Fr. Willy Vanhaelewyn (1939-2024)
Born in Roeselare on October 12, 1939.
First vows on September 8, 1959.
Ordained priest on August 2, 1964.
Missionary in D.R. Congo (Lisala) and Belgium.
Died in Torhout on June 16, 2024, at the age of 84.
It's no coincidence that Father Willy was elected "burgomaster" during his student years in Leuven. It was a community where everyone could discover and develop his talents: bookbinding, carpentry, flower care, bird breeding, music, or painting. With a few kindred spirits, he produced the linocuts for the priestly ordination souvenir cards of many of his confreres. With his warmth and humor, Willy brought the community to life. He was not a man who wrote complicated texts. He loved simple words. He was fond of short texts that sometimes had to be put in the correct order to be understood.
In 1965, Father Willy left for the Congo. Here, too, he was the man who brought people together and inspired them. Like Jesus, he found his way among people, sharing their joys and sorrows. Like Jesus, he is in life, fragile, poor, powerless, and sometimes misunderstood. Yet he radiates an inspiration, a message that makes people happy.
He arrived in Lisala. Like everyone else, it began with language study: a lesson in quiet humility. After that, he spent years as a "village priest," traveling every day to show people that they were important to God's new world. This was after the Second Vatican Council. Willy felt the need to delve deeper into the changes in the Church's thinking and action. He therefore spent a year studying in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). From 1971 to 1982, he was the director of the Bobadi Catechetical Center.
He was then elected provincial superior. For nine years, he visited, encouraged, stimulated, and comforted his confreres during the turbulent years in Zaire/Congo. Together with the bishops, he tried to plan for the future. From 1992 to 1997 - after his terms as Provincial Superior- he worked as a parish priest in Yakamba and Gwaka. This necessitated special attention to the language of the region.
In Belgium, they haven't forgotten Willy and his abilities. In 1997, they called on him to work there. He became the rector of the CICM community in Schilde, but not for long. In 1999, he became Provincial Superior of North Belgium and the Netherlands twice for three years. His abilities as a moderator, having optimism, and sense of humor were very useful. After six years, he briefly did parish work in Egem. In 2007, he moved in with the confreres at the Maison de Courtrai. By then, he had reached the age of 68.
For 16 years, he worked for the Sisters of the Lycée de Notre-Dame de Flandre and the Heilig Hart Nursing Home in Kortrijk. He remained concerned with people's well-being, even if he did not always show it. If he felt it was necessary, he could make some hard-hitting remarks. These years were undoubtedly a period of deepening, as many of his texts are rooted in current affairs. However precise his pen and brush, he was no dreamer. He was a realist who could take responsibility.
In 2023, Father Willy retired to the community of Torhout, where he was gradually finding his way. He was a much-appreciated confrere. On the morning of Sunday, June 16, 2024, he gave us quite a fright: he died beside his bed. Help was no longer needed.
"The Lord has overtaken me invisibly on my winding paths so that he can wait for me again and again. I don't understand; I'm surprised every time I meet him. It makes me happy." This is what it says on his souvenir picture.
Father Willy, so many people are grateful to you.
- Arnold Quartier §
