Mommerwegsken 1

Born on April 12, 1907 On De Weerdt 1 Maasband. The parents are Joannes Berix and Maria Catharina Vaessen. Died on March 13, 1945 in Concentration Camp in Bergen Belsen. After completing primary school, he went to the episcopal college in Sittard, where he passed his final gymnasium exam in 1927. He wanted to become a priest and therefore took philosophy courses at Rolduc for two years. He then studied theology at the major seminary in Roermond for four years. On April 1, 1933, Msgr. Lemmens him as a priest.

Two weeks later, he celebrated his first holy mass in his hometown of Meers. On September 10, he was appointed chaplain of the St. Pancratius parish in Heerlen. Here he was in charge of youth work in the parish. He was appointed director of the boys' congregation and chaplain of the Roman Catholic Church. scout group St. Paul. Chaplain Berix was very popular with the youth, he went on summer camps with the scouts to the Gerendal, the world jamboree in Vogelzang and the St. Joris camp in Weert.

He devoted himself to the poor and needy.
His work for the reconnaissance brought him into conflict with the occupying forces at the beginning of the Second World War. In 1941, Primary was banned.

Chaplain Berix just managed to house all the possessions of the St. Paul group in the attic of the chaplain, because of his commitment to the distressed fellow man he ended up in the resistance.

For example, he contacted doctors and municipal officials to arrange a large number of exemptions for boys and young men who were called up for work in Germany, and together with a doctor he also provided information on how to obtain exemptions.

He provided hiding places for boys who were nevertheless called up for the Dutch labor service or for work in Germany and he also took care of their livelihood.

He bundled all private resistance organizations into a group that joined the national organization of people in hiding. Berix became leader of the Heerlen district of this organization. His resistance name was Giel. In 1944 three resistance members were arrested during a theft of ration cards in Sittard. After long interrogations, one of them mentioned the name of chaplain Berix. The Sicherheitsdienst started a manhunt and the chaplain therefore had to go into hiding on 23 March 1944. He managed to evade the Germans for several months, but on June 24 fate struck: Berix took part in a meeting of the district leader of the national organization for people in hiding in the St. Louis convent of the brothers of the Immaculate Conception in Weert, the Sicherheitsdienst knew about this meeting through betrayal and arrested those present.

The chaplain was taken to the Vught camp with his comrades, where he also supported his fellow prisoners. He managed to keep in touch with his fellow sufferers through the air duct. The interrogations and severe abuse had no effect, Giel remained silent, on September 6, 1944 he was transported by train to Orienburg. In this camp he contracted dysentery, which he barely survived.

A physical wreck, he was taken to Bergen-Belsen via Sachsenhausen in October. Typhoid fever was prevalent in this last camp due to the unhygienic conditions. Berix probably died on March 13, 1945 from the disease.

After the war, a bust was unveiled in his hometown of Meers.
In Heerlen and Stein a street was named after him.
In Heerlen, a scout group of the St. Pancratius parish was also named after the chaplain.

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