Our Lady's Chapel of Our Lady of the Mast

The oldest chapel we know of in Rijsbergen is located here on the corner of Klein Oekelsestraat and Oekelsestraat. It was built in 1933 on the initiative of the neighborhood and the Catholic Youth Association to ask for protection and help for the numerous youth from the large families in the neighborhood. Originally, it bore the text: "Our Lady ter Mast protect the youth". Pastor Verbunt performed the consecration.
Initially, the chapel stood on the other side of the road in the forest that was owned by J. Aerts. In connection with the reclamation of the forest and heathland (ca. 1941), the chapel was moved to the place where it now stands.
The first statue was not of the best quality: Jac Rombouts and Dré Kennis brought a new statue from Roermond, on the back of their bicycles. The previous chapel dates from 1954 and was made by C.F. Frumau. He bought the statue from a sexton in Dordrecht. The money for this was raised by the neighborhood. In 2006 a new chapel was built by Fons Hereijgers.

Wim Blankers