Center for Parish Spirituality

Our work
The Center for Parish Spirituality was established in 1990 to help the Catholic parishes of the Netherlands live out their mission of sharing faith. The central insight informing the Center’s founding was that parishes will thrive to the extent that they are grounded in a lively and deep relationship with God, who is the source and goal of faith. All of our outreach, consequently, seeks to help parishes and parishioners grow in this relationship, so that they may better live out their mission of service to the world.

 

The means our Center employs in support of parishes vary and typically are developed in cooperation with parishes, dioceses and Catholic organizations. Besides offering days of reflection and courses, we also publish a variety of materials for use in the parish and at home. We try to strike a balance between the theoretical and the practical in our presentations and publications, aware that spiritual growth happens in the course of necessary, daily activity. Our work draws on the richness of the Christian tradition, appreciating it anew in the light of the challenges of modern life.

 

The financial and fraternal sponsor of the Center for Parish Spirituality is the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (S.S.S.), which established the institute in extension of their own mission. The associates carrying out the work of the Center (both lay and religious) share and are sustained by the Eucharistic devotion of the Congregation.

Our staff

Presently the Center is staffed by the following persons:

• Ms. Annie Coppens-Baeten, a Belgian laywoman with extensive knowledge of the Bible, Christian writings and the history of art.
• Tim Schilling, an American layman with a background in parish ministry, whose specialties are evangelization, faith formation and family life.
• Fr. Eugène van Heijst, S.S.S., a Dutch priest who has worked extensively with young adults. His area of expertise is the content of Catholic teaching. 
• Fr. Frans Vrijdag, S.S.S., a Dutch priest with many years in the parish who is well versed in the liturgy and liturgical music.
• Ms. Trea Hendriks, who oversees day-to-day administrative matters. 

Feel free to contact us for more information.

Center location

Klooster Brakkenstein

Heijendaalseweg 300

6525 SM Nijmegen

The Netherlands

Telephone: +31 (0)24 355 80 29

E-mail: cps.nijmegen@kloosterbrakkenstein.nl