by Mathias Hariyadi

He had 90 years and was pastor of Saint Teresa’s, in Jakarta. His most important legacy to the Indonesian Catholic Church is garnering charism of thousands of lay Catholics who offer their ability and energy to the Church to expand the mission of evangelization.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - It was 1976 when, for the first time, Fr. Herbert Sheider, a Jesuit priest from the Philippines, gave a conference on "new Christian life" in central Jakarta. The event was attended by a devoted Catholic couple: Roy and his wife Winny Setjadi. Roy passed away in 2011.

Months later, the couple became very active to "entice" various Catholic groups with enthusiasm to this brand new type of exercise to "be good Catholics". Two years later, both were invited to Dublin to attend an international charismatic conference. And months later, the couple began their personal initiative to spread the new type of "being Catholic" to numerous groups in this huge Indonesian archipelago.

“When their initiative and movement became larger and highly influential for dozens of Catholic groups, the Archbishop of Jakarta - the late Msgr. Leo Soekoto SJ - decided to appoint a Jesuit priest as our "guard dog" and our mentor-motivator. It was Father Lambertus van den Heuvel who decided to become an Indonesian citizen by adopting a new Javanese name: Fr. Sugiri ", Ms Winny Setjadi reminds AsiaNews.

Father Sugiri (pictured) died in Jakarta on 11 June at the age of 90, he was currently parish priest in the church of Saint Teresa in the elite center of Jakarta, the center of Menteng.

 A new way of being a good Catholic

Mrs. Setjadi’s fond memories of Fr Sugiri goes back many years, in which this new type of "being Catholic" suddenly became very important for dozens of Catholic groups in Jakarta. Especially because some Catholics tried to find new ways to express their faith in somewhat "different" ways while participating in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Instead of just being able to "watch" the regular liturgical ceremonies without any of the groups participation to express their faith, they tried another way to offer themselves - among others - by opening a personal sharing session of ' experience of faith instead of the homily of the priest.

The novelty was not without strong criticism from both the Catholic hierarchy and the "ordinary" Catholic community. "But the show must go on," as Ms. Setjadi says in speaking of the very influential authority shown by Father Sugiri SJ as the first Indonesian priest fully authorized by the archbishop of Jakarta to "supervise" and guide this huge new Catholic charismatic community.

The pilot project for this new phenomenon took place in the parish church of San Pietro and San Paolo in western Jakarta, where at the time Father Sugiri was the parish priest.

He was chosen by the Archbishop of Jakarta, Msgr. Leo Soekoto SJ, to monitor and direct the new movement. This pastoral assignment was given to him in secret because at the time this new type of "expression" of faith was still considered to be very "sensational" and truly "shocking" gestures for the entire Indonesian Catholic Church. For example, people started offering the handshake during the mass or the style of the liturgical songs became very "different".

“Even in St. Peter and St. Paul Mangga Besar Church, my parish church when I was still an altar boy – recalls Fr. Simon L. Tjahjadi, a diocesan priest graduated in Germany and a professor at the Philosophy School STF Driyarkara - there has been a social 'separation' between our group in the parish. Between those who supported this new charismatic movement and those who were strongly opposed to this new phenomenon".

Great praise is expressed of the late Father Sugiri, whose contribution to the development and leadership of the Indonesian charismatic movement went beyond everyone's initial expectations.

His most important legacy to the Indonesian Catholic Church is garnering charism of thousands of lay Catholics who offer their ability and energy to the Church to expand the mission of evangelization.

The presence of the Shekinah Office in Harmony, in the western part of Jakarta, is becoming, among others, a very influential point of reference for the charismatic movement in Indonesia. The Shekinah Office has organized many catechesis programs, joyful discovery retreats, personal healing seminars, Bible study forums, etc. c.

And a huge number of enthusiasts, both facilitators and followers, have joined this Shekinah Office to run programs and courses. And these former students spread the movement and programs in different communities and parishes in many dioceses across the nation.

Sugiri was really the first promoter of these programs and this is still carried out by his successors today.

FX Rickoloes Pricorianto is a geologist from the diocese of Bogor in West Java. At a certain moment, he met Fr. Sugiri was invited to participate in his "Joy of Discovery" program as a facilitator. "It's a new way to understand the Holy Scriptures," he recalls. Later, he also attended the so-called Kursus Pendidikan Kitab Suci (KPPS, the scripture course). "If you do not read the scriptures, then how can we know Jesus," says Pricorianto who participated in a course for two years. Now he has become a key figure in promoting the new habit of reading the Bible in the diocese.

Pricorianto is just one example of how the good seed of evangelization promoted years ago by the late Fr. Sugiri now becoming a booming phenomenon in Indonesia. Others are increasing phenomena when more and more Catholics, young people and adults, contribute to various social service programs, Bible study groups and even become catechists.