Henri Reynders
Encyclopedia
Henri Reynders (24 October 1903 – 26 October 1981) was a Belgian
priest
credited with saving 400 Jews during the Holocaust.
family. At the age of seventeen, having completed classical Greek
and Latin
studies at a Catholic school, he was accepted as a postulant at the Benedictine Mont-César Abbey (now known as Keizersberg Abbey
) in Leuven
, Belgium. After the successful completion of the noviciate in 1922, Henri Reynders was given the name of Dom Bruno.
The next three years were devoted to studying theology
and philosophy
at the Catholic University of Leuven
and at Saint Anselm Athenaeum in Rome
. Dom Bruno took the Benedictine vows in Rome in 1925, binding himself to a monastic life at Mont-César and obedience to its abbot. Mont-César was known as an “intellectual abbey” and Dom Bruno was allowed to complete his studies concentrating on the writings of Saint Irenaeus
, a second century Father-of-the-Church. He was ordained a priest in 1928 in Leuven, and the University of Leuven awarded Dom Bruno a Doctorate in Theology three years later.
Asked to lecture on theological dogma to the Mont-César community, Dom Bruno proved to be a non-conformist teacher, much to the dismay
of his more conservative abbot. Typically, during one of his lectures, he presented for consideration the views of Martin Luther
. His lecturing duties cut short, the maverick monk was given a new assignment: mentor of the young son of Duc de Guise, claimant to the throne of France
, living in Belgium. In recalling this unhappy episode years later, Dom Bruno laughingly exclaimed: “Me, an anarchist, teaching a prince!” Eventually, Dom Bruno resumed teaching at his monastery and contributed articles to publications devoted to ancient and medieval theology.
With the abbot's approval, he traveled extensively within and outside Belgium, visiting Catholic institutions to lecture and exchange views.
During a stay in Hitler's Germany lecturing Catholic youths, he first witnessed what he would later characterize as the “shocking, revolting and nauseating” injustice and brutality of Nazi anti-Semitism
.
During his studies in Rome, Dom Bruno met and became an enthusiastic supporter of the controversial Dom Lambert Beauduin
, founder and Prior
of the Benedictine Amay Priory (later transferred to Chevetogne) Belgium. Dom Lambert promoted unification of all Christian Churches
as well as liturgical reforms, ideas that were later favored in Vatican II but were not fully accepted by the Catholic Church at the time.
Consequently, Dom Bruno was advised to discontinue contacts with Chevetogne
.
, which sparked World War II
, Belgium mobilized and Dom Bruno was assigned to be chaplain with the 41st Artillery Regiment. In May of the following year German troops overran Belgium. In the course of the campaign he sustained a leg injury and spent the next six months in prisoner-of-war camps at Wolfsburg
and Doessel, Germany, where he continued to provide religious and moral support to fellow prisoners. Upon his release from the camp, Dom Bruno returned to Mont-César in German occupied Belgium and resumed his teaching activities.
Compelled by his hostility toward the German occupation and Nazism, Dom Bruno made contact with elements of the Belgian Resistance
and assisted in the repatriation of British pilots shot down over Belgian territory. In 1942, the Nazi authorities began rounding up Jews
in Belgium for deportation to the death camps. On orders of his superior, Dom Bruno proceeded to the hamlet of Hodbomont, to act as chaplain at a home for the blind. The priest soon became aware that the home was used as a hiding place for a number of Jewish adults and children, brought there by a group of Christians opposed to the Nazi policies. The leader of the group was a prominent lawyer, Albert van den Berg, with whom Dom Bruno became a close collaborator. When it became unsafe to continue hiding Jews at this location, the home was closed and its occupants dispersed to other locations. Dom Bruno returned to Mont-César and dedicated himself exclusively to finding places of refuge for Jews.
