MIRACULOUS MIRACLES™

Saint — Servant of God Fr. Frans van der Lugt, SJ

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Servant of God Fr. Frans van der Lugt, SJ
April 10, 1938 AD, The Hague, Netherlands — April 7, 2014 AD, Homs, Syria — shot at his Jesuit residence during the Syrian Civil War siege
Dutch Jesuit; martyr of the Syrian Homs siege
Jesuit Residence, Homs, Syria — site of martyrdom, Syria
Feast
April 7
Canonized
Cause of beatification opened 2018 by the Dutch Jesuit Province
✠ MartyrShot in his monastery garden at Homs, Syria → The Martyrs
Life

Frans van der Lugt was born on April 10, 1938 at The Hague in the Netherlands. In 1959, Frans entered the Society of Jesus. Ordained priest in 1971, Frans undertook the vocation of the Syrian mission — arriving in Syria in 1966.

For 48 years (1966–2014), Frans served as Jesuit missionary at Homs in Syria — establishing the Al-Ard ('The Earth') interfaith retreat center dedicated to the systematic Christian-Muslim reconciliation.

During the Syrian Civil War siege of Homs (2011–2014), Frans refused to abandon the Christians of Homs — famously declaring: 'The Syrian people gave me so much affection and so much hospitality...how could I abandon them?'

On April 7, 2014, during the final months of the Homs siege, Frans was shot in the head at his Jesuit residence in the Old City of Homs by a masked gunman.

The cause of beatification was opened in 2018 by the Dutch Jesuit Province.

Miracles & Phenomena

  • The refusal to abandon Homs

    Servant of God Fr. Frans van der Lugt's refusal to abandon the Christians of Homs during the Syrian Civil War siege — established the 21st-century Catholic Middle Eastern-solidarity witness. The Van der Lugt tradition underpins the continuing witness of the Syrian Catholic community during the Syrian Civil War.

Relics
  • Body
    Relics of Servant of God Frans van der Lugt
    Old City of Homs, Syria — Catholic cemetery

    His body was buried at the Old City of Homs cemetery — the Syrian Christian tradition of burial at the site of martyrdom.

Iconography
  • Van der Lugt at the Homs siege

    The Dutch Jesuit missionary in simple Jesuit dress in the besieged Homs Old City — the iconography of 21st-century Syrian Catholic martyr tradition.

Patronages
Society of JesusCatholic Syrian Christian traditionCatholic Christian-Muslim reconciliation tradition
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