In November 2019, this inflatable church was all the hype in Terneuzen, the so-called city of the Flying Dutchman. It was an idea Fr. Jochem van Velthoven came up with to raise money for a much more permanent structure.
FR. JOCHEM VAN VELTHOVEN
Diocese of Breda (Netherlands)
“It was also the starting point of the restoration of a beautiful tower of St. Willibrord Church. The church isn't there anymore, but the tower is still standing. And the first time I visited Terneuzen, I saw Willibrord tower, and I thought, here we must build a chapel for Our Lady, the Queen of Peace. So we started. It was also a start of our fundraising project for the tower.”
On top of being a fundraiser for the chapel, which is scheduled to be inaugurated in May, the pop-up church was also a way to draw members of the community to the faith, an important objective for Fr. Jochem.
FR. JOCHEM VAN VELTHOVEN
Diocese of Breda (Netherlands)
“They are very happy that they are invited to come to church. And that's what we have to do. Be friendly, to invite people and when they have questions, answer their questions. Say, okay, tell what you know, and it's very important that we find words again to speak about our faith.”
Passersby were invited to light a candle and spend some time praying in the inflatable church. The one-day event was Fr. Jochem's contribution to revitalizing the Church in the Netherlands, which, he explains, is also enriched by young families and people from abroad who migrate to the country to live and work.
FR. JOCHEM VAN VELTHOVEN
Diocese of Breda (Netherlands)
“People from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Poland, Italy, Spain. And it's great to see they bring faith back. We also have a lot of priests from abroad, from India, from Vietnam, the Philippines, Argentina. So it's very good to have their testimony about faith. And I say, 'You give us the faith.' We were very good in missionary activities in the Netherlands. And now they're coming back to bring us faith.”
It's to keep this enthusiasm alive that Fr. Jochem hopes to recreate the inflatable church in his new diocese of Breda. For now, he is completing a Church Management course in Rome, where he says he is learning valuable skills to be a better leader in his parish community.
CT
Wilmar Wullems
