Joop Bergsma

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Joop Bergsma (2010)

Johannes Heinrich Bergsma (born February 1, 1928 in Rotterdam ; † July 8, 2011 in Harsum ) was a Dutch Roman Catholic clergyman and theologian . He lived and worked in the Diocese of Hildesheim since 1951 .

Life

As a twelve-year-old, Bergsma witnessed the destruction of Rotterdam by German air force bombers in May 1940 . He later witnessed an act of revenge by the German occupation forces after an attack. The family fled. His father, his sister and a brother of the mother went into the resistance ; the uncle died in a concentration camp in Germany shortly before the end of the war . With these experiences, Joop Bergsma decided towards the end of his theology studies to go to Germany when pastors were sought for the Catholic expellees in the northern German diaspora . Remembering the Nazi crimes as a prerequisite for reconciliation, especially with the Jews , remained a central concern of his.

Bergsma was ordained a priest on July 6, 1952 in Hildesheim . After the first years of chaplaincy he became bishop secretary to Joseph Godehard Machens and to his successor Heinrich Maria Janssen . After doctoral studies in Rome and Paderborn he obtained in 1963 with a dissertation on the reform of the liturgy of the Mass by Johannes Bugenhagen the theological doctorate . Since then, promoting ecumenism has been another main motive of his work.

From 1963 to 1969 Bergsma headed the St. Jakobushaus Catholic Academy in Goslar . Then he took over the pastor's position at the Holy Cross Church in Hildesheim. At the same time he taught from 1967 to 1976 as professor liturgy and ecumenics at the Hildesheim seminary and liturgy at the Hanover University of Music and Theater . He was a member of the Würzburg Synod from 1971 to 1975 to implement the resolutions of the Second Vatican Council in Germany.

From 1976 to 1986 Bergsma was pastor at St. Paulus in Göttingen and dean of the university town, then until 1996 as the successor to Heinrich Pachowiak Propst at St. Clemens in Hanover and regional dean for the Hanover region .

Bergsma was a non-resident cathedral capitular at Hildesheim Cathedral and 1986–1997 chairman of the diocese's ecumenical commission. In 1997 he was awarded the Edith Stein Prize in Göttingen .

Occasionally Bergsma was also ready to go beyond what was given by the Church as a whole. He publicly advocated the lifting of the priestly celibacy obligation . In 2001 he inaugurated the Hildesheim counseling center of donum vitae against Bishop Homeyer's ban .

Bergsma was an insistent preacher and empathetic pastor. This can also be seen in his books on liturgy and spirituality . In praise of God are his Kyrie -Litanei You call us, Lord (GL 161) and the transfer from Dutch as God Who wants to live on this earth (GL 460 Original by Huub Oosterhuis included).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Interview manuscript from 2004 on the website of SWR 2 , accessed on July 9, 2011; no longer online
personal data
SURNAME Bergsma, Joop
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bergsma, Johannes Heinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch Roman Catholic clergyman and theologian
DATE OF BIRTH February 1, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Rotterdam
DATE OF DEATH July 8, 2011
Place of death Harsum