Jim Borst (3 August 1932 – 5 September 2018) was a Dutch

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

missionary of

Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill ( la, Societas Missionariorum S. Ioseph de Mill Hill), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert Alfred Vaughan, MH ...

, commonly called

Mill Hill Missionaries The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill ( la, Societas Missionariorum S. Ioseph de Mill Hill), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert Alfred Vaughan, MH ...

. He was well-known spiritual leader in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and abroad. He was a frequent speaker at many conventions and seminars. In 2011, he was summoned by Sharia court and served a

Fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist ...

in 2012, following which he was given a Quit India Notice from Kashmir's

Foreigners Registration Office The Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) is an Indian government agency responsible for administering foreigner registration and immigration related functions for visitors to India. Foreigner registration in India Foreigner registration is a m ...

. He was the last Mill Hill missionary serving in the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range a ...

Early life and education

He was born on 3 August 1932 in Ursem,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

to Mr. Leonard and Mrs. Margaret. He completed his secondary education at

Hoorn Hoorn () is a city and municipality in the northwest of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the largest town and the traditional capital of the region of West Friesland. Hoorn is located on the Markermeer, 20 kilometers ...

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-lar ...

and Burn Hall. He joined

in 1945 and from 1951 to 1953 studied philosophy in

Roosendaal Roosendaal () is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Towns/villages of the municipality * Roosendaal (population: 66,760) * Wouw (4,920) * Heerle (1,900) * Nispen (1,440) * Wouwse ...

. He completed his studies of theology in 1957 from

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it became part of Greater London. Its population counted 18,45 ...

, London. He was ordained a priest for

, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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on 7 May 1957 by William Cardinal Godfrey. After ordination he studied Science and Economics at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and completed his master's degree in Arts. He started to serve his mission as a

Parish Priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in Jammu and Kashmir, India, in September 1963.

Missionary work in India

In 1975 Jim, decided to serve as a travelling missionary and traveled throughout India conducting charismatic renewal conventions, retreats for priests and religious, and ‘village retreat ministry’. He returned to Kashmir in year 1991 and helped in translating

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...

. He also established two schools in Kashmir by the name Good Shepherd. He also founded Good Shepherd Sisters community but the congregation could not survive. He also helped in drawing current Constitutions and Directives around the time of the 1982 Chapter for the Mill Hill Society.

Field of education

Borst was the principal of

St. Joseph's School (Baramulla) St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School Baramulla (commonly referred to as the St. Josephs School Baramulla or SJS) is a private school located in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The school has been upgraded to the status of a higher seco ...

from 1974 to 1975 and served as a parish priest of St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Baramulla). He directed Burn Hall School Srinagar for some time. He also translated the

Holy Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

into the local Kashmiri language (

Koshur Kashmiri () or Koshur (, /kəːʃur/) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2020, the Parliament of India passed a bill to ma ...

). Borst started two charitable schools, one in Srinagar and other in Pulwama named "Good Shepherd Mission School". He is the author of several books and articles.

Writings

''A Method of Contemplative Prayer''
*
Coming to God in the Stillness
'
From Holland with love: The life of a Mill Hill missionary founder of the Sisters of our Lady of Fatima, Francis Xavier Kroot, 1854-1900

Death

In August 2018, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...

. He was operated on and a pacemaker was installed. Fr. Borst died on 5 September 2018 at 11:45 am in Srinagar, Kashmir. He was suffering from heart ailment and had recently received treatment. Funeral was conducted on 7 September 2018 at Holy Family Catholic Church. He was buried at Sheikh Bagh Cemetery, Srinagar, Kashmir.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borst, Jim 20th-century Dutch Roman Catholic priests Dutch Roman Catholic missionaries Christianity in Jammu and Kashmir 1930 births 2018 deaths Roman Catholic missionaries in India Alumni of the University of Cambridge 21st-century Dutch Roman Catholic priests People from Koggenland