In undertaking the dangerous mission of rescuing as many Jews as possible from deportation, Dom Bruno found support among fellow monks at Mont-César, higher-ups in the Belgian church hierarchy, and even several family members, including his young nephew Michel Reynders. He built an underground network by establishing contacts with a number of existing resistance groups and individuals similarly engaged in rescue work. Several of these individuals, including the lawyer van den Berg, paid with their lives for these humanitarian activities. Dom Bruno's major effort was finding families and institutions willing to hide Jews, especially Jewish children, in spite of the obvious risks. In this he was most successful by appealing to the prospects' Christian faith and values. Consequently, many of the cooperating institutions were Catholic boarding schools, usually operating within the walls of convents or monasteries. Dom Bruno would personally accompany “his children” to their new homes or move them to new locations to prevent suspicion among villagers.
He would frequently visit these children, providing a link with their parents who were also hiding, when not deported as was often the case. In addition to building and running his “underground railroad”, Dom Bruno ensured that his charges were provided with false identifications,
including non-Jewish sounding names, fake ration cards, as well as financial assistance to the rescuers. These logistical concerns could only
be met with the willing but risky cooperation of numerous city officials, civil servants, and generous donors. The Gestapo
got wind of Father Bruno's activities and raided Mont César Abbey in 1944. Fortunately, Dom Bruno was away at the time. Following the unsuccessful raid, the monk went into hiding himself, trading his habit for civilian garb and sporting a beret to hide his tonsure.
A fellow monk at the abbey provided him with several skillfully forged identification cards. Often using a bicycle, and in spite of subsequent close calls, Dom Bruno continued his dangerous mission of mercy for the duration of the Nazi occupation.
As the war against Germany was still in progress, Dom Bruno rejoined the Belgian armed forces as a chaplain. At war's end he briefly returned to Mont-César but was reassigned by his Order to perform pastoral and educational work at other locations in Belgium, France and in Rome.
No longer burdened by his wartime self-imposed rescue mission, Dom Bruno resumed his studies of Saint Irenaeus' legacy and in 1954 published the definitive lexicon on the subject. Attracted by the ecumenical spirit of Chevetogne Abbey
, where, as a young priest, he had become a disciple
of Dom Lambert Beauduin, Dom Bruno had, over the years, requested a release from the Mont-César community in order to join the monks at
Chevetogne. That request had been repeatedly denied by his abbot. Finally, in 1968, his wish was granted. His final active assignment was as vicar
in the town of Ottignies near Louvain where he ministered to the aged, the sick and the handicapped.
In 1964, the state of Israel proclaimed Dom Bruno Reynders a “Righteous Among the Nations
”, an honor bestowed on gentiles who risked their lives to help Jews during the Holocaust.
He was invited to Jerusalem to witness the planting of a tree in his honor at Yad Vashem
(Alley of the Righteous). A gradually worsening Parkinson's disease
forced Dom Bruno to retire to a nursing home in 1975. Six years later he sustained a severe bone fracture and did not survive surgery. He was buried at his beloved Abbey of Chevetogne.
Ten years after Father Bruno's death, a square in the city of Ottignies was named in his honor. A stele was erected which reads:
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
credited with saving 400 Jews during the Holocaust.
Early life and study
Henri Reynders was the fifth of eight children of an upper middle class, deeply religious CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
family. At the age of seventeen, having completed classical Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
studies at a Catholic school, he was accepted as a postulant at the Benedictine Mont-César Abbey (now known as Keizersberg Abbey
Keizersberg Abbey
Keizersberg Abbey, also known as Mont César Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the hill Keizersberg or Mont César in the north of the university town of Leuven, Belgium.-The site:...
) in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Belgium. After the successful completion of the noviciate in 1922, Henri Reynders was given the name of Dom Bruno.
The next three years were devoted to studying theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Catholic University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
and at Saint Anselm Athenaeum in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Dom Bruno took the Benedictine vows in Rome in 1925, binding himself to a monastic life at Mont-César and obedience to its abbot. Mont-César was known as an “intellectual abbey” and Dom Bruno was allowed to complete his studies concentrating on the writings of Saint Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus may refer to:*Irenaeus, , Bishop of Lyon*Irenaeus of Sirmium, , Bishop of Sirmium...
