The Most Reverend

Bernd Wallet
Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht
ChurchOld Catholic Church
Dutch Reformed Church (formerly)
ArchdioceseOld Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht
Elected15 February 2020
In office2020 to present
PredecessorJoris Vercammen
Orders
Ordination2007
by Joris Vercammen
Consecration18 September 2021
by Dirk Schoon
Personal details
Born
Barend Theodoor Wallet

(1971-02-27) February 27, 1971 (age 52)
Middelburg, Netherlands

Bernd Wallet serves as the 84th Archbishop of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands. Elected on 15 February 2020,[1][2] he was consecrated on 18 September 2021, after two delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

Life and career

The son of a pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church, Wallet converted to Old Catholicism and completed his theological studies at the University of Hull in 2005 and from the Old Catholic Seminary in Amersfoort in 2006. He was ordained a deacon in 2006 by Archbishop John Sentamu of the Anglican Diocese of York. One year later, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Joris Vercammen at St. Gertrude Cathedral in Utrecht.[4]

From 2007 to 2010, Wallet served as assistant curate in Northallerton, in the Diocese of York. Upon his return to the Netherlands, he served as personal assistant to Archbishop Vercammen, responsible for external relations with other Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht and the Anglican Church.[5]

Wallet served as pastor of St. Gertrude Cathedral in Utrecht from 2015 to 2020.[6] On 15 February 2020, he was elected Archbishop of Utrecht by the Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht. At that time, he shared, "I want to challenge our parishes to be open houses for those in their areas...We must continue to be open to society and testify with joy to the hope that is in us."[7]

His episcopal consecration was first scheduled for 21 June, but postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] On 23 October 2020, the Metropolitan Chapter of Utrecht announced that the consecration, which had been scheduled for 7 November 2020 (the Feast of St Willibrord, the first bishop of Utrecht), had to be cancelled a second time.[9] He was eventually consecrated as a bishop on 18 September 2021 in the Lebuïnuskerk in Deventer by Old Catholic bishop Dirk Schoon, with bishops Matthias Ring (Catholic Diocese of the Old-Catholics in Germany) and Robert Innes (Church of England) acting as co-consecrators; bishops of the Church of England, the Episcopal Church, and the Church of Sweden participated in the consecration as well, while the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church of the Netherlands and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople send some delegates without taking part in the ceremony.[10][11] He was enthroned on the following day in St. Gertrude's Cathedral in Utrecht.[10]

Wallet is married and has children.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Bernd Wallet verkozen tot nieuwe aartsbisschop van Utrecht". oudkatholiek.nl (in Dutch). Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Bernd Wallet verkozen tot nieuwe aartsbisschop Oud-Katholieke Kerk". Friesch Dagblad (in Dutch). 17 February 2020. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Utrechter Union - Episcopal Consecration and Enthronement of Mgr. Bernd Wallet, Archbishop of Utrecht". www.utrechter-union.org. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Bernd Wallet verkozen tot nieuwe aartsbisschop van Utrecht". oudkatholiek.nl (in Dutch). Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Bernd Wallet verkozen tot nieuwe aartsbisschop van Utrecht". oudkatholiek.nl (in Dutch). Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Bernd Wallet verkozen tot nieuwe aartsbisschop van Utrecht". oudkatholiek.nl (in Dutch). Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  7. ^ de Jong, Piet. "Nieuwe aartsbisschop Bernd Wallet: 'Ik wil parochies uitdagen een open huis te zijn voor mensen in hun omgeving'". Nederlands Dagblad. Nederlands Dagblad. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Bisschopswijding Bernd Wallet uitgesteld". oudkatholiek.nl (in Dutch). Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland. 25 April 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Wijding aartsbisschop opnieuw uitgesteld". oudkatholiek.nl (in Dutch). Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland. 23 October 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Utrechter Union - Episcopal Consecration and Enthronement of Mgr. Bernd Wallet, Archbishop of Utrecht". www.utrechter-union.org. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Mons. Bernd Wallet consacrato vescovo – Christkatholische Kirche der Schweiz" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  12. ^ "De Oud-Katholieke Kerk heeft een nieuwe aartsbisschop: Bernd Wallet (48)". noordhollandsdagblad.nl (in Dutch). Noordhollands Dagblad. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
Old Catholic Church titles Preceded byJoris Vercammen 2000-2020 Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht 2020-present Succeeded byIncumbent


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