Joannes Baptist Matthijs Gijsen (October 7, 1932 – June 24, 2013) was a Dutch bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.

[2] He obtained a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Church History, focusing his thesis on Joannes Augustinus Paredis.

Pope Paul VI appointed Gijsen as bishop of Roermond on February 13, 1972, with co-consecrator being Bernardus Johannes Alfrink.

The liberal Dutch Catholics of the episcopacy were heartbroken,[5] a pain which was broadcast in the media.

[2] After a few years at the titular see as bishop of Maastricht, (Traiectum ad Mosam), Gijsen's health improved.

In Roermond, he had already been succeeded by bishop Frans Wiertz but in Reykjavik, the diocese with few priests for an enormous area, happened to have been vacant for two years, due to the rather sudden death of the American bishop, Alfred Jolson.