Born in
Nijkerk, Bernardus Johannes Alfrink was the youngest son of Theodorus Johannes Alfrink and his wife, Elisabeth Catharina Ossenvoort. His mother died in 1901 at the birth of his two younger twin sisters (both of whom also died after a few months), after which Bernardus was cared for by a childless aunt from neighboring
Barneveld for the next three years. The priest who baptized him was Father Johannes Verstege. Alfrink received his
first Communion in 1911. After attending the minor seminary in
Culemborg, he enrolled in the
seminary at
Rijsenburg, and, eventually attended the
Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He was
ordained to the priesthood on 15 August 1924 by Archbishop
Henricus van de Wetering. He completed his studies at the École Biblique in
Jerusalem in 1930, the same year he was appointed chaplain in
Maarssen. He also did
pastoral work in
Utrecht until 1933. Alfrink taught at the Seminary of Rijsenburg (1933–1945) and later the
Catholic University of Nijmegen (1945–1951). On 28 May 1951, he was appointed
Coadjutor Archbishop of
Utrecht and
Titular Archbishop of
Tyana. Alfrink received his
episcopal consecration on the following 17 July from Archbishop
Paolo Giobbe, papal
internuncio in
The Hague, with Bishops Willem Lemmens and Jan Smit serving as
co-consecrators, in
Saint Catherine's Cathedral. Alfrink succeeded Cardinal
Johannes de Jong as
Archbishop of Utrecht on 31 October 1955 and was named
Apostolic vicar of the Catholic
Military vicariate of the Netherlands on 16 April 1957. He contributed to
scientific publications, led the
Pax Christi movement in the Netherlands, and was created
Cardinal-Priest of
San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello by
Pope John XXIII in the
consistory of 28 March 1960. From 1962 to 1965, the Dutch
primate participated at the
Second Vatican Council, and sat on its Board of Presidency. During one session of the council, Alfrink had Cardinal
Alfredo Ottaviani's microphone turned off after the latter exceeded his time limit. Alfrink was one of the
cardinal electors in the
1963 papal conclave, which selected
Pope Paul VI. Along with Cardinal
Giovanni Colombo, he assisted Cardinal
Achille Liénart in delivering one of the closing messages of the council on 8 December 1965. After the first meeting between Church and Freemasonry which had been held on 11 April 1969 at the convent of the Divine Master in
Ariccia, he was the protagonist of a series of public handshakes between high prelates of the Roman Catholic Church and the heads of
Freemasonry. In 1970, he led the Dutch Pastoral Council in calling for the end of the ban on married priests, and admitting women to the priesthood. He served as President of the
Episcopal Conference of the Netherlands. Resigning as Utrecht's archbishop on 6 December 1975, he later
voted in the
conclaves of
August and
October 1978, which selected
Popes John Paul I and
John Paul II respectively. During the last years of his life, Alfrink lived, with his housekeeper Dora, in a bungalow at
Dijnselburg near
Huis ter Heide. The bungalow was called "Dora et Labora" by the Cardinal. It was specifically designed for him. He reappeared in public when Pope John Paul II visited the cardinal in 1985 during a papal visit to
Benelux. Bernardus Johannes Cardinal Alfrink died in
Nieuwegein at age 87, and after his funeral services in St. Catharine's Cathedral, was buried at St. Barbara's cemetery, next to his predecessor. ==Views==