Order of Carmelites

Fr. Antoon Korterik, O.Carm.

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Fr. Antoon Korterik, O.Carm.

March 5, 1940 – September 8, 2021

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Born in Broekland, The Netherlands. Fr. Antoon Korterik, O.Carm. professed his vows to the Carmelite Order on August 25, 1960 and was ordained priest on July 9, 1966.

He was assigned in the Philippines for sometime and was particularly involved with the indigenous peoples apostolate of the Church.

In 1977 he helped set up the Episcopal Commission on Tribal Filipinos (now the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples) where he served as its executive secretary until 1985 when he had to focus on the Order’s mission in Isabela serving as pastor at the Our Lady of Peace Parish in Benito Soliven.

His work with the indigenous peoples’ apostolate involved him in such issues as land and ancestral domain, insurgency, militarization, health, education, and other economic issues.

Fr. Korterik said: “This work gave me a chance to get better understanding of the situation of the very oppressed sector of the society: the Tribal Filipinos. I visited a number of Tribal communities and also a good number of persons working among them. I became deeply impressed with the former’s efforts and struggles to cope with the threats on their way of life, and with the latter’s commitment to the cause of their people.”

In a 1985 interview with the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN), Fr. Korterik pointed out the main problems faced by Indigenous Peoples. He said: “The government turned a deaf ear to the protests of the people and this is why the people are more receptive to the efforts of the New People´s Army (NPA) in the Cordilleras, among the Tingguians in Abra and on Mindanao island. The people are left with no alternative but to defend their rights. If the government were only to respect their aspirations, there would be no insurgency problem.” This problem continues until today.

Fr. Korterik returned to the Netherlands in the late 90s, and continued to serve the Order until his retirement at the age of 69 in 2017 as pastor of St. Anthony Abbot Church in Enter, The Netherlands. He served the parish for 12 years.

Today, let us remember Fr. Antoon in our prayers.

2 thoughts on “Fr. Antoon Korterik, O.Carm.”

  1. Ros Gimena

    I’m so sorry to hear of the passing of Fr. Anton. I have very fond memories of him during those years from 1979 to 1982 that I was a part of the secretariat of the ECTF. With Fr. Anton as executive secretary, the staff helped tie together the various local advocacies of indigenous peoples issues across the country’s interiors and helped raised them to the level of national advocacy of indigenous peoples rights against the oppressive rule of the Marcos regime.
    Through national conventions, annual Tribal Filipino Sunday celebrations, literacy programs, publications and research, the secretariat fostered solidarity amongst the Cordillera people’s opposition to the Chico river dams and Cellophil logging, and the Mindanao Lumads and Moro people’s fight against similar incursions to their ancestral lands, linking them all in the common struggle for self-determination.
    Through all those years, Fr. Anton effectively led the staff to give their best. He was the kind of manager who listens and trusts his staff, delegating responsibilities, while focusing on overall goals and results. He’d never come across as bossy, but as our leader and a friend.
    I deeply miss him and so does everyone who knew and have worked with him.

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