DETAILS

Pastor
Fr. Sjaak de Boer, Mill Hill
Pastoral Assistant
Sally Williams
070-368 4959
Parish House
Ruychrocklaan 126
2597 ES Den Haag
tel. 070 - 328 0816
fax 070 - 328 1486
Email: info@parish.nl
Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel		click for a larger image (65 kB)
Bezuidenhoutseweg 157
Weekend Masses		Weekday Masses
Saturday 19.30		Monday and Friday 09.30
Sunday 10.00		The Parish House
Office Hours 09.30 - 13.00 Weekdays except Wednesday

MISSION STATEMENT

We, the International English Speaking Roman Catholic Church of Our Saviour in The Hague, want to share our talents and opportunities to serve as messengers and instruments of Christ's Gospel. Through the wide variety of cultures and international networks, our Parish offers a unique opportunity to share the vision of God's Kingdom with the global community. We aim to show our love for God in the love for our neighbour and our environment and to connect our spirituality, religious formation and daily lives with the promotion of justice and peace.

PARISH HISTORY

The Church of Our Saviour is the English Speaking International Roman Catholic Church of Den Haag. The name Our Saviour was chosen because it is the name of the oldest chapel in the Netherlands, and the original name of the Pope's own Cathedral in Rome, now St. John Lateran.

The parish came into being 50 years ago when Fr. Willem Vroom, a Dutch Air Force Chaplain, recognised the need for a ministry to the English-speaking Catholic military personnel stationed in Den Haag. Fr. Theodore Zwartkruis, who studied for the priesthood at the American College in Louvain, Belgium and later became the Bishop of Haarlem, assisted Fr. Vroom with the initial congregation.

In order to meet the needs of this rapidly expanding community, the Redemptorist Fathers were contacted. They accepted responsibility for English speaking Catholics and offered to celebrate Mass with the community in their house chapel at Laan Copes van Cattenburch.

At first the Redemptorists took turns celebrating Sunday Mass, but later assigned Fr. Hubert Vijgen to the congregation as its first pastor. He was succeeded by Fr. Bernard van Schaick, who guided the parish for 22 years, until he retired in 1979. During Fr. van Schaick's pastorate the parish outgrew the Redemptorist house chapel and moved to the Edith Stein College Chapel, which also had classroom space for religious education.

Fr. James Finley became the pastor in 1979. During his tenure the congregation and its activities grew. Fr. Timothy Clegg joined him as co-pastor from 1983-84. Fr. Stephen Mangen then served as co-pastor with Fr. Clegg until June 1985. Rev. Joseph de Water was appointed as pastor by the Cura Migratorum, and served until September 1985. Fr. James Halstead OSA, an Augustinian priest studying at the Catholic University of Louvain, followed as interim pastor until Fr. Charles Talar began his pastorate in June 1986. Fr. David Buescher was our pastor from 1990-94 and was followed by Rev. Raymond M. Rafferty from 1994-98.

Fr. Sjaak de Boer, our present pastor, a Mill Hill missionary, obtained his Ph.D. from Louvain University. He worked in Kenya and Brazil. Most recently he was university chaplain and pastor of the Itaguai Cathedral in Greater Rio de Janeiro. Fr. Sjaak began his ministry in Den Haag in July 1998.

Our Pastoral Assistant, Sally Williams, trained as a Worship Leader at the Rotterdam Diocesan Pastoral School as well as following other theological courses. She was appointed to her post by the Bishop of Rotterdam and her current tenure is until June 2011. She is an employee of the Parish. She leads the Liturgy Committee, runs the RCIA course and assists in a wide range of other parish activities.

One of our parishioners is a permanent Deacon. Steve Huete and his wife Dodie both have a full theological formation. They are not employed by the parish but have offered their services for ministry with us.

During the pastoral year 2003-2004 we celebrated our Golden Jubilee. It was a very special year for another reason too because, after 25 years of worshipping in the Aloysius College and a short stay at the Christ the King church in Mariahoeve, we finally moved into our own permanent church building in December 2003. We shared this building at Bezuidenhoutseweg 157 with the Dutch parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel but on December 2nd 2007 The Church of Our Saviour became the full owner of the church.

