Dutch Mission

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The Dutch Mission (Hollandse Zending) was from 1592 until 1853 the name of the former Catholic Church province of Utrecht (see Bishop of Utrecht) in the area of the current Netherlands.

After the Dutch insurrection, Catholicism was considered an illegal religion. Normal Catholic celebrations were not possible in the United Provinces, therefore Pope Clement VIII decided in 1592 to declare the area above the river the Waal as a mission area, as the majority of the area population had fallen to Protestantism, except for some minor regions. This Dutch Mission was under control of an apostolic vicar: a titular bishop having jurisdiction over mission areas without an established normal hierarchy. The southern, entirely Catholic, provinces (considered colonies by the Dutch States) were under control of the Church province of Mechelen.

In the early 18th century there was a grave internal conflict around the apostolic vicars Neercassel and Codde, who were accused of jansenism. This resulted in the founding of the Old Catholic Church in 1723. In 1725 the States-General banned the apostolic vicars definitely from the country. From this moment the apostolic nuncio in Brussels was in charge of the mission.

In 1795 the Batavian Republic was proclaimed, and there was an official freedom of religion. Churches did not have to be hidden anymore, new schools for priests were founded, and monasteries were reinstated.

In 1853, Pope Pius XI founded the Catholic Church province of Utrecht. At that moment, the Dutch Mission ceased to exist.