One of Suriname’s long-serving Roman Catholic spiritual leaders, former Paramaribo Bishop Monseigneur Wilhelmus Adrianus Josephus Maria de Bekker, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87.
De Bekker’s journey to the episcopate began decades before his consecration, rooted in educational service and pastoral work within the Surinamese Catholic community. Ordained as a priest on May 25, 1985, by the late Bishop Aloysius Zichem, he had already spent many years working in the Catholic special education system, where he held roles including consultant inspector. He also served as director of the Pater Ahlbrinck Foundation prior to his priestly ordination.
Following his ordination to the priesthood, De Bekker took on key pastoral and administrative roles: he led the Sint-Alfonsusparochie as parish priest and served as vicar-general of the Diocese of Paramaribo. He was officially consecrated as Bishop of Paramaribo on January 30, 2005, and went on to guide the country’s Roman Catholic community for approximately eight and a half years. In line with canonical regulations, he submitted his resignation from the episcopal office upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, and Pope Francis accepted his departure from active episcopal service on May 31, 2014.
Even after entering official emeritus status in 2014, De Bekker continued his pastoral service for several more years. He served as parish priest of the Sint-Thaddeusparochie in Groningen, where he dedicated himself to leading the project to construct a new parish church. He spent his final years of life living at the Fatima Oord care home, where he passed away this week.
Current Bishop Karel Choennie has announced full funeral and memorial arrangements to honor the late prelate. A special mourning vesper service will be held in his memory at Sint-Alfonsus Church on Saturday, June 13, starting at 7:00 PM local time. The official funeral Mass will take place the following day, Sunday, June 14, at the HH. Petrus en Paulus Cathedral, beginning at 1:00 PM. After the service, De Bekker will be interred in the cathedral’s crypt.
For community members who wish to pay their respects, public viewing and farewell will be open at the cathedral between 10:00 AM and 12:30 PM on June 14. A condolence register will also be available for signing at the cathedral from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Friday, June 12.
The Surinamese Roman Catholic community is mourning the loss of a figure who dedicated more than six decades of his life to service across the church, education, and broader civil society. With his passing, the community has lost a committed spiritual leader who shaped the life of the church in Suriname for generations.