" Congregation of the Brothers of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

'In peace I now find rest and sleep,
for you are the One to me,
You, the only One, surely! ' (Psalm 4)

After a life full of goodness and peace, we announce to you that has returned to his Creator in peace:

Brother JOS STRAATES FIC
Joseph Jacobus

He was born in Amsterdam on July 24, 1935.
He made his profession in our Congregation on August 15, 1956 and took the name Bernold.
On August 16, 2020 he passed away at the Residential Care Centre De Beyart in Maastricht.

Saying goodbye to fellow human beings is sometimes very difficult. As a dear family member and fellow brother of Jos, this is also quite a task for us. For a noble man has left us. We will really miss this endearing, kind and good-natured man.

Jos radiated kindness and a certain distinction at every encounter and conversation. After his entry in our Congregation, he was allowed to work at the "Institute for the Deaf" in Sint Michielsgestel. He was a beloved teacher by the boys in his group. He worked here from 1959 to 1979.

In 1980 he responded to the call of our Superior General to apply to make a contribution in one of our areas outside the Netherlands. He showed his craftsmanship, but especially his being a good person, in Ghana, where he worked as a teacher at several schools until 1995. After his return to the Netherlands he was our fellow brother in the communities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and De Beyart successively. Despite his diminishing mental capacities, he remained a precious person to all of us.

We say goodbye to him, in private, during the celebration in the chapel of De Beyart on Friday, August 21, starting at 10.30 am. Then we put him to rest at our cemetery near the Anjoulaan in Maastricht.

On behalf of the FIC Congregation and the Bernardus community:
Bro. Wim Luiten, Superior, Brusselsestraat 38, 6211 PG Maastricht "

So far the mourning card.
For a photograph of Bro. Jos you are referred to the attachment.
May he rest in the peace of the Lord.