, a second century Father-of-the-Church. He was ordained a priest in 1928 in Leuven, and the University of Leuven awarded Dom Bruno a Doctorate in Theology three years later.
Asked to lecture on theological dogma to the Mont-César community, Dom Bruno proved to be a non-conformist teacher, much to the dismay
of his more conservative abbot. Typically, during one of his lectures, he presented for consideration the views of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
. His lecturing duties cut short, the maverick monk was given a new assignment: mentor of the young son of Duc de Guise, claimant to the throne of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, living in Belgium. In recalling this unhappy episode years later, Dom Bruno laughingly exclaimed: “Me, an anarchist, teaching a prince!” Eventually, Dom Bruno resumed teaching at his monastery and contributed articles to publications devoted to ancient and medieval theology.
With the abbot's approval, he traveled extensively within and outside Belgium, visiting Catholic institutions to lecture and exchange views.
During a stay in Hitler's Germany lecturing Catholic youths, he first witnessed what he would later characterize as the “shocking, revolting and nauseating” injustice and brutality of Nazi anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
.
During his studies in Rome, Dom Bruno met and became an enthusiastic supporter of the controversial Dom Lambert Beauduin
Dom Lambert Beauduin
Dom Lambert Beauduin was a Belgian monk who founded the monastery now known as Chevetogne Abbey in 1925.He had previously been a monk of the Benedictine Mont César Abbey in Leuven, and been deeply involved with the liturgical movement in Belgium...
, founder and Prior
of the Benedictine Amay Priory (later transferred to Chevetogne) Belgium. Dom Lambert promoted unification of all Christian Churches
as well as liturgical reforms, ideas that were later favored in Vatican II but were not fully accepted by the Catholic Church at the time.
Consequently, Dom Bruno was advised to discontinue contacts with Chevetogne
Chevetogne Abbey
Chevetogne Abbey, also known as the Monastery of the Holy Cross, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery dedicated to Christian unity located in the Belgian village of Chevetogne in the municipality of Ciney, province of Namur, halfway between Brussels and Luxembourg...
.
World War II
In the wake of the 1939 German invasion of PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, which sparked World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Belgium mobilized and Dom Bruno was assigned to be chaplain with the 41st Artillery Regiment. In May of the following year German troops overran Belgium. In the course of the campaign he sustained a leg injury and spent the next six months in prisoner-of-war camps at Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
and Doessel, Germany, where he continued to provide religious and moral support to fellow prisoners. Upon his release from the camp, Dom Bruno returned to Mont-César in German occupied Belgium and resumed his teaching activities.
Compelled by his hostility toward the German occupation and Nazism, Dom Bruno made contact with elements of the Belgian Resistance
Belgian resistance
Belgian resistance during World War II to the occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany took different forms. "The Belgian Resistance" was the common name for the Netwerk van de weerstand - Réseau de Résistance or Resistance Network , a group of partisans fighting the Nazis...
and assisted in the repatriation of British pilots shot down over Belgian territory. In 1942, the Nazi authorities began rounding up Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in Belgium for deportation to the death camps. On orders of his superior, Dom Bruno proceeded to the hamlet of Hodbomont, to act as chaplain at a home for the blind. The priest soon became aware that the home was used as a hiding place for a number of Jewish adults and children, brought there by a group of Christians opposed to the Nazi policies. The leader of the group was a prominent lawyer, Albert van den Berg, with whom Dom Bruno became a close collaborator. When it became unsafe to continue hiding Jews at this location, the home was closed and its occupants dispersed to other locations. Dom Bruno returned to Mont-César and dedicated himself exclusively to finding places of refuge for Jews.
