Childhood
His full name, almost never referenced in any materials about his life or religious career, was John Andrew James Oliver Benedict Rottheir Van de Velde.
Van de Velde was born April 3, 1795, near Dendermonde, Belgium, known more commonly in French as Termonde. He was soon given to a "pious aunty" to raise in St. Amand, in Flanders. A priest, fleeing the French Revolution, was staying with the same family and encouraged the boy to be devout. At the age of ten, Van de Velde was sent to a boarding school in Ghent. He did so well that by the age of eighteen he was teaching French and Flemish.
He had been teaching for only a short time when the Battle of Waterloo changed the political situation of the Low Countries. Belgium was reunited with Holland under William of Orange who was known for his vicious persecutions of Catholics. Planning to emigrate to England or Italy, Van de Velde began studying English and Italian. However, a seminary director persuaded him to stay in Belgium and teach Latin, French, and Flemish, while studying religion with the possibility of joining the priesthood.
Read more about this topic: James Oliver Van De Velde
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