Père Kees van der Wee

Père Kees van der Wee was on of the White Fathers who served on Ukerewe Island.

Kees was born in Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands, on May 23, 1919. As he wanted to become a missionary, he trained in Sterksel, St-Charles, near Boxtel and s'Heerenberg, where he took his oath on the 30th. June 1945 and was ordained a priest on June 15, 1946. On December 24 of the same year, he left for Tanzania, in the diocese of Mwanza, to work in the parish of Kagunguli on the island of Ukerewe on Lake Victoria.

Two of his uncles, Martin and Antoon, were Missionaries of Africa. Kees writes: “When I was a child, my father made me memorize a new poem every week. I could choose them myself and I would choose the shorter ones. One of these poems has remained in my memory until today, because I made it the goal of my life: to be of service to others. It is recited like this: “When you were born, you cried. The others around you were laughing. Make sure that when you leave this life you will laugh and others will cry. "

From junior seminary, Kees was not in very good health and had to consume tonics. He is tough and persistent at work. He is optimistic, has fair judgment, is warm and always ready to help. During his formative years, we want him to become more sure of himself.

In January 1948, Kees wrote that he enjoyed himself in his community and in his work. He has just returned from a ten day safari and wants to get back to work right away. A school for young girls is under construction and the parish of Itira has just been founded from part of its parish. From 1950, he lives and works with a Tanzanian priest. Bishop Blomjous having asked that each parish take care of itself, Kees has only rice to eat for months.

In February 1953, he became parish priest of the island of Kome. He knows how to organize a parish. During his leave in 1957, he took great pains to have a prayer book reprinted in the Zinza language. On his return, he became parish priest of Kibara. His regional superior writes that he is appreciated by his colleagues and that although he knows the language and culture of the people well, he continues to study them. On the other hand, he has difficulty making a decision and sticking to it afterwards.

In June 1971, he celebrated his jubilee of 25 years of priesthood. He considers this holiday to be a day off in the ascent of a long hill. “You look back for a moment, and then you just keep pedaling up the hill, the wind against you, and I see that there are a lot of these these days. At the end of the year, he moved to Murutunguru.

In February 1978, Kees returned to the Netherlands on a stretcher and was taken by ambulance to hospital. He suffers from a herniated disc. After an operation and a good recovery, he returned to Murutunguru in September. Now not only will he always sleep on a board, but when he drives the car, he also leans on a board.

In September 1984, he returned to Kibara. In August 1986, this parish now belonged to the diocese of Musoma and Kees handed over the parish to the Tanzanian abbots. He then goes to Bukumbi where the youngest of the community is 64 years old, a Tanzanian priest responsible for the formation of catechists. Pastoral work also covers the chaplaincy of the mission hospital which has about 150 beds, as well as that of a leper camp. He does not feel well in this kind of apostolate and does not know the local language well.

As circulatory problems began to bother him seriously, particularly in his left leg, Kees decided to return to the Netherlands definitively in September 1989 and went to live in Heythuysen. One of his colleagues then described him as a gentleman who was always available to help. He made his car available to those who could not walk to the Friday market. He transported the sick and those who went to visit them. He is one of the first to surf the internet in the community. He adorned all the trees in the garden by inscribing their names on colored plaques. He is pleasant in community and enjoys a good glass of wine. He lived a quiet life without disturbing the tranquility of the house,

Looking at his life, Kees wrote in 2004: “My hobby on mission was to study proverbs and visit people, whether they were Christians or not. Jesus Eucharist has been at the center of my life. This is where I found strength and courage for my life. "In 1996, he wrote again, about his life in Heythuysen:" I love nature, the park and its flowers. We walk in this environment, stopping here and there to taste the beauty of creation. After all these years on mission, I couldn't wish for a better life than the one I lived in Heythuysen. Thank you to the Missionaries of Africa, to my family and to the staff of this house. "

In his will, he adds this: “For my funeral, wear white clothes as a sign of joy for my arrival at the Father's house. On the day of my funeral, offer the community a drink to my personal account as a sign of gratitude, and have a nice chat with the members of my family, those who will be present of course. "

In the last months of his life, Kees was getting weaker and weaker. In mid-October he had to be taken to hospital where he died on October 24. We buried him in our cemetery in Heythuysen on October 29. Jan Mol, the Delegate Superior, presided over the ceremony. During the Eucharist, he related to us facts that Kees himself had written. Three of her nieces also spoke during mass.

"Jesus Eucharist was the center of his life"