Joseph B. Willigers
Joseph B. Willigers MHM | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Jinja | |
| Installed | 1967 |
| Term ended | 2010 |
| Predecessor | Diocese established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 October 1930 Netherlands |
| Died | 30 September 2012 (aged 81) Oosterbeek, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Bishop |
| Alma mater | St. Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill, Rome (Canon Law) |
| Motto | De petra melle (With honey from the rock) |
Joseph B. Willigers also known as Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Bernard Louis Willigers, MHM (October 26, 1930 – September 30, 2012) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jinja in Uganda. His episcopal motto was De petra melle ("With honey from the rock") from Psalm 81:17.[1]
Early life and education
Willigers was born on 26 October 1930 to Henry Clara Willigers in Holland and studied philosophy and theology at St. Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, London before his ordination in 1955. He also Studied Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome after ordination and completed studies by 1958.[2][1][3]
On 10 May 1959, he came to Uganda for missionary work and was assigned as a professor at Ggaba Seminary, Kampala.[3]
Career
Willigers worked in education and basic pastoral care in Uganda and Kenya. In1960, he was transferred from Ggaba to Naggalama. In April1960, he was transferred to Kenya where he served as curate at Shikoti parish and in 1965 he became the vicar general of the Kenyan Diocese of Kisumu, under the Dutch bishop Jan de Reeper.[3][1]
In 1967, Msgr. Willigers was named bishop and thus becoming the first bishop of the Diocese of Jinja, east of the Ugandan capital of Kampala. In 1962, he was Appointed as the parish priest of Kaiboi in Kenya.[3]
On 3 December 1967, he was episcopal consecrated and this was performed by Archbishop Emmanuel Nsubuga, later Uganda's first cardinal. Bishop Willigers led the faithful of his diocese, until he retired in March 2010.[4]
In 2009, he participated in the Synod of Bishops' Assembly on Africa. His contacts with his native diocese of Roermond continued through the years, as Roermond financially supported projects in Jinja, and as Bishop Willigers had family back home.[5][1]
Pastoral and social legacy
Willigers established Mpumudde Home of the Elderly, St. Muggaga Boys’ Home, and Iganga Babies’ Home and he also founded the Justice and Peace Commission to promote civic education, human rights, and social harmony.[2]
Death
Returning to the Netherlands in ill health, Willigers took up residence in the Vrijland mission house in Oosterbeek, where he died in the early morning on 30th September 2012 in the presence of his sister.[6]
See also
- Albert Edward Baharagate Akiiki
- Paul Kamuza Bakyenga
- Vincent Billington
- Deogratias Muganwa Byabazaire
Notes
- ^ a b c d "Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Bernard Louis Willigers". Diocese of Jinja. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
- ^ a b incaelo (2012-10-02). "End of mission – Bishop Willigers passes away". In Caelo et in Terra. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
- ^ a b c d "Jinja in grief as first diocesan bishop dies in Netherlands". Monitor. 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
- ^ "Bishop Joseph Bernard Louis Willigers [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
- ^ "Synodus Episcoporum Bulletin". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
- ^ Obituary