The 'Build With Us' campaign is aimed at raising funds to help finance the changes we are planning to the parish buildings. We have already been able to make a number of major changes within the church itself. The architect's plans for the rest are under discussion with the town planners and we hope to be able to start building by the end of 2008/early 2009. Until these necessary changes have been made the Parish House on the Ruychrocklaan remains the residence of the pastor and the site of the secretariat.

Our Parish is truly international. People come from every continent to worship and work together as one body, and it is this that helps to create the lively spirit which exists in the Church of Our Saviour.

PARISH COUNCIL

The Parish Council supports the pastoral staff and work of the parish, Its primary work concerns overseeing the infrastructure, administration, contracts, finance etc. Currently it comprises the Pastor, (the Pastoral Assistant,) the Treasurer, the Diocesan Contracts & Contacts Manager and Church Committee Coordinator as non- elected members. In addition there are 5 elected members – the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary plus a representative for fundraising activities and a member responsible for general outreach. Elected members serve for up to 4 years, with elections taking place each year for up to 2 members.

PARISH FINANCE COMMITTEE & PLANNED DONATION CAMPAIGN

The Parish Treasurer is Cornelis Trommel. In addition we have a Contracts and Contacts Manager who is Michiel Heere. They are assisted in their work by a Finance Committee, our Bookkeeper and Audit Committee. Together with the Parish Council, the Treasurer and his committee make decisions about financing the various aspects of parish life, in particular at the moment a great deal of time is taken up by the plans for alterations at the church.

The Treasurer administers the PLANNED DONATION CAMPAIGN. Our parish is dependent on your donations. When you enrol in the Planned Donation Campaign you help the parish have a more steady income and have more efficient financial planning. Your enrolment helps you by simplifying and speeding up the Sunday collection, and gives you a record of all your contributions on your bank statements for income tax purposes. Separate receipts are available to participants by request.

We are currently operating at close to break even. However, there is still maintenance at the church to finance, as well as our imminent plans for building changes, so we are concentrating on trying to encourage as many parishioners as are able, to join in the Planned Donation Campaignn Some statistics on our income and expenditure (and also donation forms) can be DOWNLOADED HERE.

The Parish bank account number is 59.93.46.264 under the name 'Church of Our Saviour'.

Dutch Income Tax Rules Regarding Deductibility of Donations/Payments
to the Church of Our Saviour

Donations to COS and to other charities which are listed as recognised by the Dutch tax authorities are tax deductible in your Dutch income tax return. You need to meet the following conditions:

1. The donation must be more than 1% of your annual gross salary and can not be more than a maximum of 10%. The amount donated must also be more than 60 euro per year.


2. All payments to charities, including COS, within a single calendar year can be added together to reach the amount for your total tax deductible donation.


3. Bank account statements are regarded as proof of payment for the purposes of your claim to the tax authorities; there is no need for a separate statement from the COS Treasurer (or representative of any other charity to which you donate). If you need a statement for a foreign tax return, this is available upon request via info@parish.nl.


4. A donation can only be deemed tax-deductible when it is sent to a charity recognised as such by the Dutch tax authorities. COS, as a Roman Catholic Church, does qualify to be tax deductible.

EXTERNAL SPONSORSHIP TEAM

This group approaches companies, institutions and organisations who could sponsor the renovations to the Pastoral Center. It provides them with information and good reasons for investing in our community and its buildings. Contact: Allen Pertuit (e-mail )

A Recommendation Committee has been recruited to support our building efforts. We are very honoured to have the following members on this Committee:

HE Ambassador R. Arguelles of The Philippines HE Ambassador F. Aguilar of Costa Rica HE Ambassador M. Shibuya of Japan HE Director of the Carnegie Foundation/Peace Palace S. van Hoogstraten HE Mgr A van Luyn, Bishop of Rotterdam R. Russell, Honorary Consul of Brazil Mr C. v d Velde, Federal Golf Coach for Holland Mr A. van Esch, The HaGuest Card

HE Ambassador L. Parker of the United Kingdom HE A. Strickland (First resident Ambassador for Malta) HE Secretary General of the OPCW R. Pfirter Jonkheer E Beelaerts van Blokland, Former Dutch Ambassador Mr S. Ornelis, Q Music Mr B. Alwood, The Hague on Line Mrs P. Hollamby, Metropolitan Rotary, The Hague

