Fr. Jim Borst MHM
Missionary Priest
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseDelhi
DioceseJammu-Srinagar
Orders
Ordination7 May 1957
by William Cardinal Godfrey
RankCatholic Priest
Personal details
Born(1932-08-03)August 3, 1932
DiedSeptember 5, 2018(2018-09-05) (aged 86)
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
BuriedSheikh Bagh Cemetery
NationalityDutch
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge

Jim Borst[1][2][3][4][5] (3 August 1932 – 5 September 2018) was a Dutch Roman Catholic missionary of Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill, commonly called Mill Hill Missionaries. He was well-known spiritual leader in India and abroad. He was a frequent speaker at many conventions and seminars. In 2011, he was summoned by Sharia court and served a Fatwa in 2012,[6][7] following which he was given a Quit India Notice from Kashmir's Foreigners Registration Office.[8][5][9] He was the last Mill Hill missionary serving in the Kashmir Valley.[10]

Early life and education

He was born on 3 August 1932 in Ursem, Netherlands to Mr. Leonard and Mrs. Margaret. He completed his secondary education at Hoorn, Tilburg and Burn Hall. He joined Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill in 1945 and from 1951 to 1953 studied philosophy in Roosendaal. He completed his studies of theology in 1957 from Mill Hill, London. He was ordained a priest for Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill, in London, United Kingdom on 7 May 1957 by William Cardinal Godfrey. After ordination he studied Science and Economics at Cambridge University and completed his master's degree in Arts. He started to serve his mission as a Parish Priest in Jammu and Kashmir, India, in September 1963.[11][10]

Missionary work in India

In 1975 Jim, decided to serve as a travelling missionary and traveled throughout India conducting charismatic renewal conventions, retreats for priests and religious, and ‘village retreat ministry’. He returned to Kashmir in year 1991 and helped in translating New Testament in Kashmiri. He also established two schools in Kashmir by the name Good Shepherd. He also founded Good Shepherd Sisters community but the congregation could not survive. He also helped in drawing current Constitutions and Directives around the time of the 1982 Chapter for the Mill Hill Society.[11]

Field of education

Borst was the principal of St. Joseph's School (Baramulla)[12] from 1974 to 1975 and served as a parish priest of St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Baramulla). He directed Burn Hall School Srinagar for some time. He also translated the Holy Bible into the local Kashmiri language (Koshur).

Borst started two charitable schools, one in Srinagar and other in Pulwama named "Good Shepherd Mission School".[13] He is the author of several books and articles.[14] [13][15][16][17][18][19]

Writings

Death

In August 2018, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi. He was operated on and a pacemaker was installed. Fr. Borst died on 5 September 2018 at 11:45 am in Srinagar, Kashmir. He was suffering from heart ailment and had recently received treatment. Funeral was conducted on 7 September 2018 at Holy Family Catholic Church. He was buried at Sheikh Bagh Cemetery, Srinagar, Kashmir.[11][23][24][10]

References

  1. Usha, Sr Mary (2000). Hidden Springs To Healing. St Pauls BYB. ISBN 9788171094776.
  2. "The Herald of India". webcache.googleusercontent.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  3. "Dutch priest, Indian nun rescued from floodwaters - ucanews.com". ucanews.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  4. Pitcher, Vikki (26 December 2012). On The GOLDEN FLOWER: A Houseboat in the Vale of Kashmir. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781477114834.
  5. 1 2 Shortt, Rupert (16 May 2013). Christianophobia: A Faith Under Attack. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 170. ISBN 9780802869852.
  6. "'Fatwa' announced against Christian schools in Kashmir, 3 priests asked to leave valley - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  7. AsiaNews.it. "INDIA Kashmir: Sharia court summons Fr Jim Borst on proselytising charges". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. Chaudhary, Praveen Kumar (2011). Communal Crimes and National Integration: A Socio-legal Study. Readworthy. ISBN 9789350180402.
  9. "Fr. Jim Borst Served Quit India Notice-A Missionary for Almost 50 years in J &K | Christian Persecution Update". www.persecution.in. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 "Kashmir's controversial missionary dies". Matters India. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 "Fr Jim (Jaap) Borst mhm RIP – Mill Hill Missionaries". millhillmissionaries.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  12. Chaudhary, Praveen Kumar (2011). Communal Crimes and National Integration: A Socio-legal Study. Readworthy. ISBN 9789350180402.
  13. 1 2 Criveller, Gianni. "INDIA Kashmir: Sharia court summons Fr Jim Borst on proselytising charges". Asianews.it. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  14. "Catholic Charismatic Renewal, India, charisindia - a magazine for Renewal and Spiritual growth". Oocities.org. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  15. "Fr. Jim Borst's expulsion condemned". Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  16. "'Father Jim' allowed to stay in Kashmir | RNW Media". Rnw.nl. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  17. "Vatican Radio Vatican Radio". En.radiovaticana.va. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  18. "Catholics in India Protest Government Order to Expel Missionary Priest". EWTN.com. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  19. "Account Suspended". Sjskashmir.org. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  20. Borst, James (1979). A Method of Contemplative Prayer. St. Paul Publications. ISBN 9780949080752.
  21. "A Method of Contemplative Prayer by Jim Borst". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  22. Borst, Jim (1992). Coming to God in the Stillness: Discovering the Power of Contemplative Prayer. Kevin Mayhew. ISBN 9781844172108.
  23. "Dutch Region News – Mill Hill Missionaries". millhillmissionaries.co.uk. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  24. "Asia Region News – Mill Hill Missionaries". millhillmissionaries.co.uk. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.