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| Father Norbert Jansen |
Gerardus MA Jansen, also known as Father Norbert
Gerardus Marie Antonius Jansen (cloister name Father Norbertus) brought the dynamic of phenomenological approach in theology to bear upon twentieth century religious and spiritual education. His unique spiritual vision continues to influence pastoral and ministerial training, as well as offer international resource within university libraries and dissertations. Fr Jansen's educational approach developed from 1954 from experimental residential theological education to correspondence theological education, bother nationally and abroad. The culmination of Fr Jansen's theological education lifework was the integration of the theology correspondence course into the Theological Education by Extension College in Southern Africa.
The Dutch Dominican collaborated with other Dominicans in a correspondence course in theology which became known as TEE - theological education by extension. [1] Later he became "more or less its exclusive editor". [2] Theology correspondence courses from South Africa reached both national and international students as far afield as America through postal services and media of the time. In 1976 the resultant theological educational structure culminated in the handing over of the course to an ecumenical board.
Tireless and dedicated priest
Gerardus MA Jansen was born in 1907 in Utrecht, Netherlands. He entered the Dominican Order, was professed with the name of Father Norbertus in 1926, and was ordained in 1931. [3] In 1933 he was sent as missionary to the Free State in South Africa. [4] Having arrived in South Africa at the age of twenty-six, Fr Jansen initially criss-crossed the vast Free State region on a bicycle until he eventually was supplied with a car. [5] Fr Jansen was a tireless and dedicated priest who perceived the need for both temporal and spiritual education.
Military chaplaincy and early authorship
Developments in world politics then affected Father Jansen's personal mission. In February 1942 he left for Egypt where he served as military chaplain. Fr Jansen eventually returned to South Africa. In 1947 he became Dominican vicar provincial. His pastoral concern and theological ability began to express themselves in the public domain. He wrote a series of essays which were printed in the South African Catholic Times, and were published under the title "Money is Sterile". The book questioned the role of credit creation in the modern economy.
Theological correspondence education 1954-1962
Fr Jansen's pastoral presence was deeply valued by his parishioners, and he was known as a dedicated and charitable priest. He continued to read and reflect, meet with parishioners and debate various issues. Fr Jansen came to the conclusion that no structured training for women's theological education existed within the Catholic church. This was partly responsible for his setting about filling this gap by starting his correspondence lectures. Father considered that there should be an apostolate for the theological advancement of women. [8] Fr Jansen was an able theologian with excellent grounding in the philosophical theology of St Thomas Aquinas. He was thus well equipped for the next major development in the church of Southern Africa - the development of an extension theology course.
Bishop van Velsen
In 1954 a Congress of religious sisters of all congregations working within South Africa, feeling the need for theological training, asked Bishop van Velsen OP, DD, for a correspondence course in theology. The result was that at the suggestion of van Velsen, Fr Jansen was asked to co-ordinate the project. Fr Jansen took a keen active part in editing this new course, at first in collaboration with other Dominicans, later more or less as its exclusive editor. How deeply the need was felt for this training in theology was proved by the fact that by 1966 thousands of students had been enrolled and had taken part in the three-year course of theology and in the supplementary courses in Scripture and sociology. Nonetheless many students dropped out because they did not feel at home with Scholastic theology [9] - a situation Father Jansen remedied with the introduction of a phenomenological approach to theology.
1. Blaser, Fr Emil, OP. "Dominican Voortrekkers". #OP-SA, Newsletter of the Dominican Order in Southern Africa, Issue 1. June/July 2018
2. Jansen, GMA, OP. An existential approach to theology, The Bruce Publishing company: Milwaukee, 1966, vii-viii
3. Argiefinventaris Dominicanen (Erfgoedcentrum Nederlands Kloosterlevn. 9250 Pater G.M.A. Jansen. Accessed 29 November 2019.
4. Denis, Philippe. The Dominican Friars in Southern Africa: A Social History, ;1577 - 1990. Brill: The Netherlands. 1998. 161-162
5. Whittle, Luky, PhD. Catholicism in Virginia from its beginning until 2008. Virginia: South Africa. 2008. 23
6. Brain, JB. Patience our daily bread. Kimberley; Catholic Bishops of Kimberley and the Free State. Kohlers Carton and Print: Pinetown South Africa. 1996. 202
7. Whittle, Luky, PhD. Catholicism in Virginia from its beginning until 2008. Virginia: South Africa. 2008. 23
8. Interview with Dr Luky Whittle, PhD. Kroonstad: South Africa. 2019
9. Jansen, GMA, OP. An existential approach to theology, The Bruce Publishing company: Milwaukee, 1966, viii
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