Tilburg University Chaplaincy

On Wednesday 15 December, at 7:15 am, there is what's know in the Netherlands as the Golden Mass ("Gulden Mis"), a celebration by candlelight only, traditionally on the third Wednesday of Advent, before the break of day.

During Christmas break (from 25 December 2021 until 21 January 2022) you are most welcome at 'Maranatha' for the following activities;

• Saturday 25 December (Christmas Day), 11:00 am: Christmas celebration in English, with, afterwards, mulled wine in the courtyard. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app (check "Install our app!", below).
• Sunday 26 December (Saint Stephen), 11:00 am: International Student Mass in English. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app (check "Install our app!", below).
• Tuesday 28 December, 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Christmas Living Room at Maranatha (check "Christmas Living Room", below).
• Thursday 30 December, 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Christmas Living Room at Maranatha. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app
• Saturday 1 January 2022 (New Year's Day), 11:00 am: International Student Mass, with, afterwards, mulled wine in the courtyard. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app (check "Install our app!", below).
• Sunday 2 January (Epiphany), 11:00 am: International Student Mass. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app.
• Tuesday 4 January 2022, 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Christmas Living Room at Maranatha. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app.
• Thursday 6 January, 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Christmas Living Room at Maranatha. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app.
• Sunday 9 January, 11:00 am: International Student Mass. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app.
• Sunday 16 January, 11:00 am: International Student Mass. Register yourself in the MijnRKK app.

Like last year, also during this year's Christmas break, 'Maranatha' will be open for several days with a 'community' function for members of the academic community.

On Dec 28, Dec 30, Jan 4. and 6 Jan., as a student or university employee, you can come to Maranatha to read, play a game or talk by the burning stove. At around 6 pm, we have dinner together.

A maximum of 8 people can participate. To be sure of a place, register in the MijnRKK app (see 'Install our app!').

If you wish to have a personal talk about anything (grief, joy, identity or loneliness), or simply for a cup of coffee, meet the chaplain, Fr Michael Peeters, at 'Maranatha' student church, Prof. Cobbenhagenlaan 19 (next to the Sports center; from the campus, go three hundred meters towards the city center; the church is on the left-hand side of the road), or in a video call. In order to make an appointment, please send an email to chaplain@tilburguniversity.edu, containing a number of time slots that suit you, preferably on Monday, Thursday or Friday in the afternoon, and also indicate whether you want to come 'in person' or if you want to talk on Zoom. You will receive a proposal for an appointment by e-mail, which you then should confirm.

In emergencies, call the chaplain at any time at 06-10405358.

Due to the covid-19 situation, from Monday 6 December there won't be any off-line activities at 'Maranatha' between 5 pm and 5 am Therefore, for the time being, the Maranatha evenings are suspended.

An easy and nice way to see if the Chaplaincy is something for you, is to participate in one of the Maranatha evenings, (almost) every Thursday (not in July and Augusts).

Maranatha evenings are cultural evenings, starting with a meal at 6:30 p.m., followed by a movie, listening together to a piece of (classical) music, getting to know a great work of art or literature, or a discussion about a theme. The evenings are held in English.

In the months of September, May and June ,the Maranatha evenings are in the form of a Bike Tour in and around Tilburg. They start at 6:00 p.m. (the meal is then after the tour). Bring your own bike!

To participate, you should register by Wednesday, either in our app MijnRKK (see below), or by sending an e-mail to chaplainnl@protonmail.com. For the meal, a contribution of 5 euro is asked (drinks not included). Please bring this in cash. (Note: the meal is only for those who participate in the entire Maranatha evening; and if you register but do not show up (or cancel on Thursday), you still have to pay the 5 euros, because the purchases are already made).

Program 2021-2022:

Due to the covid-19 situation, for the time being there aren't any off-line activities at 'Maranatha' between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. Therefore, school of community is being held online, in zoom. You can find the zoom link in the MijnRKK app (see elsewhere on this page).

What is the relationship between my study and the rest of my life? How can I grow without being alienated by sterile specialization? Can we say something about the ultimate meaning of things? Can religious faith possibly be reasonable?

These and other fundamental questions are treated critically and systematically during a weekly 'School of community', every Friday from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (not in August) at 'Maranatha' student church (Prof. Cobbenhagenlaan 19). Come and participate freely.

On Monday from 1 pm to 5:00 p.m., and from Tuesday to Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., you can study in Maranatha's library or meeting room.

Coffee, tea, and Wifi, are available. You can bring and eat your own lunch. Of course, bring your own textbooks and laptop.

From Tuesday to Friday, you should arrive before 8:45 am. If you come later, you can only be allowed in when others are already studying.

Maximum number of people: 14. Don't leave things behind. Clean up food scraps and the like very well.

Access can be denied without public justification.

Not in the week after Easter, the months of July and August, and the weeks 52, 53, 1, 2, and 3.

Due to the covid-19 restrictions, there are no off-line activities at 'Maranatha' between 5:00 pm and 5:00 am.

Therefore, the Sunday Holy Masses, for the time being, will take place at 11:00 am. These can be followed in live-streaming, too: live.haplain.nl.

