Indonesian clergy mingle with young people and Catholic families to promote the consecrated life (pictures)

by Mathias Hariyadi

In recent years, the country’s religious orders have seen a sharp decline in vocations. Priests, nuns, men and women religious were welcomed in the homes of the faithful in the provinces of West Kalimantan, Central Java and Yogyakarta, sharing the story of their vocation and some aspects of the life they dedicate to Christ.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – In different parts of Indonesia, members of the local clergy have been involved in promoting the consecrated life among young people and families of Catholic communities through initiatives and activities that raise awareness.

On 20-23 April, on the occasion of the week dedicated to the 55th World Day of Vocations, almost a hundred men and women religious, priests and nuns, from 23 local congregations, together with some diocesan seminarians, left their place of residence to spend some time with Catholics in the provinces of West Kalimantan, Central Java and Yogyakarta.

In recent years, religious orders have seen a sharp drop in local vocations. Compared to the late 1980s, when the number of novices could reach 20 people, getting more than seven would be a great surprise right now.

One of the main causes is Keluarga Berencana (KB), Indonesia’s birth-control programme, which was put in place under the late president Suharto (1967-1998).

The Church has been working to reverse the trend and has identified a possible solution in "direct communication" and "personal meetings" with the faithful, which is in fact, what took place at the Holy Family parish in Kota Baru, Pontianak (West Kalimantan), at the initiative of the parish office for the family apostolate.

On 22 April, local Catholic families welcomed 60 consecrated persons into their homes. The latter shared with them the story of their vocation and some aspects of life dedicated to Christ.

The meetings (pictured), which were very successful among the participants, were followed by a festive Eucharistic celebration in the parish church.

Fr Andreas Kurniawan (pictured), a Dominican priest and treasurer of the Archdiocese of Pontianak, "challenged" young people and children dressed like nuns and priests to follow their path.

During his homily, the clergyman highlighted some of the challenges of modern society, explaining how "God’s voice is increasingly ignored and dominated by louder voices."

"We are encouraged to have an intimate relationship with the Lord, through prayer and others, so that we can hear His delicate voice in our hearts," said Fr Andreas.

West Kalimantan has four dioceses (Pontianak, Ketapang, Sintang, and Sanggau). Here Catholics make up a larger proportion of the population than in other provinces of Indonesian Borneo.

However, the latest data show that in the Archdiocese of Pontianak, only 97 priests, 317 nuns and 48 men religious serve in 26 parishes the pastoral needs of some 683,000 local Catholics.

In Klaten, in the province of Central Java, 19 nuns of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph (DMJ) took part in a similar initiative on 20-22 April at the parish of St Theresia Jombor.

Sr Alfonsa DMJ told AsiaNews that the three-day meeting ended with a Mass. The sisters carried out various activities (pictured), including "open-heart" meetings with the younger participants.

In Yogyakarta, Brother Flavianus Ngardi MTB said that, to celebrate the 55th Week dedicated to Vocations, the parish of St Mary Assumpta Babarsari organised a solemn Mass, during which many consecrated persons spoke about their personal stories.

"I was asked to talk about my story in lieu of the homily", said Br Flavianus. Like many Sisters and Brothers, one of the initial motivations that drove Brother Flavianus to the consecrated life was the "interesting and out of the ordinary" robes priests wore during religious services and public occasions.

Some children dressed up as consecrated persons took part in the service (pictured).

(Sr Maria Seba SIFC, Sr Alfonsa DMJ and Br Flavianus Ngardi MTB contributed to this article)