Tilburg University Chaplaincy

What have you seen so far in the Netherlands?

Tilburg University Chaplaincy offers to new (and 'old') students, and other people involved with "Maranatha," a unique excursion by train and foot to one of the highlights of the country where you'll spend a significant part of your life!

Most people know Maastricht as the birthplace of the Maastricht Treaty and the euro. Less are aware that it's one of the oldest (> 2000 years of continuous history) and most beautiful cities of the Netherlands, surrounded by a hilly landscape that is quite "un-Dutch".

On Saturday 1 October, at 9:15 am we'll gather at platform 1 of train station Tilburg. We'll travel to Maastricht by train. Once there, from the railway station, we'll make a 13 km walk through city and nature: we'll see the St Servatius Bridge (the oldest of the Netherlands), the Vrijthof square, the romanesque basilica of St Servatius, the Protestant church of St John, the old city center, the Jeker river, then we'll climb the highest mountain of the Netherlands - Mt St Peter, 107 meters high! - and after a stroll through the fields we'll get back to the city center with its old water mills and the beloved medieval basilica of Our Lady, Star of the Sea. At a beautiful spot, we'll eat our picnic.

Bring your walking shoes!

We plan to take the train back from Maastricht at 5:31 pm and get back to Tilburg railway station at 7:05 pm.

A great way to know a new city and make new friends.

Contribution: EUR 15,00 for BA/MA students; EUR 22,00 for others. Including: train and entrance tickets.

If you have free travel by train, or if you'll get to Maastricht by yourself, you may subtract EUR 12,50 from this amount.

Register by 28 September, by filling this form: maastricht.chaplain.nl

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.

Important: after installing the app, you'll be asked to create an account (you'll need to confirm the e-mail you receive). Then select, within the app, “Studentenkerk Maranatha.” Finally, go to the Menu and choose the option “Become a Member.” After a short time you'll be granted full access to the app, including its Agenda.

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.

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 August).

Maranatha evenings are cultural evenings, starting with a meal at 6:30 pm, 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.

To participate, you need to sign up no later than Wednesday via our app MijnRKK (see above). For the meal, a contribution of 7 euro is asked (this includes the drinks with the meal). This amount should be transferred by Wednesday to iban NL76RABO0354297589, stating your first and last name and the date of the Maranatha evening. You can also deposit the amount in cash in a sealed envelope, with your first and last name and the date of the Maranatha evening written on it, in the mailbox of Maranatha, no later than Wednesday. 

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 7 euro, because the purchases are already made).

A maximum of 12 people can participate in the meal. If the meal is fully booked, you can participate in the second part of the program after the meal, at 7:45 pm.

Find coming Thursday's program in the app!

Do you enjoy cooking? Then sign up to prepare the meal, by sending an e-mail to chaplainnl@protonmail.com, a few days before the Maranatha evening. Thursday morning you will hear how many participants there are. You will then do the shopping yourself (just the food, not the drinks), and will be reimbursed the amount for it (and you yourself will eat for free that time).

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 pm to 9:00 pm at Maranatha (but it is also possible to participate in zoom. Find the zoom link in the MijnRKK app).

Come and participate freely!

From Monday to Friday from 8:45 am to 5:00 pm, you can study in Maranatha's library. There is coffee and tea, as well as a place to eat your lunch. You don't need to make a reservation, but you do need to check in between 8:45 and 9:00 am! So get up early, but then you can work fine!

Not in the week after Easter, the months of July and August, and the weeks 52, 53, 1, 2, and 3. Access can be denied without public justification.

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 5:00 pm.

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 2022-2023, there are extra celebrations:

• Monday, 15 August 2022, Assumption: International Student Mass at 5:30 pm.
• Tuesday,  1 November, All Saints: International Student Mass at 5:30 pm.
• Wednesday, 2 November, All Souls: International Student Mass at 5:30 pm.
• Wednesday, 14 December, Gulden Mis ('Golden Mass') at 5:30 pm.
• Saturday, 24 December, Christmas night: Christmas Midnight Mass at 11:00 pm.
• Wednesday, 22 February, Ash Wednesday: International Student Mass at 5:30 pm.
• Thursday, 6 April, Maundy Thursday: Mass of the Lord's Supper at 8:00 pm.
• Friday, 7 April, Good Friday: Good Friday Liturgy at 3:00 pm and Way of the Cross on the Campus at 5:00 pm
• Saturday, 8 April, Easter Vigil at 9:30 pm.
• Thursday, 18 May, Ascension: International Student Mass in English at 5:00 pm.
• Tuesday, 15 August 2023, Assumption: International Student Mass at 5:30 pm.

Holy Mass on weekdays

(From 31 August until 23 December 2022, from 23 January until 31 March 2023, and from 17 April until 30 June 2023)

On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, at 8:15 am, there is a short weekday Holy Mass at Maranatha. On Wednesdays, the Mass is at 5:30 pm.

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 short time 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 from 4:45 pm until 6:00 pm 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 8:00 until 6:00 pm for visits and prayers.

A small polyphonic choir with a beautiful, international repertoire, accompanies the International Student Mass. It rehearses every Sunday at 4:00 pm at 'Maranatha', Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 19. If you like to sing, just come and join!

Tilburg University Chaplaincy organizes

• a bike tour "Beauty of Tilburg", concluded with the International Student Mass, and a barbecue, on Sunday, 11 September at 2:00 pm (especially for new students!). Bring your own bike!
• excursions to Maastricht (1 October 2022), St. John's Cathedral in 's-Hertogenbosch (11 February 2023), and "Catholic Amsterdam," with the Silent Procession (Stille Omgang) (18 March 2023)
• a study weekend in the exams period (2-4 December 2022)
• a day of Spiritual Exercises at the beginning of Lent, for students and young professionals (4 March 2023);
• an all-day proposal to live together Maundy Thursday and Good Friday (6-7 March 2023);
• a Pilgrimage on bike to Scherpenheuvel (Belgium) at the end of the academic year (24-25 June 2023)
• 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.

Don't come to Maranatha if

• you have complaints that are compatible with corona or when you have tested positive for COVID-19;
• your household member has complaints that are compatible with COVID-19 or if your household member tested positive for COVID-19;
• you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19;
• you come back from a risk area indicated by the Dutch government and there is a compulsory home quarantine.

The Sunday Holy Masses (at 5:00 pm) are also broadcast via live streaming at live.chaplain.nl.

Some activities are hybrid (i.e. you can follow them both at Maranatha and online). More information on our app (see below: 'Have you already installed our app?') or via our secretariat: chaplainnl@protonmail.com.

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 secretariat: chaplainnl@protonmail.com

Opening hours secretariat: Monday and Thursday from 9 am until 12 pm

Opening hours church: Sunday-Friday from 8 am until 6 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 'Have you already installed our app?'

You can also follow us on social media:

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