Tilburg Church goes international
The following article of interest appeared in Univers (nr. 25 / 22-04-2010), the weekly journal of the University of Tilburg:
Sunday-evenings are perfect for contemplation. For many students, this means hanging on the sofa, tired from a fun-filled weekend, praying that tomorrow’s morning lectures are cancelled. Lately, some others go to church.
Yannicke Goris
The extraordinary interior of the Saint Dionysius Church makes it worth a visit, even for those not interested in the mass itself. With the enormous organ rising high above the church-entrance and the abundance of sculptures, artefacts and beautifully crafted altars it really is impressive.
Until lately, non-Dutch ‘believers’ were restricted to praying by themselves, or listening to an unintelligible Dutch mass, but recently, Father Jeroen Miltenburg has started to hold an English holy mass, specially for international students. Last Sunday 18 march at 5 p.m., the church in the centre of Tilburg turned international for the second time. Slowly but surely about thirty people, most of them students, trickle in, filling the front rows of the church. For the interested internationals, an English leaflet is available with the mass’ liturgical texts and hymns, inviting them to sing along with the choir.
The ceremony that follows is a rather traditional one, adhering to the official structures of the Holy Mass. “A deliberate choice”, explains Father Miltenburg, “it ensures the mass’ accessibility and makes it recognisable to anyone attending, no matter where they come from.” Another advantage is the clear and proper English of the priest and speakers; an achievement that did require some extra reading beforehand, Father Miltenburg admits.
At the end of the ceremony, everyone is invited for a cup of tea or coffee in the church’ entrance-hall: a nice opportunity to get to know each other, feel a connection to the church and build a home-feeling in Tilburg. Martin Kampffmeyer, a 20-year old Economics student from Germany is among those who join the ‘after-drink’. He is one of the assistants during the mass and has become an active member of the Saint Dionysius Church. As a foreign student, he feels that the Tilburg church offers a perfect opportunity to get in touch with like-minded people outside university. “Students, especially when they’re from abroad, are often confined to contacts within their own field of study”, Martin argues, “but this English mass creates an opening to exchange views with others as well.”
Martin even assisted Father Miltenburg in initiating this project. After two South-American girls asked for an English mass, they decided to explore whether this wish existed among more students. With help of the student pastor of Tilburg University, the number of foreign students and their estimated religiosity were added up, resulting in the decision to ‘give the English mass a try’. “The starting-time of the mass is not a coincidence either”, Father Miltenburg says smiling. “It is a student-friendly timing; if we’d have the mass at 9.00 o’clock in the morning, probably a lot less people would come. Moreover, it is also an inviting time to stay for a short drink before setting to dinner.” Indeed, a surprising amount of people joins in the entrance hall. Although the Easter-eggs and cookies might also do their trick, it is mainly for the company that people are staying.
Natalie Wong, a Law exchange-student from Australia, has attended the mass for the first time. Back home, Natalie went to church every week and she is surprised to see that hardly any Dutch students seem to do so. “It is the same in our country”, the Hungarian Sociology students Enikö Gargya and Anna-Maria Lehmann state. “People go to church more often, even young students like us.” Martin Kampffmeyer agrees with the girls that the English mass is a great additition to Tilburg-life. “As I was introduced to the catholic religion at an early age, over the years it has become an important aspect in my life. Church is part of who I am, and being able to attend the mass makes it easier to feel at home.”
Unfortunately for them however, the mass is only once a month, yet if it appears to be a success Father Miltenburg does not rule out the possibility of holding it more frequently. Because of the English mass, Spanish-speaking Denise Mendizabal from Bolivia can now attend two masses a month, since there is also a Spanish mass in Tilburg. The master’s student Strategic Management is accompanied by a group of students from South America. “Last month, most students that joined were from Latin American origins, but already there is more diversity”, Martin Kampffmeyer sees. Like Father Miltenburg he hopes that more young internationals will find their way to church. “We expect that the mass will become known more widely by word-of-mouth, but hopefully this article will be of some help as well.”
[Interested? Every second Sunday of the month, there will be an English mass at the Saint Dionysius Church in the centre of Tilburg: Stadhuisstraat 6 (opposite the Town Hall)]
