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Teaching and sharing - I have become Sion's guest - Friend and collaborator of Our Lady of Sion
Katherine MacDonald, O.L.S.

On August 29, 1979, I sent telegrams to all the provinces of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion to tell them that Fr. Rijk had died. All the sisters were united in sorrow and in prayer. Sisters who knew Fr. Rijk well lost a good friend; all of us lost a brother who was deeply committed to our work as a Congregation in the Church today.

Fr. Rijk's close collaboration and personal relationships with the Sisters of Sion go back to his arrival in Rome. We have his own words, as he addressed them to a group of our sisters meeting at the Generalate in 1976, to describe these beginnings:

"It was at the time that the Church became officially engaged in Judeo-Christian relations that I met Sion. That's about 12 years ago. In November 1965, a meeting, organized by some Bishops and theologians, was held in Rome to examine ways and means of putting into practice the Church's directives as stated in 'NOSTRA AETATE'. At this meeting there were some sisters of Sion. This was my first contact with the Congregation of Sion and its specific vocation in the Church. Since then I have become Sion's guest. Like Sion, I am deeply involved in the question of the relations between Christian and Jews."

The unfailing collaboration of Fr. Rijk has been extremely valuable to the Congregation. His background of biblical and theological scholarship, coupled with his wide knowledge of Jewish-Christian relations, were a gift to the Congregation at a difficult period in our history as an apostolic institute. Fr. Rijk never refused a request for his assistance, whether he was asked to address a General Chapter or to help an individual sister. His collaboration was felt predominantly in four areas: by the sisters living in Rome, by our Jewish Christian relation center in Rome, (SIDIC), through his lectures during international meetings of the Congregation, and through his travels at the invitation of many of our Provinces.

Sion in Rome

Fr. Rijk lived at Sion's Generalate ever since Cardinal Bea called him to Rome to assume the office for Catholic-Jewish Relations within the Secretariat for Unity. The sisters in the Generalate profited not only from courses he gave but also from his daily homily which was part of our Eucharist. His biblical vision of God at work in the world, of God speaking to us through His Word in Scripture and through the events of our times, deepened the biblical spirituality of the community. In Rome, too, Fr. Rijk was always available to the General Council for reflection and advice in terms of the new perspective of the Church and of the Congregation in the area of Jewish-Christian relations. The orientations of Vatican II faced many religious congregations with pedagogical adaptations in their ministries; Sion had to come to grips with theological change as well. Fr. Rijk's competence and experience were a precious help to us in the new apostolates that were part of the challenge of the Vatican Council.

The Beginnings of SIDIC

Following the Vatican II document, 'NOSTRA AETATE', a group of interested bishops and theologians requested the Congregation to create an International Service for Documentation relative to Jewish-Christian relations. Thus, SIDIC was brought into being at the Generalate of the Sisters of Sion; it was built up by a small group of sisters under the persevering direction of Sr. Edward. Their efforts were fruitful in large part thanks to the indispensable aid and encouragement that Fr. Rijk ceaselessly gave them. His commitment to their work far exceeded his role as one of the three steering committee members named by the Bishops to counsel the new organization. I would not hesitate to say that it is not likely that SIDIC would have developed as it did, or even existed, without his presence. When Fr. Rijk's work at the Secretariat of Unity terminated at the end of 1972, our General Council asked him to assume the full time responsibility of director of SIDIC. He accepted and was still in this position, with its work close to his heart, at the time of his death.

International Encounters

Recent years have seen many International Meetings of the Congregation in Rome. These meetings have been an instrument for deepening personal integration of ministry and life and for deepening our sense of identity as Sisters of Sion. The General Chapter, which encouraged such meetings, wanted them to urge us forward as a group with a particular history and charism, and thus a special apostolic presence in the Church. Fr. Rijk was almost always present, not only through the Eucharistic liturgies and homilies, but also through specific lectures and group discussions. He was helpful and challenging. He shared with us, through personal commitment, the responsibility to be a constant reminder in the Church "that Israel and the nations are mysteriously bound together in God's loving plan for the world." He never saw this as a narrow vocation. For him, there was no sister in the Congregation whose life and work did not contribute to this responsibility. He helped sisters see in the single movement of God with His People and with the world, values which determine our image of God, our way of life, our relations with others. He helped sisters grappling with questions of justice and poverty to integrate their vocation in this witness, by their lives and activities, to the universal love of God for all. He helped teachers and catechists, indeed all of us, to be aware that Jewish-Christian relations
"touch the Christian conscience and the Christian life in all its aspects, in all countries where the Church is established. This means that the field of interest is as large as the Church itself."

Sion around the World

Often Provincial Councils of the Congregation invited Fr. Rijk to speak at renewal programs, or to visit communities within their provinces. This provided Fr. Rijk with many opportunities to become aware "on the spot" of the situations of Jewish-Christian relations in the particular church of the country, as well as with occasions arranged by the sisters for him to address clergy and laity alike on the importance of this dialogue for the Church. However, during such visits, the greater part of his time was spent with the sisters, helping them enter into the new way the Vatican Council asked us to relate to Judaism and to other religions. It is astonishing to realize that he had visited every Province in the Congregation except, to his regret, Central America; and we have 11 provinces spread throughout 25 countries and 5 continents! His last such visit was Sion in Australia. The letter of the provincial on the occasion of Father's death expresses the feelings and convictions of many provinces at the conclusion of such a visit.

"I think we could say quite truthfully that Kees endeared himself to every single sister in the Province and gave us, personally, and as a group, fresh insights and renewed enthusiasm and understanding for Sion's charism in the Church and the world. Somehow too, I feel he deepened our awareness of the responsibility we bear to live and to spread our charism. We mourn his loss, both as a friend and as one who challenged and collaborated with our Sisters in our Mission."

In the course of the life of the Congregation, God has blessed us with friends who have helped shape our vision and our service in the Church: e.g. Th. Devaux, Paul Demann, Marcel Dubois, Bruno Hussar, Cardinal Bea, Michel de Goedt, etc. Fr. Rijk was among these. The past years of close relationship with him exceeded the mere collaboration of those drawn together to work for a common aim. They were years marked by friendship and mutual encouragement. Fr. Rijk brought us the inspiration and joy that come from sharing with others in the building of the Kingdom.