PARISH SECRETARIAT

The office is in the Parish House and is open every day except Wednesday, which is the Pastor's free day. Opening times are from 09.30 until 13.00 to deal with general enquiries. At other times there is an answering machine, but please try to call the office within working hours, except in emergencies, of course. Each week a Parish Bulletin is prepared which gives news and information about activities and events concerned with the Parish e.g. schedules for services, meetings of the various groups, outings, related public events etc. For registered parishioners it is also possible to place short personal advertisements if there is space available in the bulletin. Anyone with items to be included should see that the copy is with the office, by phone, e-mail or letter, by 09.30 Thursday morning of the week in which you wish it to be included.

The parish maintains a database of all registered parishioners which it uses to create an annual Directory of parishioners. The data held in this database is used in a way that conforms to the Diocesan Data Protection Regulations. Information on these regulations can be obtained from the Parish Office.

Parish Secretary: Pam van Driel
Assistant Secretary: Norah Moneypenny.

PASTORAL COUNCIL (PAC)

The Pastoral Council meets twice a year. This group has a 3-fold purpose:

1. planning and coordination of events (also evaluation) encouraging links between groups
2. improvement in mutual knowledge of people/groups – better networking & improved social communication
3. to streamline Parish Council meetings since time is not needed for reports from the various groups and PC can concentrate on its core functions.

REGISTRATION FORM

USEFUL LINKS

Look through this range of web links to find extra information that may interest you on the following topics:

Charities
General News & Information - local area/The Hague/National
Information on Religious Organisations
Justice and Peace areas
Liturgy & Spiritual Links
Other Churches in the Area
Social Contacts
Social Support
Student Contact Groups

