Paul Verschuren
Paulus (Paul) Michael Verschuren SCI (born March 26, 1925 in Breda , the Netherlands , † February 19, 2000 in Helsinki , Finland ) was Roman Catholic Bishop of Helsinki .
Life
Paul Verschuren joined the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus after graduating from high school in 1943 and was ordained a priest on March 19, 1950 after completing his theological and philosophical studies . After further studies in Rome , he acquired there in 1951, the licentiate of theology , in 1954 he became the doctor of canon law doctorate . In the course of his further career, which he mostly spent as a lecturer in the seminars of his order, he obtained a licentiate in law in 1960 .
On April 21, 1964 Paul Verschuren was by Pope Paul VI. named titular bishop of Aquae Sirenses and appointed coadjutor of Bishop Gulielmus Cobben of Helsinki with the right of succession. He received the episcopal ordination on August 16, 1964 by the Bishop of Helsinki, Gulielmus Cobben. Co- consecrators were Gerardus Henricus De Vet , Bishop of Breda , and John Edward Taylor , Bishop of Stockholm .
As bishop he attended the last two sessions of the Second Vatican Council .
Simultaneously with Bishop Gulielmus Cobben's resignation from his diocese on June 29, 1967, Paul Verschuren became resident bishop of Helsinki. In this function he was chairman of the Scandinavian Bishops' Conference several times , and from 1967 to 1972 a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples . Pope John Paul II's visit to Helsinki can be described as a highlight of his time as bishop .
After Paul Verschuren became terminally ill with leukemia , he said goodbye to his diocese on August 14, 1998 with a moving letter asking the Pope to release him from his office. Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation on September 18, 1998.
Paul Verschuren died after severe suffering on February 19, 2000 in Helsinki and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Turku .
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Gulielmus Cobben |
Bishop of Helsinki 1967–1998 |
Józef Wróbel |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Verschuren, Paul |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Verschuren, Paulus Michael |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch clergyman, Bishop of Helsinki |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 26, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Breda , the Netherlands |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 19, 2000 |
| Place of death | Helsinki , Finland |