The Provincial Chapter of the Province of the Netherlands took place from May 5-8, 2026. The chapter participants gathered in the beautiful retreat center at Franciscushuis (Denekamp).
This was a very special chapter. In addition to the members of the Dutch Province, five Carmelite friars from the Province of the Philippines and one Carmelite friar from the Eastern Indonesian Province were also attending the chapter as guests. Both of these Carmelite provinces in Asia have had a long connection with the Netherlands as it was Dutch Carmelites who first brought a Carmelite presence to these countries. At this point in time, the Province of the Netherlands is exploring a greater union with the Province of the Philippines with a view to perhaps even becoming a provincial commissariat of the Philippines Province.
Last February, two Dutch Carmelites attended the Provincial Chapter in the Philippines and made a presentation on the situation of the Dutch Province. This time, Noel Rosas, O. Carm, prior provincial of the Province of the Philippines, travelled to the Netherlands and made a presentation on the history and reality of his province. He expressed enormous gratitude for the work that the Dutch Carmelites had done in beginning the Carmelite presence in the Philippines some 68 years previously.
Presiding at the Eucharist on Thursday morning, the prior general, Desiderio García Martínez, O. Carm., reminded those present that the mystics insist that ‘flexibility’ is one of the signs of spiritual maturity. He noted that the Carmelite Saint Mary Madalene de’ Pazzi said that the Holy Spirit is the “super glue” that binds us to the love of Jesus for long time even when there is not a time of consolation (cf. John 15:9-11: remain in my love) in periods of “spiritual seismic activity.” The prior general said to the participants, “Don’t be afraid, everything begins and ends with the love of God.”
The recreation on the final night of the chapter was both enjoyable and memorable with a real international flavor. Overall, while many questions and some doubts remain, the participants left the chapter feeling both thankful for the week together and hopeful for the future of Carmel in the Netherlands. As one participant commented, “It was a grace-filled moment.” At the end of the Chapter, the prior general observed that “something new is being born in the Dutch Province.”
In light of this delicate moment and process of transition (alongside the diminishing numbers of the members in the Netherlands), the prior general and general council agreed to the request of the province to have only two provincial councillors for the next three years (alongside the members of the extended council).
During the chapter were elected:
Prior Provincial | Prior Provincial | Priore Provinciale
Huub Welzen, O. Carm.
1st Councilor | 1er Consejero | 1o Consigliere
Ton van der Gulik, O. Carm.
2nd Councilor | 2do Consejero | 2o Consigliere
Simon Taa, O. Carm.
Extended Council Members | Miembros del Consejo Ampliado | Membri del Consiglio Allargato
Anne-Marie Bos, O. Carm.
Minie Pasop, O. Carm.
