Mgr. dr. Jozef Marianus (Jos) Punt (*Alkmaar, January 10, 1946, is the current Roman Catholic bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam in the Netherlands.[1]
Punt became a priest on June 9, 1979 and auxiliary bishop of Diocese of Haarlem in 1995. On July 21, 2001 he was appointed bishop of Haarlem. He is assisted by an auxiliary bishop, Mgr. Johannes Gerardus Maria van Burgsteden.
Punt is the 13th bishop of the diocese, which was established in 1559. Due to the Protestant Reformation there was no bishop in Haarlem, or the Netherlands, for 300 years, until 1853. In his years as a student of economics in Amsterdam Punt distanced himself from the Catholic religion of his youth and was more involved in esoterics, gnostics, Rosicrucianism, etc. Upon discovering the Bible however, he began considering a career in Priesthood. He went to the south of the country where at the time existed the only Catholic Dutch Seminary. In 1979 he became priest, ordained by the bishop of Roermond, Dr. Johannes Gijsen. In the Seminary he taught the Social Teachings of the Church, and he got also his PhD in that field from Augsburg University in Germany.
Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Haarlem 1995; he was ordained by the local ordinary, bishop Henny Bomers. Punt was also appointed as bishop for the Military Ordinariate. In 1998 Bomers died suddenly after suffering a heart attack. Punt was appointed Apostolic Administrator. It took Rome three years before finally Punt could replace his late predecessor.
Punt holds firm beliefs on all points of doctrine and ethics.
Bishop Punt is known for his fervent devotion to Saint Mary, Mother of God, instilled by his mother. The so called 'Apparitions' in Medjugorje (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Mary as the Mediatrix of All Grace have his heart, amazingly so because Rome is much more prudent in this and as far as 'Medjugorje' is concerned even repellent. Bishop Punt also took as his motto Sub tuum praesidium, the opening phrase of a marial hymn.