Leon Lemmens

His Excellency
Leon Lemmens
Auxiliary Bishop of Flemish Brabant and Mechelen
Province Belgium
Diocese Archdiocese of Mechelens-Brussels
Installed 3 April 2011
Predecessor Jozef De Kesel
Orders
Ordination 10 July 1977
Consecration 3 April 2011
Personal details
Born (1954-03-16)16 March 1954
Boorsem
Died 2 June 2017(2017-06-02) (aged 63)
Leuven, Belgium
Nationality Belgian
Denomination Roman Catholic
Residence Mechelen
Alma mater KU Leuven, Pontifical Gregorian University
Motto Populum humilem et pauperem (A humble and poor people)
Coat of arms

Leon Lemmens (March 16, 1954 – June 2, 2017) was a Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop in Belgium.

Lemmens, a native of Maasmechelen, was ordained a priest on July 10, 1977. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop to the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel by Pope Benedict XVI on February 22, 2011 and ordained bishop on April 3, 2011.[1]

Biography

Lemmens followed high school at the Klein Seminarie in Sint-Truiden. He entered seminary in Sint-Truiden (1971-1976) and was ordained to the priesthood to the Diocese of Hasselt on 10 July 1977. He obtained a bachelor in theology at the KU Leuven (1976) and studies moral theology in Rome. He obtained a licentiate in moral theology (1979) and became doctor in theology in 1989.[2]

He worked as a parish priest in Genk (1981-1984). In 1984 he became professor at the seminary in Hasselt. From 1986 to 1997 he was a member of the Interdiocesan Commission on Liturgy and from 1990 to 1995 he was responsible for vocations. In 1994-1995 he took charge of the organisation of the meeting of young people with the pope in Brussels.[3]

In 2004 he became rector of the Romanian College in Rome and in 2005 he was an official at the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches of the Roman Curia.[4]

Auxiliary bishop

On 22 February 2011, pope Benedict XVI appointed Lemmens as auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, with the responsibility for the vicariate Vlaams-Brabant & Mechelen. He was a Municipa.[5][6]

He was consecrated on 3 April 2011 in the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg by archbishop André-Joseph Léonard.[7]

Death

Lemmens was a member of the Community of Sant'Egidio from 1977 until his death.[8] He died from leukemia June 2, 2017 in Leuven, Belgium.[9] His funeral service on June 10 was held in St. Rumbold's Cathedral, Mechelen, which was filled to capacity.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Leon Lemmens retrieved October 2, 2011
  2. ↑ Kerknet retrieved September 1, 2014
  3. ↑ Kerknet retrieved September 1, 2014
  4. ↑ "Drie nieuwe hulpbisschoppen voor het aartsbisdom Mechelen-Brussel". Kerknet (in Dutch). 22 February 2011.
  5. ↑ Kerknet retrieved September 1, 2014
  6. ↑ Kerknet retrieved September 1, 2014
  7. ↑ Kerknet retrieved September 1, 2014
  8. ↑ Kerknet retrieved September 1, 2014
  9. ↑ "Hulpbisschop Leon Lemmens overleden" (in Dutch). Gazet van Antwerpen. 2017-06-02.
  10. ↑ "Bomvolle Sint-Romboutskathedraal voor uitvaart van hulpbisschop Leon Lemmens". De Morgen (in Dutch). 10 June 2017.
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