Patrick Hoogmartens (born 1952) is a Belgian prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who has served as the third bishop of the

Diocese of Hasselt The Diocese of Hasselt () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. Comprising the whole of Belgian Limburg, the diocese was created in 1967 out of the Diocese of Liège. It is a suffragan in the ec ...

since 2004.

Life

Hoogmartens was born in

Tongeren Tongeren (; ; ; ) is a city and former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the only Roman administrative capital wit ...

on 19 May 1952 and was educated at schools in the city. He studied at the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

, graduating licentiate in Law (1977) and Philosophy (1978). He then entered the seminary, where he studied Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood on 4 July 1982 in the

Basilica of Our Lady, Tongeren The Basilica of Our Lady (, ), also called Old Cathedral of Tongeren, is the main place of Catholic worship in Tongeren, Belgium, and the former cathedral of the suppressed diocese of Tongeren. History Archaeological excavations found some of the ...

, and undertook further studies at the

Alphonsian Academy 150px, Alphonsus Liguori, whose teachings inspired the establishment of the Academy. The Pontifical Alphonsian Academy (; ), also commonly known as the Alphonsianum, is a pontifical institution of higher education founded in 1949 by the Redempt ...

, graduating

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...

. On 1 September 1989 he was appointed president of the Major Seminary in Hasselt. On 8 July 1997

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed him

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of Hasselt. He was consecrated bishop in Hasselt Cathedral on 26 October 1997. When Pope John Paul accepted the resignation of Bishop

Paul Schruers Paul Schruers (1929–2008) was the second Bishop of Hasselt in Belgium. Life Schruers was born in Hasselt on 25 October 1929. He experienced a sense of religious vocation from the age of 16. He studied at the minor seminary in Sint-Truiden and ...

on 25 October 2004, Hoogmartens succeeded him as the third bishop of Hasselt. He was enthroned as bishop on 12 December 2004. He sits on the Board of Trustees of the

KU Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its mai ...

. In 2016 he gave permission for the

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...

of St Odilia at in

Borgloon Borgloon (; , ; ) is a former Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. On January 1, 2006, Borgloon had a total population of 10,697. The tota ...

to be unsealed for academic research.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoogmartens, Patrick Living people 1952 births People from Tongeren Bishops of Hasselt Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II