“In society, if we meet people who are extremely evil we sometimes call them ‘crazy people’. But sometimes if we meet people who are extremely good we also call them ‘crazy,'” said Mgr. Yohanes Harun Yuwono during his homily for the celebration of diaconate and priesthood ordinations in the Indonesian Province.
“St. Paul was both: a man who is extremely good and evil,” he continued. “So, we might address him as a ‘super crazy man’. Amazingly, St. Paul could change from being extremely evil to magnificently good.”
Mgr. Yohanes, the bishop of Tanjung Karang Diocese, said that the newly ordained, the priests, the religious, and all the faithful can imitate St. Paul. The Church needs “crazy people” in today’s modern world who are able to repent and be witness to the true faith.
The Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ) again has been blessed by great gifts from God. On January 25, 2017, on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul Apostle, the province witnessed the ordination of two SCJ priests and two deacons. It was held at St. Pius X Parish in Gisting, Lampung, and was attended by about 2,500 people, inlcuding 120 priests.
The newly ordained priests are Fr. Gregorius Jenli Imawan, SCJ and Fr. Petrus Cipto Nugroho, SCJ. The newly ordained deacons are Dn. Vincentius Anggoro Ratri, SCJ and Dn. Isidorus Didik Susanto, SCJ.
Fr. Alexander Sapto Dwihandoko, SCJ, provincial superior of the Indonesian Province, said that the ordinations are a sign of God’s faithfulness to this world because they were sent by God to shepherd the whole of his people to salvation.
After the liturgical celebration, the Dehonians gathered at La Verna Retreat House in Padang Bulan. The Dehonians held an assembly. The assembly was an opportunity for the Dehonians to come together and be thankful for the new members of the province.
Hopefully the new priests and all of us can be “crazy people”, as a witness of God’s compassion for the world.
Br. Andreas Gatot, SCJ
