We regret to announce the death in Missiehuis Vrijland in Oosterbeek the Netherlands on 3rd April 2012 at the age of 66, of

Fr Jacques Derksen
May he rest in Peace

Fr Jacques Derksen was born on 7th April 1945 in Scherpenzeel in Utrecht Diocese, the Netherlands. He was the son of Jacobus Derksen and Ann Berendsen. He was one of seven children, having four brothers and three sisters. After secondary education he worked for a few years. From 1966 till 1968 he attended the school for ‘late vocations’ which was run by the Jesuits in Den Haag. From 1973 till 1974, He studied Philosophy and Theology at the Catholic University of Utrecht as an OMI student. Upon deciding to join Mill Hill he did a course in Pastoral Clinical Theology at Heythrop College, London from 1973 to 1974 facilitate the transition.

Jacques was ordained priest on 4th January 1975 in Huissen by Cardinal Alfrink of Utrecht. After ordination he was appointed to Kuching Archdiocese, Malaysia. Firstly he spent six months in Indonesia studying the Bahasa language and then went on to work in many places in Sarawak, including Bau, Bintangor, Julao and Kanowit. His musical talents proved an asset and he wrote some Iban hymns. He was charismatic in his style of liturgy and prayer and kept this while he was later in the Philippines. In 1986 he had to leave Malaysia because of visa restrictions. He then went to Rome for a year to study liturgy.

In 1988 he was appointed to the Philippines where he ministered in Antique Diocese mainly in Dao parish. He also helped with the recruitment and training of Philippino students when our formation programme was just beginning there. After 11 years in the Philippines he went to help out in our formation house in India, for six months.

In 2000 Jacques did the SAT course in Berkley, California and then returned to the Dutch Region where he took up pastoral ministry in De Lutte, Oldenzaal. In 2006 he again went to the Philippines where he was Rector of our Central House in Iloilo. He also took part in our formation programme there. He was also deeply involved in the running of an organisation for handicapped people which provided many services including the provision of wheel chairs and prostheses to enhance the lives of these disadvantaged people.

In December Jacques suffered from what he was told was pneumonia: further tests revealed it was cancer. He returned to the Netherlands and in a matter of weeks he died from this very aggressive kind of cancer. In this short time he accepted he was dying and after receiving the sacrament of the sick he died in peace. His funeral will be Tuesday April 10t h, with a Requiem Mass in Huissen and the burial at Vrijland.

The previous obituary (6/2012) was that of Fr Jan Leijen, who died at Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands on 21^st March 2012