Charities
www.auxilia-brasili-ja.nl	This site gives full information on the Auxilia charity (originally - and still sometimes called Brasili-Ja) which is chaired by Fr Sjaak. It originally worked on a number of projects in Brazil, particularly with street-children and in the support of community centres and continues that work today. The charity has been able to extend its activities to support a wide variety of projects in other parts of the world as well. The site gives lots of information about the work the foundation does and how you can help. It is available in both English and Dutch.
www.oneMen.org	English language site giving the stories of various missionary pioneers to supported in one way or another by the Dutch missionary organisation MIVA, which has a small site of its own www.miva.nl. Church of Our Saviour holds an annual collection for MIVA and this gives you a chance see where the money goes to.
www.gravis.org.in	A voluntary organisation on Gandhian principles established for rural reconstruction and development of poor communities in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan, India. The Church of Our Saviour's Charities' Committee has supported some of their projects in the past.
www.hedcon.org	A charitable organisation active in the Rajasthan area of India to develop alternative strategies in the fields of social, economic, health, environmental, educational and general development.
www.memisa.nl	This site contains information, in Dutch, on the work of this 75 year old Dutch-based charity. We collect for Memisa every year. It concentrates on medical improvements in developing countries and is linked to the umberella organisation Cordaid which focuses on a wide range of development aid in the Third World. See also http://www.cordaid.nl
www.anacortesfamily.org	This is the site of a Homeless Shelter in Anacortes, a town situated on the west coast of the USA, half way between Seattle and Vancouver. It was set up by our ex-parishioner Eric Johnson (ex-Parish Council Chair and member of our Justice & Peace Group) when he retired and returned to the States. He saw the need and got the local population galvanised to do something about it. Read about his success.
General News & Information - local area/The Hague/National
www.wijkver-benoordenhout.nl	A small site with some basic information on the Benoordenhout area in which the office of the Church of Our Saviour is situated.
www.bezuidenhout.nl	A newly created site with masses of information about the Bezuidenhout area and facilities surrounding our church building. We will be linking with this website to help to foster stronger ties between Church of Our Saviour and the local community.
www.ad.nl/denhaag/	The site of the main local newspaper. It carries regional, national and a international news information and also has info on local events.
Information on Religious Organisations
www.taize.fr/en	This site gives full information, in English, of the work of this ecumenical international community founded in Taize in France in 1940. It works particularly with young people aiming to "seek communion with God through personal prayer .. and also to be a leaven of peace and trust in the midst of humanity". There are also regular activities in The Netherlands which are detailed on www.taizeinbreda.nl (Dutch language).
www.missio.nl	The Papal missionary organisation.
www.vatican.va	The official site of the Vatican. In German, English, French, Spanish, less Italian and Portuguese. It is a good source of documentation, though not good in terms of more general information - it is not updated very regularly.
www.bisdomrotterdam.nl	This site has a good overview of the work of the Bishopric, including news items and special information on the Pastoral Centre in Rotterdam and youthwork. There is also an on-site bookstore. The site is in Dutch.
www.millhillmissionaries.com	The official site of Mill Hill Missionaries with information about their goals and activities.
www.englishspeakingparish.org	This is a partial directory of English-speaking Catholic parishes located in major European cities. They are known to be large, vibrant, diverse, and very welcoming places of worship. If you are an expat, or simply an English-speaking person looking for an international Christian centre, please feel free to contact any of the parish priests listed. The parishes are listed in alphabetical order by city.
www.kerkInfo.nl	A general information site (in Dutch) about Churches within The Netherlands - all denominations.
www.rkdiaconie.nl	A general information site (in Dutch) Catholic churches in The Netherlands with news and details of activities, publications and initiatives of these churches.
www.orlagh.ie	This is the site of Orlagh Retreat Centre, situated outside Dublin. It is run by the Augustinian monks and provides individually arranged Retreats as well as a programme of organised days.
http://www.koningshoeven.nl	The site of Koningshoeven Abbey (Cistercian) near Tilburg which we have used as the setting for our annual Parish Retreat on a number of occasions. It is possible to make private arrangements for making a Retreat there. The site is in English, French and Dutch.
Justice and Peace areas	If you are interested in Justice and Peace issues there are a number of sites that might be worth having a look at eg
www.santegidio.org/en/	The site of the Sant Egidio movement with which our parish also has connections (as outlined through this link)
www.faithinhumanrights.org	On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, representatives from main world religions agreed on 4 commitments to promote human rights. For the first time in history an agreement was approved and signed among such a large group of different faiths. In the presence of HM Queen Beatrix at the Peace Palace in The Hague on Wednesday 10th Dec the Treaty was signed. The Dutch minister for foreign affairs mr. M. Verhagen praised the initiative as an example of tolerane from religious leaders towards each other and service to society. You can read the declaration on this site and endorse the statement by signing underneath.
www.ichrp.org	This is the site of the International Council on Human Rights with a wide range of information on general Human Rights issues
www.refugees.org	Site of the US Committee for Refugees with much information on refugee problems throughout the world. Internal links to reports on refugee policies in countries throughout the world.
www.osjspm.org	Site of the Office for Social Justice from the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis, with a range of ideas of how to operate Justice & Peace initiatives within the church. Worth a visit.
http://salt.claretianpubs.org	Site of the Claretian order, with news and information specifically relating to social justice issues
