).
After the dysentery epidemic.
Found in a blog post, written by Father Jan Van Zeeland SVD this:
Father Jan Nelissen SVD writes on October 30, 1945: "In the cemetery of Kali Bodjo, under a mango tree, are buried fathers Jacob de Bruin, Henk Greuter, Antoon Hinke, Willem Martens, Leo van Well and brother Crispinus de Wilde".
No. 6: Entrance in our barack of block IV in Kali Bodjo: a bamboo construction, with lines of laundry inside: museon omniversum ←click link No. 10: 2 Baracks in Kali Bodjo. Little street between block 5 and 6. February 1945: museon omniversum ←click link Father Jan Nelissen to the right in 1947 in Lahoeroes, Timor/Indonesia
Jan Nelissen arrives on leave in The Netherlands on March 24, 1948 and leaves for Timor on April 27, 1949 from Rotterdam with the passenger ship m.s. 'Sibajak'.
Meanwhile he did marry my Parents on Saturday, February 26, 1949.
Second departure to Timor on April 21, 1949
Jan Nelissen did not only work in ordinary soul care. He participated in the administration of the region and from 1957 was spiritual leader of the minor seminary of Lalian.
It is currently impossible to determine which mission stations he had due to a lack of data. In any case, he was pastor in Kupang from 1962 to 1966. Together with Father Cor Kooy, also from Timor, Jan Nelissen lands at Schiphol on November 30, 1962.
That is when he wrote Life Message for me in my poetry album on March 14, 1963.
'If some time I were to tell you to kill the Catholic priest would you do it?³
³ Interview with Eleanor Toma, Buraen, 21 June 2009. This could refer to the then 65 year old SVD priest Johann Nelissen.
The above is quite shocking to read!
July 27, 1969 in Manila, Philippines
Father Dr. Sjang Nelissen SVD
Petrus Johannes Hubertus Nelissen was born in Horst 11 June 1903. After studying in Uden, Helvoirt and Teteringen, he was ordained a priest on 3 February 1929. Study in canon law in Rome complemented his education. As a professor in Teteringen he trained missionaries, but he asked too much of his strength and was only able to fulfill that function for four years. In 1938 he left for Indonesia and was a missionary in Timor until his death; in all kinds of positions — pastor, spiritual director at the minor seminary, leader in the Timor region, advisor to several bishops — he gave his best efforts. The last work that called him to Manila was also for the mission, which he served with all his strength, meticulousness, devotion to duty, and priestly devotion.
We pray that the Lord may lead this quiet worker, who did not allow himself rest, to find peace in His Kingdom.
And then suddenly this working life comes to an end.
At the request of the General Chapter, Jan left for the Philippines as a member of the Legal Committee to prepare a new mission statute. He arrived in Tagatay, 60 km from Manila, on July 12. He did not look well and complained about pain in the kidney area. He was taken to Lourdes Hospital in Manila, a hospital of our Blue Sisters (SSpS). It was not possible to remove a large stone by natural means.
Surgery was necessary: a kidney did not work or hardly worked because of stones. On Saturday, July 27, 1969, the day he was to be operated on, he died suddenly. "Because his kidneys were no longer working properly, the whole body was gradually poisoned and his heart, which was already not strong, could no longer process it" (Father Wim Vergoossen S.V.D, SVD-niews nr. 235, p. 9).
"I was standing next to his bed in the last moments and he could only shout twice: "Oh, my God" and then a little later: "Pray for me".
He died at ten o'clock in the morning.
Later we heard that Father Nelissen had died of pulmonary embolism (Letter from Father Jos Diaz Viera S.V.D.).
Because it was Saturday, he was being buried the same day on the cemetery of our Mission House in Manila. On Sunday there were 8 Masses in that Church!
In the Seminary chapel with the sisters from the island of Flores/Indonesia, priest and Dutch Ambassador family
Dad showed me these photos in 2019 with text on back, explaining.
Coffin still open and Florinese sisters, Father and Family of Dutch Ambassador gave him the last salute...
On the way to the cemetery and the celebrant was me... (wish he'd filled his name!).
At the cemetery Christ the King, Manila
Before the tomb was closed.
A family of the Dutch Ambassador in Manila was there.
R.I.P.
ONE DAY WE WILL MEET AGAIN!
With lots of respect, your great–niece 💞
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