Father Wiel van Eijk S.M.A. passed away

On Tuesday, August 2nd, Father Wiel van Eijk SMA passed away peacefully in his sleep. He reached the blessed age of 92. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, August 9th in Cadier en Keer.

Wiel van Eijk was born in Heerlen on November 23, 1929. In July 1956, he joined the Society for African Missions. On December 21 of that same year, he was ordained a priest. Immediately afterward, he was sent to Ghana, where he first completed a year of preparation and then worked for a year as a priest's assistant in Hohoe.

However, for health reasons, he could not stay in Africa for long. In 1960, he returned to the Netherlands, where he dedicated himself to the SMA for decades. For ten years, he promoted the society from Huize de Tafelberg in Oosterbeek. In 1970, he came to Cadier en Keer, taking on various tasks over the years. For 25 years, he was house superior and bursar of the Mission House and director of the then monastery retirement home. After that, he again spent more than ten years promoting and fundraising for the SMA. For many years, he led the May Day campaign and the Christmas card campaign. Between 1995 and 2007, he was also superior of the Dutch SMA community in Germany. Between 2000 and 2007, he was also pastor of the Laurentius parish in Bemelen.

In 2007, Van Eijk retired and remained part of the SMA community in Cadier en Keer until his death. Through his long stay at the Mission House in Cadier en Keer, he had built a broad network and was a familiar face to many. Father Van Eijk's funeral will be held on Tuesday, August 9th, at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of the Mission House in Cadier en Keer. He will be buried afterwards in the missionary cemetery there.