By Mary Lynn van Dijk
Since February 2025, Monsignor Jan Thomas Limchua of Cebu has been the charge d’affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature on Carnegielaan 5 in Den Haag. The Apostolic Nunciature serves as the Vatican’s Embassy in the Netherlands. In recent months, Monsignor Limchua has been getting acquainted with the Catholic communities in the Randstad by saying Mass for the FCC Rotterdam and FCC Dordrecht.
On 31 May 2025 he invited representatives of the various Filipino Catholic Communities (FCCs) to a Meet and Greet. FCC Gouda e.o. was represented by Amor van Os, Mary Jane Streefland, Jenny Luna, and Mary Lynn van Dijk.
A beautiful 19th-century building houses the Apostolic Nunciature, which in Monsignor Limchua’s words is where the Holy Father will stay when he is in the Netherlands. There is a wide and long graveled driveway on the right (from the street) leading to a smaller building where a chapel is located on the first floor. A curved pathway connects the main building with the chapel building. The entrance to the beautiful main building is on the side (not facing the Carnegielaan), and both the main building and chapel building are surrounded by well-maintained lawns.
The FCC Gouda contingent arrived on time, and met the FCC Dordrecht representatives, Marissa van der Graaf and Glenda Huisveld. Agnes van der Beek of the FCC Den Haag, who contacted the various FCCs, also arrived at the same time.
Marissa pressed on the doorbell of the main building, and it was the Monsignor himself who opened the door for us. We could not help but be impressed by the stately interior. He led us to a formal dining room on the right where a long table with a pristine white tablecloth had already been laid, not by himself, he said, but by the nuns. At one end of the dining room was a corridor where a shorter table with a white tablecloth had been prepared for the food we brought with us. After arranging the food, and lighting the tea lights to start warming up the food, we went into the dining room. On one smaller table were bottles of water and soft drinks, and on another, close to the corridor, cutlery and dishes. Then we were led to the beautiful chapel which had dark wood paneling, a beautiful painting of the Holy Family behind the altar, a beautiful painting of St Pope John Paul II on the left wall and windows on the right. To one side of the altar was an almost-life sized statue of the crucified Jesus.
There was to be a Mass at 17:00 and dinner would follow afterwards. As the Mass was an anticipated Mass, the readings were for the following Sunday, Ascension Sunday. After he read the Ascension Sunday Gospel of Jesus taking leave of the Apostles and ascending to heaven, for his homily Monsignor Jan talked about leaving, the pain of leaving, and in Jesus’ case, that He had to leave as He was preparing rooms for His disciples in God’s home in heaven, and so that the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, could descend on the Apostles and guide and strengthen them on their task of evangelization. This task is a task we all Catholics have, to share our faith, to live like Jesus did. Monsignor Jan also said that we Filipinos have very good traits, but we also have some bad ones. We need to make sure that we let our good side rise above our not-so-good habits or practices.
This was the third time Jane and I had heard a homily from Monsignor Jan, and we felt that it was not too short nor too long, but it was to the point, and inspiring, too. We found ourselves agreeing with what he said.
Since Ambassador Malaya was also present, the Monsignor asked him to say something.
After the Mass, the Ambassador suggested that we have our photograph taken in front of the altar. We eagerly took our places. The Ambassador then suggested that a second photograph be taken on the front steps of the main building. We moved out of the church, into the curved walkway connecting the chapel with the main building. On the front steps, we took our places, and had our smiles preserved for posterity. Both photographs can be seen on the FB page of the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands.
Then we queued up for dinner in the formal dining room. On a table by the windows were delicious empanadas and tacos which the nuns had made especially for us.
While people ate, people talked with each other. After dinner, Monsignor explained just what it was his reason for inviting the Filipino Catholic Communities (FCC) to the Apostolic Nunciature. As with his homily, he wanted us to live the faith, and do what Jesus commanded His disciples to do when he said goodbye to them. We were to work together. We would not just make sure that there were Masses for Filipinos in the Netherlands to attend but also make sure that we take care of each other spiritually.
He would request the Dutch Bishops’ Conference for a full-time Filipino priest to be hired to provide us with pastoral care. Take for example the Italians, he added, who have three communities in the Netherlands and get together and have a Mass said in Italian regularly. Perhaps the Filipino communities could set up a joint Santacruzan, or Simbang Gabi.
(Note: This year, the organizer invited FCC Gouda to join the Santacruzan in Hoofddorp, but since the fourth Sunday of May coincided with Fr Marcel’s birthday, we had our very own modest Santacruzan. After the Mass, we helped Fr Marcel celebrate his birthday with Filipino food, songs and dances. In the past two years, the various FCCs arranged for each FCC to organize one of the Simbang Gabi masses. FCC Gouda took care of the Simbang Gabi mass on 18 December 2024. This year, too, a number of FCC Gouda e.o. members went to Haarlem to participate in the Divine Mercy mass the Sunday after Easter.)