Weekday Masses are, from Monday to Friday, at 8:15 am (except on 15 December: on that day, the "Golden Mass" will be at 7:15 am)

The university chaplain is also parish priest of Catholic student parish 'Maranatha' (Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 19).

Holy Mass on Sundays

The Sunday Holy Mass of Tilburg University Chaplaincy  is at 11:00 am.

The Mass is alternately in English (odd week numbers) and Dutch (even week numbers). However, the booklet, the homily, and the announcements, are always in both languages; therefore, English-speaking people can always follow the entire service.

Holy Mass on Christian holy days

On the following Christian holy days during the academic year 2021-2022, there are extra celebrations:

• Monday, 1 November, All Saints: International Student Mass at 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, 2 November, All Souls: International Student Mass at 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday, 54 December, Christmas: International Student Mass at 11:00 a.m.
• Saturday, 1 January 2022, New Year: International Student Mass at 11:00 a.m.
• Wednesday, 2 March, Ash Wednesday: International Student Mass at 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday, 14 April, Maundy Thursday: Mass of the Lord's Supper at 8 p.m.
• Friday, 15 April, Good Friday: Way of the Cross at 2 p.m.; Good Friday Liturgy at 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, 16 April, Easter Vigil at 9:30 p.m.
• Thursday, 26 May, Ascension: International Student Mass in English at 5:00 p.m.

Holy Mass on weekdays

(From 1 September until 24 December 2021, from 24 January until 8 April 2022, and from 25 April until 30 June 2022)

On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, at 8:15 am, there is a short weekday Holy Mass at Maranatha. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the Mass is in English, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, it’s in Dutch.

Install our app!

Install the app MijnRKK to receive access to Tilburg University Chaplaincy's and University parish Maranatha's updated Agenda. After installation, choose as "Mijn parochie" (= "My parish"): "Studentenkerk Maranatha". Then you can enter the app as a guest. To get access to the entire app, including the Agenda, then choose at the bottom of the menu the option "Lid worden" (= "Become an app member"). After a few days University parish Maranatha will invite you to become an app member. Then you can use the entire app, including the updated Agenda.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be received at 'Maranatha' on appointment with the student chaplain, and also, without appointment, every Sunday at 10:30 am at 'Maranatha' (Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 19).

Other Sacraments

The chaplain is also available for preparation for and administration of the other Sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Sacrament of the Sick) for members of the university community.

The church is open

Daily, except on Saturdays, university church 'Maranatha' is open from 8:00am until 6:00pm for visits and prayers.

A small polyphonic choir with a beautiful, international repertoire, accompanies the International Student Mass. It rehearses every Sunday at 10 am at 'Maranatha', Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 19. If you like to sing, just come and join!

Tilburg University Chaplaincy organizes

• excursions to Tongerlo Abbey (9 October 2021), St.John's Cathedral in 's-Hertogenbosch (5 February 2022), 'Catholic Amsterdam', with the Silent Procession (Stille Omgang) (19 March 2022), and to the Holy Land (10-17 April 2023)
• a study weekend in the exams period (26-28 November 2021)
• a day of Spiritual Exercises at the beginning of Lent, for students and young professionals (12 March 2022);
• an all-day proposal to live together Maundy Thursday and Good Friday (14-15 April 2022);
• a Pilgrimage on bike to Scherpenheuvel (Belgium) at the end of the academic year (25-26 June 2022)
• charity activities
• many other things

Feel free to come by to see what's happening!

A hospitable inn

The meeting room of student church 'Maranatha' regularly opens its doors for activities by students and student associations. Do not hesitate to ask about the possibilities.

Install our app MijnRKK in order to receive access to Tilburg University Chaplaincy's and University parish Maranatha's updated Agenda and to register easily for all activities.

To get full access to this app, including the Agenda, you need to send an e-mail to our secretariat (chaplainnl@protonmail.com); indicate whether you are a student or employee of Tilburg University or another institution of higher education, and/or that you attend the activities or celebrations of Maranatha, and that you want full access to the app. You will then be invited by us to join the app for free.

University chaplain Fr Michael Peeters (1976) studied Slavonic languages and Law at Leiden University. After a year of working at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he went to Rome in 2001 to study philosophy and theology.

Since 2007 he is a Catholic priest and from 2006 until 2011 he worked in Russia: first in Siberia and then in Moscow.

In 2011 he came back to the Netherlands, and he is the chaplain of Tilburg University since September 2012.

University church 'Maranatha'

Prof. Cobbenhagenlaan 19

5037 DB  Tilburg

Telephone: 013-4675302

E-mail: chaplainnl@protonmail.com

Opening hours church: Sunday-Friday from 8 am until 6 pm

Opening hours secretariat: Mondays and Thursdays from 9 am until 12 pm

Bank account: IBAN NL76RABO0354297589; Subject: 'R.K. Par. Wederkomst van Chr."

• Route description
• Campus Map

Would you like to be kept informed of all the activities of our Chaplaincy and be able to register easily?

Then install our 'MijnRKK' app!

Instructions: see above under 'Install our app!'

You can also follow us on social media:

• Instagram @tilburguniversitychaplaincy
• Facebook @studentenkerkmaranatha
• Twitch @chaplainnl
• Twitter @chaplainnl

You can also become a member of Facebook group Tilburg University Chaplaincy.