Cornelis Gerardus van Riel, professor and pastor (Zaandam, July 29, 1886 – Amsterdam, September 7, 1939). Son of Age Cornelis van Riel, a cheese buyer, and Anna Bongers. Married Elisabeth Maria Ott on September 4, 1923. The couple had two sons.
After completing elementary school in Zaandam in 1888, Van Riel attended the Old Catholic seminary in Amersfoort, where he first attended the parish seminary, then the gymnasium, and later studied theology and philosophy. He continued his studies at the Old Catholic faculty of the University of Bern until 1909, when he took up a post in the Netherlands.
On October 10, 1909, he was ordained a priest and immediately appointed chaplain in Amsterdam, where he served as pastor of the same parish (St. Peter and Paul) from 1911 to 1939.
In the meantime, he continued his studies and on April 20, 1922, he received his doctorate summa cum laude in Bern with a dissertation on the Church’s doctrine of grace. Beginning in 1925, Van Riel served as professor of church history at the Old Catholic Seminary in Amersfoort. He was also a co-founder of the Old Catholic Ecumenical Association and an active leader of the League of Ecumenical Young Old Catholics in the Netherlands (later serving as honorary chairman); his strong musical spirit led him to the chairmanship of the Organ Council and the board of trustees for courses in organist training. He was a member of the ‘Militia Christi’ and a powerful witness to peace in the 1930s. In this context, some of his writings also saw the light of day:
e.g., Contribution to the History of the Congregationes de Auxiliis (Constance, 1929). Dissertation, Bern; De moderne Theosophie en de Vrije Katholieke Kerk (Rotterdam, 1928); Europa am Scheidewege (Ammerstol, 1931); Why Is the Private Arms Industry Not Abolished? [Ammerstol, 1933]; S.O.S.! “Church”... (Utrecht, 1935); posthumous publications, in De Oud-Katholiek from 1939.