Later on, he asked each of us to introduce ourselves and to mention when the community we belonged to, held Mass. It turns out that most Masses were held on the fourth Sunday, and as it is the Sunday when we have our Mass in Gouda, we will not be able to attend Mass at other FCCs. But FCC Rotterdam schedules their Masses on the second Sunday while FCC Dordrecht holds theirs on the third Sunday. FCC Den Haag has Masses on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. So it is possible for some of us to attend Masses on the other Sundays, either in Rotterdam, Dordrecht or Den Haag.
Amor explained that at FCC Gouda we facilitated baptisms, we had preparation sessions for First Communion, we also gave assistance to bereaved members for when their (usually Dutch) partners passed away, and also provided assistance to families back home, when parents, children, or siblings died, or were victims of fires or natural disasters. We also held Recollections, and community-wide events such as the Family Fun Day in June.
Marvin Martin of FCC Rotterdam talked about the community holding a Retreat, and activities like the Family Sports Day, in addition to the monthly second Sunday Mass. FCC Rotterdam also had programs to assist seamen, and au pairs having difficulties with their employers or guest families, as well as the Filipino elderly (and those from other nationalities) in Rotterdam who needed food and other assistance.
(Note: In April, there was a very sick seaman who needed spiritual guidance and care. The group was able to avail of Fr Gilbert Razon, SVD, to go to Rotterdam and minister to this ailing seaman. For that reason Fr Gilbert was not available to say the Mass in Dordrecht but Fr Nico who had lived in the Philippines for many years and who speaks very good Bisaya was able to concelebrate that Mass with Monsignor Limchua.)
Ambassador Malaya took the opportunity to reply to these concerns of our fellow FCC-ers in Rotterdam. Regarding the seamen who stay in Rotterdam for a very short time (usually they disembark in Rotterdam from their latest assignment, stay a day or two before boarding another ship for their newest assignment) the Embassy had considered requesting that a full-time Labor Attaché be assigned in the Netherlands. But it was determined that the Attaché would be needed only half the time, so they decided that any problems with the seamen can be referred to the Labor Attaché in Berlin, Germany, or to the embassy in Den Haag. On the problems some au pairs are having, the Ambassador said that the embassy was aware of the problem and the government is considering whether to end the au-pair program. He assured us that in case of problems of seamen and au pairs these can be referred to the embassy which has resources to provide assistance.
At Monsignor’s statement that he would be asking the Bishops in the Netherlands for a full-time Filipino priest to serve the Filipino Catholic Communities, Marvin said that for now, hopefully Fr Gilbert can remain as de facto Filipino pastor. Fr Gilbert says the Masses in Dordrecht, and when there are other Sunday Masses, like on a fifth Sunday, he also officiates the Mass in Rotterdam. He also serves as Retreat Master.
Marvin added that FCC Rotterdam members (and in the past, FCC Gouda members, too) have also attended workshops, the first of which is “How to Be a Church Volunteer”. This workshop had always been offered by the Bisdom (Diocese) of Rotterdam, albeit in Dutch. Our late Fr Dan Ceballos, msc, gave these workshops in English, although he used the printed Dutch-language material the Bisdom provided. Marvin said that these days it seemed that the Rotterdam Diocese was going to hold these workshops in English.
There were two Filipino couples who were the people behind the Couples for Christ organizations in Amsterdam and Den Haag; they, too, also organize masses. In June because we celebrate Philippine Independence Day, their monthly mass would be held on a Saturday. Also present at the Meet and Greet were representatives from the FCCs in Tilburg and Nijmegen.
Now Agnes had asked everyone who attended to provide the FCC where he/she belonged to, and their mobile phone number and e-mail address on a form that was passed around. Ambassador Malaya said that this list could become a database, the beginning of inter-FCC activities and mutual cooperation. He asked if Agnes, who had contacted the various FCCs to the Meet and Greet, would act as coordinator. She would.
Ambassador Malaya also mentioned that during his assignment in Malaysia he organized activities and one of the FCC representatives would be the chair and assisted that year by a representative of another FCC who would be co-chair. The next year, the co-chair of the previous year would become the chair, and a member of another FCC would be co-chair, who would be chair the following year, with a co-chair from yet another FCC. This way, the program could be continued with the co-chair gaining valuable experience the previous year to use as chair the following year.
Monsignor Limchua repeated that he would like to see the FCCs get together and plan joint activities, with the aim of following Jesus’ footsteps. There are Masses in the chapel on Mondays and Tuesdays in English at 07:30, on Wednesdays at 08:00, and from Thursday to Saturday the Masses would be said in Spanish. On Sunday the Spanish-language Mass will be at 10:00. Everyone was invited. At that, our Meet and Greet ended, and we went to put away our dishes and rechauds. There was plenty of leftovers some of which were taken home and some left for the nuns to enjoy. We said our goodbyes and thanked the nuns, too. By the way, Ambassador Malaya’s assistants cleared our plates for us.
