Biography
Jan of Oisterwijk
About Jan of Oisterwijk
Jan of Oisterwijk, also called Johannes Lenaerts, was an Augustinian canon and priest. His church biography places his birth around 1504 in Oisterwijk in Brabant. He entered the community of Saint Elisabeth at Te Rugge, near Brielle, and served for years in the practical administration of its resources.
Estius describes his care for poor women religious at Gorinchem. He says he possessed sermons written in Jan’s own hand, in a plain style and concerned with Christian moral teaching. The account provides a specific trace of his work.
His personal record also describes old age and poor health. The church notice says that he was frail when the clergy were arrested in 1572. The same biography remembers his long service to the women’s community, rather than supplying a detailed account of his childhood or family.
He was killed with the nineteen Gorkum martyrs at Brielle on July 9, 1572. Their commemoration is July 9.
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