Johannes de Jong

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Johannes Cardinal de Jong
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Utrecht |

Johannes Cardinal de Jong (September 10, 1885—September 8, 1955) was a Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Utrecht from 1936 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.

Biography

Johannes de Jong was born in Nes, a village on the island of Ameland, as the eldest of seven children of Jan de Jong, a baker, and his wife Trijntje Mosterman. After attending the minor seminary in Culemborg from 1898 to 1904, de Jong then studied at the Seminary of Rijsenburg for four years. He was ordained to the priesthood on August 15, 1908, and further studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Angelicum in Rome, obtaining his doctorates in philosophy and theology. De Jong did pastoral work in Amersfoort, including work with the Sisters of Mercy, until 1914, when he was made a professor at the Rijsenburg seminary on November 6. Becoming the seminary's rector on August 14, 1931, he was named a cathedral canon of Utrecht in 1933.

On August 3, 1935, de Jong was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Utrecht and Titular Archbishop of "Rhusium". He received his episcopal consecration on the following September 12 from Bishop Pieter Hopmans, with Bishops Arnold Diepen and Johannes Smit serving as co-consecrators, in St. Catherine's Cathedral. De Jong succeeded Johannes Jansen as Archbishop of Utrecht and thus Primate of the Netherlands.

During the Second World War, he was one of the major leaders against the Nazi occupation of Netherlands. De Jong was created Cardinal Priest of "S. Clemente" by Pope Pius XII in the consistory of February 18, 1946, but could not travel to Rome for the ceremony as he was recovering from a car accident [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,792623-2,00.html On the Roads to Rome] February 18, 1946] . However, on October 12 of that same year, the Dutch prelate went to Castel Gandolfo to personally receive his red hat from Pope Pius. In 1951, de Jong, who was the first Dutch cardinal since the Protestant Reformation, left the administration of the archdiocese to his coadjutor, Bernardus Alfrink. Meanwhile, de Jong retired to the same house where he had lived during his early priestly ministry in Amersfoort.

De Jong died in his sleep after a long illness in Amersfoort, at age 70 [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,865249,00.html Milestones] September 19, 1955] . He is buried at St. Barbara cemetery in the court of St. Catherine's Cathedral.

References

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-j.htm#Jong Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdejongj.html Catholic-Hierarchy]