Jozef Koeken (1921-2020)
Born in Zundert (B) on January 30, 1921
First vows on September 1, 1941
Missionary in DR Congo (AFA) and Belgium
Died in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (B) on November 21, 2020 at the age of 99.
Our brother Jozef (Jef) Koeken lived almost a full century. Jef himself did not attach much importance to this record of longevity. He grew up with his eight brothers and sisters on the farm in a warm Christian family.
Jef's vocationa story is similar to that of Andrew and Simon (Mt 4:18-22). He grew mostly in the company of two of his brothers: his twin brother Jaak, who is still alive, and another brother, a CICM, Theodoor Koeken (1918-2003.)
Jef's first departure for the Kasai Province took place in 1947. He carried out various tasks in several mission posts, mainly construction projects. In 1970, for health reasons, he returned definitively to Belgium and lived in the community of Schilde. There, he was able to flourish by exercising all kinds of jobs fully, both inside and outside the community: carpenter, pig farmer, shoemaker, forest manager, road worker, market gardener, community supplies, orchard maintenance, fruit picking, etc. In the field of recreation, Brother Jef was a fierce card player and also a joker. Above all else, he examined his life and his whole being in prayer. Until the last moment of his life, Jef could be found with his rosary in his hand.
A niece of Brother Jef writes: “My uncle was a strong man, and despite his increasing deafness and advanced age, he remained an interesting storyteller with a sharp mind”.
On November 19, Jef returned from the hospital. It was for the whole community, a liberation, a joy, an assurance, and “almost a homecoming”. He calmed down on the eve of his death: acceptance, serenity, reconciliation, peace, self-sacrifice, prayer, comfort, sincerity, courage, and encounter. The next morning, in the most profound silence, he heard a voice telling him: “Come, blessed of the Lord”. May Brother Jef now rest in the peace of the Lord. ■
Karel Timmerman
