Bishop’s final Midnight Mass given a standing ovation

Bishop Antoon Hurkmans was met with a standing ovation after his final Midnight Mass at the Sint Jan in Den Bosch on Thursday night.  Some 1,500 people filed into the church to attend the Mass. Hurkmans requested and obtained discharge from the pope due to illness, Omroep Brabant reports. It is expected that his successor will be appointed during the course of next year, making this Hurkmans' final chance to give the Midnight Mass. Despite his health problems, the Bishop did not want to miss the opportunity to give his last Christmas Mass. "My health at least permitted me to be here. I am overjoyed about that, because the Midnight Mass in Sint Jan is always very special. A celebration like this underlines once again how important it is that people are ready to help each other; shows that pious behavior alone is usually not sufficient. Today's reception of refugees is clearly in line with the commitment to be involved. Noteworthy is that yesterday 60 refugees - partly on invitation by the church community - attended a special Christmas event", the Bishop said during the Mass.