Henchthoven, Emile van (HENCXTHOVEN, EMILE VAN) - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. VI, p. 825

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

HENCXTHOVEN, EMILE van. - Jesuit, missionary, b. at Moll (Belgium) on 7 Oct. 1852, d. at Wombali (Belgian Congo) on 6 Apr. 1906. Having entered the Society of Jesus in 1873, he was rector of the College of Mons until, when the Jesuits were invited to take part in the evangelization of the Belgian Congo, he volunteered and left Antwerp on 6 March 1893 as superior and organizer of the new mission.

He founded a first station at Kimuenza (Leopoldville) and then a second at Kisantu, making it the radiating centre of all the others and providing it not only with a church and schools, but also with workshops for every kind of trade, printing presses, herds, and extensive crops. His original initiative was that of the “farm-chapels,” small secondary stations intended to serve as links between the various principal stations, consisting of a small group of Christians led by one or more catechists, supplied with farming implements and livestock for culti-

Article illustration — HENCXTHOVEN, EMILE van - Portrait.
(from Le p. E. V. H., de la C. d. J., in Missions belges de la C. d. J., 8 [1966], p. 195)

mations on the Congo mission and its development are to be found in the periodicals: Précis historiques, Bulletin mensuel des missions belges de la C. d. J. (2-7 [1892-98]) and in the periodical which succeeded it: Missions belges de la C. d. J. (1-8 [1899-1906]).

BIBL.: Obituary in Missions belges de la C. d. J., 8 (1906), pp. 194-98, 216-20; E. Lavoille, L'Evangile au centre de l'Afrique. Le P. van H., Lovanio 1926. Celestino Testore