Henricus ('Henri') Geurtjens (Deurne, June 5, 1875 - Tilburg, December 22, 1957) was a pioneering Missionary of the Sacred Heart who worked in the early twentieth century in the still unknown, far-reaching Dutch -India and Dutch New Guinea.
Geurtjens studied for missionary in the mission houses of his congregation in Tilburg, Chezal-Benoit and Antwerp since his fifteenth year. In 1900 he was dedicated to the priest. After several years of teaching at the Tilburg mission house, he left in 1903 as missionary to the Kei Islands in the Moluccas, Dutch-India. On these islands and also on the nearby Tanimbar Islands, he worked until 1920, after which he was transferred to the south coast of New Guinea. Here he lived until 1932 and served for a period of five years with Peter Vertenten. Geurtjens thought with Vertents that he had a great interest in the languages and cultures of the societies where he performed his work. Both patrons left a comprehensive national oeuvre.
In 1932, he returned to the Netherlands after almost thirty years in the mission field. In 1936 he became the first director of the now existing Dutch Volunteer Mission Museum in Tilburg. From 1934 he also worked for the local caravan camp, now located on the Pater Geurtjensweg. Select bibliography
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