www.fairtrade.nl & www.fairtrade.org.uk	2 sites - one Dutch (with an odd page in English) and one from the UK giving basic explanations of the principles of Fair Trade and ideas of how to support the movement. A web search using the key words 'Fair Trade' will bring up many more sites throughout the world relating to this issue.
www.amnesty.org	The major Amnesty International site detailing world wide activities and information on AI campaigns and resources/publications. See also www.amnesty.nl which details particular intiatives in The Netherlands.
www.ashoka.org	"Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs—men and women with system changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Since 1981, we have elected over 2,000 leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, providing them with living stipends, professional support, and access to a global network of peers in more than 60 countries." This site outlines their work and support for developing countries.
www.dropthedebt.com	A (fairly tedious) site highlighting the continuing problems of debt for developing countries but it does have a fair number of links to other sites.
www.cafod.org.uk	The Catholic Organisation for Overseas Development, a site with much information about Justice & peace issues in general, the 'Make Poverty History' Campaign and Fair Trade.
www.missieraad.nl	A Dutch language site outlining various missionary activities in different parts of the world and, again highlighting the debt issue and its ramifications. Has many interesting weblinks to related areas.
Liturgy & Spiritual Links
http://dailymotivator.com/memberflash/rightnow.html	A site recommended by a parishioner as a great source of motivation and inspiration on the spiritual side.
www.sacredspace.ie	A site that invites you to make a 'Sacred Space' in your day, and spend ten minutes, praying in the here and now, as you sit at your computer, with the help of on-screen guidance and scripture chosen specially every day. Available in a wide variety of languages.
www.nccbuscc.org	A general site from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It also contains the daily readings prescribed for the Catholic Church, using the New American Bible ie. the readings are in the form that we use at Church of Our Saviour.
www.catholic.org	A broad ranging site with a huge historical and biblical database about the Catholic Church, including comprehensive information about over15,000 Catholic saints and online scriptures from all books of the Old and New Testament -links also to gift and book sellers.
www.shineonline.net	This site provides easy access for everybody to a wide range of spiritual resources, giving an innovative approach to the sharing of resources and ideas. Its goal is actively to seek to help anyone wishing to develop people's awareness of spiritual material. An inviting site which is well worth a visit.
www.deboskant.nl	In the heart of The Hague the spiritual centre 'De Boskant' is situated. On this site (in Dutch) you can see the special cultural activities that take place there, but it is always somewhere you can drop in to find a little peace.
Other Churches in the Area
www.stjohn-stphilip.org	The site of the Anglican Church in The Hague.
www.paroissetls.com	The site of the French language church in The Hague (Marlot)
www.apch.nl	The site of the American Protestant church in The Hague
www.driekoningenparochie.nl	The site of the Three Kings Federation which includes the Dutch parish that previously owned our church and which still holds masses there on a Wednesday and Saturday.
www.andrewspink.nl/churches/churches.htm	The site of the Student Chaplaincy in Wageningen which has this useful page listing all the English language services throughout The Netherlands. Not always totally up to date, but a good place to start looking if you are travelling around the country and want to find a service.
www.catholicchurch.nl	The site of the English Speaking Roman Catholic church in Rotterdam (Schiedam). It is not updated very often but gives the basic information.
www.kerkenindenhaag.nl	A directory of all the churches in The Hague listed by postcode and area (as well as denomination). Maps show where the churches are and the basic contact details are listed.
Social Contacts
www.thehaguestcard.com	The HaGuest Card (which is free) has been designed exclusively for the expat community of The Hague to help them feel at home as soon as possible. The card is supported by the best shops, restaurants, services and entertainment in The Hague and gives access to an array of contacts and services, hand-picked for quality and reliability.
www.TheHagueOnLine.com	Local daily news and views for expats. There is also a social club and every year in September they organise an information fair for expats at the Town Hall.
bwclubthehague.demon.nl	The general site for the local British Club which organises activities and contacts primarily for British and Commonwealth citizens.
awcthehague.org	American Women's Club which organises social events and creates contact possibilities
iwcthehague.nl	A social contact point for women of an international background living in The Hague area.
www.xpat.nl	English language site which gives basic information about a quarterly magazine published by the same company, as well as a synopsis of their 'Holland Handbook' which is full of useful information for the ex-pat. The company has regularly supported the Food Fair.
www.expatica.com	This site is a free, online resource for English speaking ex-pats. It gives current Dutch news in English, listing of events, advice on schooling, travel, health as well as information on job vacancies and so on.
www.britain.nl	The site of the British Embassy in The Netherlands, which has a wide range of information on the UK and many links to other organisations relating to ex-pats.
travel.state.gov	The American Bureau of Consular Affairs which publishes general information on travel and safety for citizens of the USA.
www.usembassy.nl	Site of the American Embassy in The Hague
Social Support
www.access-nl.org	At this site you can find information about various support services and counselling provided by Access. This group is now over 15 years old and provides advice on looking for work in The Netherlands, on Health Care systems, how to adapt to being in a new country. From time to time adverts appear in our Bulletin giving information on the latest courses that they are running. (English)
www.aaof.info	A group which aims to support parents of children with autistic spectrum disorder. The Steering Committee includes parents of autistic children as well as a number of professionals. This site includes information on the group itself together with links to other relevant sites. We regularly advertise their informal coffee mornings in the bulletin.
job-seeker sites >>>>
Student Contact Groups
www.sioncommunity.org.uk	A Centre for Evangelisation in the United Kingdom which organises various training schemes, courses and camps, aimed specifically at young people. (They have run one or two courses in The Netherlands too.)