From Schiplaken to the world
Father Albert Bolle was born in Schiplaken in 1933. He grew up surrounded by nature, where his love for people and his sense of community first took root. Even at a young age, he felt: “I want to make a difference to others”.
How his adventure began
During his school days, Albert found himself thinking more and more often about a life as a missionary. After a camp, he made up his mind and joined the White Fathers in Boechout in 1953. He later moved to Canada to complete his priestly training and was officially ordained there in 1960.
His homecoming was one big celebration; the whole of Schiplaken joined in the festivities. But he didn’t stay long, for his adventure awaited… in Africa.
Welcome to Tanzania
On November 17, 1960, he landed in Tanzania, where he was immediately given the nickname ‘den Bollee’. He lived amongst the people in various small settlements, learnt the language and built grain mills, schools, dispensaries and churches. Pastoral work remained important, but for Father Bolle, the self-reliance of the local population was always the central goal: to empower people so that they could carry on by themselves.
54 years of impact
Father Bolle worked in Tanzania for over half a century. He founded five new parishes, ran a primary school with 560 children and built a massive project: a secondary school with a boarding house for 900 girls — to provide more opportunities, a brighter future and greater equality.
He was not just a missionary. He was a builder, a mentor, a friend and the driving force behind countless projects. His energy seemed boundless.
Farewell to a hero
On January 26, 2014, Father Bolle died unexpectedly of a heart attack. His greatest wish was clear: to be buried in Igunga amongst the people who had become his family.
His funeral was a moving tribute: more than 3,500 people, including two bishops, 60 fellow priests and 120 nuns, bid farewell to their ‘Bolle’.
He now rests in a grave that his community built themselves with love, respect and gratitude. In Schiplaken too, a work of art by Patrick Kerkhof from Oostkamp, a key member at the time, stands in the cemetery as a lasting memorial.
His legacy
Father Bolle did not simply leave behind a few buildings or projects. He left behind a movement. Today, his work lives on in:
Thousands of people in Tanzania are being given opportunities thanks to his vision, his drive and his enormous generosity.