Military Ordinariate of the Netherlands
Encyclopedia
The Military Ordinariate of the Netherlands is a military ordinariate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. Immediately subject to the Holy See
, it provides pastoral care
to Roman Catholics serving in the Dutch Armed Forces
and their families.
Military ordinariate
A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church, of Latin or Eastern Rite, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation....
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. Immediately subject to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, it provides pastoral care
Pastoral care
Pastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...
to Roman Catholics serving in the Dutch Armed Forces
Military of the Netherlands
The Armed forces of the Netherlands consist of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.The service branches consist of:* Koninklijke Landmacht , Royal Netherlands Army....
and their families.
History
It was established as a military vicariate on 16 April 1957 and elevated to a military ordinariate on 21 July 1986. Since 1993, no military ordinaries have been appointed.Military vicars
- Bernard Jan Alfrink (appointed 1957 – retired 1975)
- Johannes Gerardus Maria Willebrands (appointed 6 December 1975 – resigned 22 November 1982)
- Ronald Philippe Bär, O.S.B.Order of Saint BenedictThe Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
(appointed 22 November 1982 – became Military OrdinaryOrdinaryIn those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
21 July 1986)
Military ordinaries
- Ronald Philippe Bär, O.S.B.Order of Saint BenedictThe Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
(appointed 21 July 1986 – resigned 13 March 1993) - No military ordinaries appointed since 1993.