In undertaking the dangerous mission of rescuing as many Jews as possible from deportation, Dom Bruno found support among fellow monks at Mont-César, higher-ups in the Belgian church hierarchy, and even several family members, including his young nephew Michel Reynders. He built an underground network by establishing contacts with a number of existing resistance groups and individuals similarly engaged in rescue work. Several of these individuals, including the lawyer van den Berg, paid with their lives for these humanitarian activities. Dom Bruno's major effort was finding families and institutions willing to hide Jews, especially Jewish children, in spite of the obvious risks. In this he was most successful by appealing to the prospects' Christian faith and values. Consequently, many of the cooperating institutions were Catholic boarding schools, usually operating within the walls of convents or monasteries. Dom Bruno would personally accompany “his children” to their new homes or move them to new locations to prevent suspicion among villagers.
He would frequently visit these children, providing a link with their parents who were also hiding, when not deported as was often the case. In addition to building and running his “underground railroad”, Dom Bruno ensured that his charges were provided with false identifications,
including non-Jewish sounding names, fake ration cards, as well as financial assistance to the rescuers. These logistical concerns could only
be met with the willing but risky cooperation of numerous city officials, civil servants, and generous donors. The Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
got wind of Father Bruno's activities and raided Mont César Abbey in 1944. Fortunately, Dom Bruno was away at the time. Following the unsuccessful raid, the monk went into hiding himself, trading his habit for civilian garb and sporting a beret to hide his tonsure.
A fellow monk at the abbey provided him with several skillfully forged identification cards. Often using a bicycle, and in spite of subsequent close calls, Dom Bruno continued his dangerous mission of mercy for the duration of the Nazi occupation.
After World War II
Following the liberation of Belgium in September 1944, Dom Bruno assisted in reuniting the hidden children with parents or other members of the immediate family. Problems arose when representatives of the Jewish community opposed attempts by some Christians to adopt orphaned Jewish children, especially since many of these children requested baptism as the result of their Catholic experience. Dom Bruno, who during the Nazi occupation opposed active conversion of his charges, took the position that each case should be evaluated individually with the best interest of the child being the deciding factor.As the war against Germany was still in progress, Dom Bruno rejoined the Belgian armed forces as a chaplain. At war's end he briefly returned to Mont-César but was reassigned by his Order to perform pastoral and educational work at other locations in Belgium, France and in Rome.
No longer burdened by his wartime self-imposed rescue mission, Dom Bruno resumed his studies of Saint Irenaeus' legacy and in 1954 published the definitive lexicon on the subject. Attracted by the ecumenical spirit of Chevetogne Abbey
Chevetogne Abbey
Chevetogne Abbey, also known as the Monastery of the Holy Cross, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery dedicated to Christian unity located in the Belgian village of Chevetogne in the municipality of Ciney, province of Namur, halfway between Brussels and Luxembourg...
, where, as a young priest, he had become a disciple
of Dom Lambert Beauduin, Dom Bruno had, over the years, requested a release from the Mont-César community in order to join the monks at
Chevetogne. That request had been repeatedly denied by his abbot. Finally, in 1968, his wish was granted. His final active assignment was as vicar
in the town of Ottignies near Louvain where he ministered to the aged, the sick and the handicapped.
In 1964, the state of Israel proclaimed Dom Bruno Reynders a “Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
”, an honor bestowed on gentiles who risked their lives to help Jews during the Holocaust.
He was invited to Jerusalem to witness the planting of a tree in his honor at Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
(Alley of the Righteous). A gradually worsening Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
forced Dom Bruno to retire to a nursing home in 1975. Six years later he sustained a severe bone fracture and did not survive surgery. He was buried at his beloved Abbey of Chevetogne.
Ten years after Father Bruno's death, a square in the city of Ottignies was named in his honor. A stele was erected which reads:
- Father Bruno Reynders, Benedictine (1903-1981). Hero of the resistance. At the risk of his life saved some 400 Jews from Nazi barbarism