Father Arjen van Balen S.M.A. passed away

Father Arjen van Balen SMA passed away in the early morning of August 16th at the Mission House in Cadier en Keer. He was 98 years old. Father Van Balen's funeral will be held in Cadier en Keer on Monday, August 22nd.

Adrianus Franciscus (Arjen) van Balen was born on August 6, 1924, in Irnsum, Friesland. In 1950, he joined the Society for African Missions and was ordained a priest a year later, on July 16, 1951. Last year, he celebrated his 70th anniversary as a priest.

In 1952, he was appointed lecturer at the minor seminary of the SMA in Cadier en Keer. He remained active in education until 1970. In 1959, he transferred from the minor seminary to the then major seminary in Aalbeek. Between 1961 and 1964, he studied moral theology in Rome. Back in the Netherlands, he resumed teaching, first at the major seminary in Aalbeek and, after its closure, at the School of Theology and Pastoral Care in Heerlen. He remained in this position until 1970. During this time, he was also superior of the SMA community in Aalbeek.

In 1970, Van Balen resigned from his teaching position and became principal of several nursing homes. From 1970 to 1974, he was principal of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Schinnen, and from 1974 to 2004, he was principal of the Hornerheide nursing home in Horn. From 2004 to 2017, he was principal of the Franciscan Sisters in Heythuysen. That year, he retired. Since then, Father Van Balen has lived in the SMA Mission House in Cadier en Keer.

In recent months, his health deteriorated. Father Van Balen's funeral will take place on Monday, August 22nd, at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel of the Mission House in Cadier en Keer. He will then be laid to rest in the missionary cemetery there.