From July 15-20 the SCJ Province of Indonesia received with joy gifts from God manifested in several blessed events:
On July 15, 2016, the gift of “leadership” was celebrated in the chapel of Wisma Emanuel within the new retirement home of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Charity when the new Indonesian provincial administration was installed. It includes Fr. Alex Sapta Dwi Handoko, SCJ, provincial superior, and his council: Fr. Titus Waris Widodo, SCJ, Fr. Yulius Sunardi, SCJ, Fr. Fransiskus Xaverius Kusmaryadi, SCJ and Fr. Pius Pujo Wiyanto, SCJ. Bishop Aloysius Sudarso, SCJ, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Palembang, presided at the Mass. Concelebrants included Fr. Paulus Sugino, SCJ, general councilor, along with the out-going administration and several other SCJ confreres and diocesan priests. It was an “ecclesial” event (not just Dehonian) with the participation of approximately 200 religious and lay people.
The Congregation is grateful and thanks the Lord for the development of the province, and for the generosity of confreres to serve the congregation in different entities outside of the province. It is hoped that this involvement with projects of the Congregation will continue into the future. After the Eucharistic celebration all those present were invited to have lunch together. It was a joyful gathering.
On July 18, 2016, the novitiate of Santo Yohanes Gisting, Lampung, welcomed 18 new postulants during a liturgy presided over by Fr. FX Kusmaryadi, SCJ. Here is another gift of new vocations that the Lord has given to the Indonesian Province. It is a gift to be welcomed with joy and gratitude, to be preserved with much care and love, so that the novices may grow and mature with commitment and generosity that is then shared with the community and those they meet during the journey of life.
On July 20, 2016, the first profession of nine novices and the 25th anniversary of religious profession of Fr. Yulius Sunardi, SCJ, from Gisting, were celebrated at the novitiate. Bishop Yohanes Harun Yuwono, bishop of the Diocese of Tanjungkarang, Lambung, presided over the Mass. It was concelebrated by Fr. Titus Waris Widodo, SCJ, Fr. Yulius Sundardi, SCJ, Fr. Yohanes Rasul Susanto, SCJ (novice master), the formation staff of the postulancy and novitiate, and other confreres. The choir of our high school, “Yos Sudarso,” whose headmaster is Fr. FX Kusmaryadi, SCJ, accompanied the celebration.
It was a very opportune moment for two reasons: 1) vocation promotion and 2) the promotion of the high school, taking advantage of the many lay people present at the celebration. Here with this celebration they combined the first steps of incorporation into the congregation with one who has already completed 25 years of the journey. And the latter, being a formator in the Scholasticate in Yogyakarta, will accompany the future formation process of the nine newly professed together.
On the same day, in the Scholasticate of Yogyakarta, the perpetual profession of two confreres was celebrated: Fra. Ignasius Trisna Setiadi, SCJ, and Fra. Andreas Wihargiyanto, SCJ, as well as the vow renewal of 29 scholastics. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Fr. Paulus Sugino, SCJ, joined by Fr. Alex Sapta Dwi Handoko, SCJ (new provincial) and Fr. FX. Tri Priyo Widarto, SCJ (rector of the scholasticate) and concelebrated by a dozen of our confreres.
The bursar of the scholasticate, Fr. G. Marwoto, SCJ, said that there were about 300 people at the celebration; after the Mass everyone was invited to lunch. The meal was prepared by a group of volunteer women from a community that is a part of the scholasticate. It is hoped that there can be a greater openness at the school to internationality and the international mission, as well the means to achieve it. The rector said that at this moment there are 56 scholastics in initial formation (29 in temporary vows and the rest in perpetual vows).
This is truly a great gift from God to be received with joy and responsibility, to cherish, to grow, to bear fruit and share it generously in service to the Congregation and the Church.
