Jean Jérôme Hamer

Who was Jean Jérôme Hamer?

Jean Jérôme Hamer, OP, S.T.D. was a Belgian Cardinal who was Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from 1985 until 1992.

He was born in Brussels and joined the Dominican order in 1934 taking the name of Jérôme. He was educated at La Sarte and Louvain University. He did his military service and, during the Second World War, spent 3 months of 1940 as a prisoner. He was ordained on 3 August 1941. He continued his studies at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he earned his doctorate in theology. He was on the teaching staff of the Pontificium Athenaeum Internationale Angelicum for the academic year of 1952. He had been a staff member at the University of Fribourg since 1944, where he then returned and taught until 1962.