A Dutch-Australian lady was confirmed a Catholic at her 100th birthday Mass on 2 May at Our Lady of the Mission, Whitford parish by Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton. The Mass was concelebrated by parish priests Fr Joseph Tran and Fr Arulraj Mulaguri.
Mrs Cornelia Teeuw, affectionately known as Corrie, is the first in her family to become a Catholic but not the first to live to 100 – her father was 104 when he died, and her grandmother on her father’s side lived to be 106.
Her son Alfred and his wife Eleanor, their three daughters, her -grandchildren and great grandchildren were all present at the Mass as well as hundreds of parishioners.
Thea, a former fellow Dutch resident at Barridale Nursing Home in Kingsley who has since been moved to a high care nursing home in Wanneroo, used to receive communion regularly from Whitford acolyte of five years, Richard Van Leeuwen.
He would arrive singing songs from Holland bringing the Blessed Sacrament.
Mr Van Leeuwen says that it was through Thea telling Corrie “how much she looked forward to receiving communion from me, how she could relate to me because I always entered her room singing a couple of Dutch jovial songs” that she asked if she could see him too.
“And in doing so, she told me that since being in that nursing home, she had received no visits or contact from anyone in the Dutch Reformed Church and she so much wanted to receive communion and become a Catholic,” he says.
With approval from parish priest, Fr Joseph Tran, Corrie began receiving communion each Sunday for these last 15 months prior to confirmation.
Mrs Teeuw’s actual birthday was 25 April but due to already arranged birthday festivities, Mr Van Leeuwen arranged for this Mass and celebrations to be held the following week.
Bishop Sproxton confirmed Mrs Teeuw, Mr Van Leeuwen was her sponsor and she took Mother Theresa as her confirmation saint. After receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, she was presented with a papal certificate signed by Pope Benedict XVI.
She also received portrait photos of both English Queen Elizabeth and Dutch Queen Beatrix and was presented with a ‘delft blue’ (very popular Dutch design) soup set and gift on behalf of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and the Dutch consul of WA.
On the occasion of her 100th birthday, Mrs Teeuw received letters and cards of congratulations from English and Dutch royalty, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Beatrix respectively; Australia’s Governor-General Quentin Bryce AC; Prime Minister Kevin Rudd; Opposition Leader Tony Abbott; Western Australian Governor, Dr Ken Michael AC; Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett and state opposition leader Eric Ripper and several members of federal and state parliament.
In 1948, Mrs Teeuw migrated to Australia via Singapore from Holland.
She was joined, six weeks later by her husband, Walter, and young son, Alfred, and they settled in Wundowie for sixteen years.
They were naturalised in 1954 by the then Lord Mayor of Perth and later moved to Bassendean for five years. When her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, they moved into the Masonic self care unit in Dianella where she nursed him for 18 years, until his death in 1974 with acute Parkinson’s and after catching a severe case of pneumonia.
As for Thea, now suffering with severe dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, it’s the Dutch jovial songs that Richard sings when he brings her Holy Communion that alert her to Who is really coming, when she fails to recognise Richard.
“As soon as I start singing the two very well known jovial Dutch songs, immediately Thea can now connect that I am there to bring her Communion – and I sing those same two Dutch songs when I go to visit Corrie every Sunday morning to bring her communion,” says Mr Van Leeuwen.