Why I wrote this book
I come from a very devout and committed Catholic family. I was born in Surabaia, Indonesia, in 1935, from Dutch parents. My father had started off as a teacher in general colonial service, but he secured transfer to the Catholic missionary school system. He became headmaster of two Catholic schools. My parents who attended daily mass whenever possible to the end of their lives, looked after an outstation in the outskirts of Surabaia where a priest used to say mass every Sunday for the local population.
When, after World War II, I chose to become a missionary priest, I did so with the sincerest of intentions. I solemnly decided to commit myself one hundred percent unreservedly utterly and wholeheartedly to lifelong service as a Catholic priest and missionary. I confided to my spiritual director: “I want to be radical in my commitment to God. Absolutely radical.” And I have never given up on the substance of that original decision.
I obtained my doctorate in theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. During my twenty years’ ministry in India I founded a communications centre (Amruthavani), a training institute for religious sisters (Jeevan Jyothi) and a mission support service for all the dioceses of Andhra Pradesh (Jyotirmai). My book Background to the Gospels became a standard handbook in seminaries and juniorates. I initiated a feature-length film on the life of Christ (Karunamayudu) in four languages which ran in Indian cinemas for years and wrote the script for an illustrated life of Christ in the Amar Chitra Katha series which was published in ten Indian languages and sold in millions of copies.
As vicar general of the Mill Hill Missionaries I got to know the Church not only in Europe and North America, but also in many Asian, African and Latin American countries. Of the 34 books I have written, 25 are on biblical spirituality. Experiencing Jesus and Inheriting the Master’s Cloak saw a wide distribution. The Walking on Water series for adult faith formation, for which I wrote the handbooks and the scripts for accompanying stories on video, was translated into 14 languages and used worldwide.
I am telling you this not because I claim to be a saint – believe me I am not! – but because it shows that I care about the Christian faith and the Catholic community. And if you really care about something, it may require tough action.
Pointing our mistakes
Jesus was a gentle and kind man. He preached forgiveness, tolerance, love. But on occasion he could be angry. This happened when he saw the abuses going on in the most sacred of places, the temple of Jerusalem. His indignation boiled up because he cared. He made a whip and drove the merchants out of the temple court. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. And he said to the temple authorities: “Does scripture not say: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have turned it into a den of thieves!” (Mark 11,15-19).
When Jesus reprimanded the spiritual leaders of his time (see also Matthew 23,1-25), did he not set us an example?
I came across a number of serious defects in church practices and teachings during my life-long committed ministry. In my memoir I mention them. As I unwind the story of my life I document these defects and suggest remedies. I formulate them as ‘Ten Commandments for Church Reform’.
The Catholic Church is providing a life-saving service to millions of people around the world. The message that God is love makes life meaningful for innumerable people. Belief that God’s transcendent reality touches us through tangible images brings a ray of light in our secular existence. Sacraments such as baptism, confession and the Eucharist open a window to an unfathomable spiritual dimension. I admire and respect the dedication of tens of thousands of bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters, and lay leaders all over the world.
If you care, as I do, then please read my book and recommend it to others. The Second Vatican Council declared: “While Christ, holy, innocent and undefiled as he was knew nothing of sin, but only came to expiate the sins of the people, the Church, which embraces sinners in its bosom, is at the same time holy and always in need of being purified.” (Lumen Gentium no 8).
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Ten Commandments for Church Reform. Memoirs of a Catholic Priest, by John Wijngaards (Acadian House Publishing 2021; 256 pages, 75 photographs).
The book is available in USA and UK bookshops. Main distributors are Acadian House in the USA – click here, and Gazelle Book Services in the UK – click here.
It can also be ordered through Amazon (USA: $ 20.90; UK: £ 15.78).