Jan van den Boer

Brother Andreas spent the majority of his active life at the De Ruwenberg boarding school in Sint-Michielsgestel. From 1871 to 1900, he directed the 'Latinists' section there, preparing young boys for the seminary. At the same time, under the pseudonym J.M. Vincent, he wrote stories for children, translated religious works, and contributed to the magazine De Engelbewaarder. In 1912, being ill, he retired to Tilburg where he died of pneumonia on August 3, 1917.

Nicknamed "the holy brother" during his lifetime for his faithfulness and charity, his tomb became a place of pilgrimage after his death. To accommodate the faithful, his remains were transferred several times: to the Saint Vincent Chapel in Tilburg in 1968, to Goirle in 1971, to the Joannes Zwijsen house in 1975, to the Brothers' Generalate in 2003, and finally to Vught in 2026.

The cause for beatification was introduced in the Diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch (inquiry from 1947 to 1948) and then in Rome in 1962. On December 6, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, proclaiming him Venerable. Although files regarding healings have been presented, no miracle has yet been officially approved for his beatification.

Rooted in mercy and fraternity, Brother Andreas's spirituality was based on inner joy and the acceptance of the divine will. Despite a life of rigorous mortification, he radiated gentleness. His memory is perpetuated in the Netherlands by an annual pilgrimage on August 3rd and by the devotion of the faithful in his new chapel in Vught.