Church Roman Catholic Died May 8, 1932 Diocese Alexandria Name Cornelius de Appointed October 24, 1904 | Denomination Christian Ordination May 31, 1890 Nationality Dutch Consecration November 30, 1904 | |
Born June 16, 1865
Oirschot, Netherlands ( 1865-06-16 ) | ||
Cornelius van de Ven (June 16, 1865 – May 8, 1932) served as the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana.
Biography
Born in Oirschot in the Netherlands, Van de Ven was ordained into the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans on May 31, 1890.
Van de Ven served as the founding pastor of the parish of Our Lady Help of Christians, which was established on Dec. 7, 1891, in Jennings, Louisiana. He was also responsible for chapels or stations at Lake Arthur, Welsh, Mermentau and Point-aux-Loups (later to be known as Iota, La.), across southwest Louisiana. Father van de Ven’s pastorate in Jennings was brief. In 1892, he was called to Lake Charles, Louisiana, as pastor of the “mother parish,” Immaculate Conception, now the seat of the Diocese of Lake Charles, administering Catholic parishes in much of the southwestern part of the state.
On October 24, 1904, he was appointed bishop of the Natchitoches Diocese and was consecrated bishop on November 30, 1904. On August 6, 1910 the name of the Natichitoches Diocese was changed to the Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana. Bishop Van de Ven died in office.