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In 1970 I went to The Hague after having lived in
Amsterdam for four years. My vocation had become
stronger there. I had no time to question my vocation or
to feel that it was ‘in crisis’. The supportive and positive
atmosphere of the community saw to that. So did the
absorbing and demanding work for the needy students
who attended the school the brothers operated at the
Nieuwe Leliestraat in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam.
That is worth noting because many young brothers left
the Congregation at the time. Together with several
fellow-brothers I had started studying MO-theology (a
certificate for instructors at the high school level) at the
Catholic University at the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam.
The main purpose of this study for me was to enrich and
strengthen the spiritual grounding of my life as a brother.
It turned out to be very beneficial for the growth of my
vocation as a brother and for the work I did afterward.
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THE NETHERLANDS
A party at the Scheveningen community. Left to right: Brother Pieter-Jan van Lierop, Jos Dullaert, Brother Gérard Verstijnen.
REMEMBERING THE HAGUE
Brother Pieter-Jan van Lierop lived and worked in The Hague from 1970 till 1979. He looks back on those years
with appreciation. At the time the Congregation made significant contributions to the life of the Church in the
nation’s capital. The work of several remarkable brothers and their projects enriched the local church community.
They impressed him in his early religious life with their commitment and dedication to the disadvantaged.
Below are some reflections on this rich period.
‘The Leggelo’
Four brothers, – Guus Waijers from Leeuwarden,
The Netherlands, Sjef van Ierland and Frans van Pinxteren
from The Hague, and I from Amsterdam – came together
in Scheveningen, to establish a new community there.
We lived for some months in the brotherhouse on Leggelo
Street, often called ‘the Leggelo’, before we moved into
the house for the community in Scheveningen.
The Leggelo made a big impression on me. Joop van
Dooremaal, a cordial brother with an open mind, guided
the community. He always supported the brothers of
Scheveningen. That support was not always understood
or appreciated. Several fellow-brothers interpreted the
foundation of the new community as an elitist move.
Brother Joop had been a teacher at an elementary
school and now became director of the Saints Antonius
(Anthony) and Lodewijk (Louis) parish. I greatly admired