Jakarta archdiocese celebrates the family, 'the first church' for Catholics
A conference was held to share perspectives and views on the true value of "being a Catholic family". For Lydia Kusnadi, “The Catholic faith grows, develops and generates new values inside the family". In the modern world, self-centredness is growing and making compromises is declining, says Fr Andang L. Binawan. Catholic families should promote living together, says Mgr Ignatius Suharyo, archbishop of Jakarta.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The Archdiocese of Jakarta this year marked the 210th the anniversary of the first Catholic mission in Batavia, the name of the Indonesian capital during Dutch colonial rule.
Various parish communities came together for thanksgiving Masses. In parallel, a forum dedicated to ‘Family, School, Life’ was held on 1st June in Kemayoran (Central Jakarta) with open discussions and a festive Eucharistic celebration
Organised by the Jakarta Archdiocese Family Committee, it brought together about 3,000 young people for the purpose of sharing various perspectives and opinions on the true value of "being a Catholic family".
The conference found inspiration from the challenges that modern times throw at the family, which must be dealt with thoroughly and correctly. Yet, for Lydia Kusnadi, "The Catholic faith grows, develops and generates new values inside the family”.
A number of speakers spoke about different topics of great interest from their own professional perspectives, such as communication in families, the roles of husband and wife, raising special needs children, the sexuality of the couple, family finances management, finding a Catholic partner, re-marriage.
"Every participant was able to choose the topic he or she was most interested in it," Lydia Kusnadi told AsiaNews.
For Fr Andang L. Binawan, a member of the steering committee, "These issues are very important and require public discussion, because in our modern world self-centredness is growing strongly in Catholic families, whilst making compromises has declined in a remarkable way."
Programme chairman Felix Wira Putera explained that the Catholic family "is the first church for children, the first place where they come into contact with their religious identity."
Mgr Ignatius Suharyo, archbishop of Jakarta, closed the event by officiating a celebratory Mass. Addressing the assembly, he reminded those present that the meeting took place on the same day that Indonesians celebrate Pancasila Day, i.e. the pluralistic doctrine on which the state is founded.
In his homily, Mgr Suharyo said, "This conference on the family must push everyone, especially Catholics, to develop good values in families.”
“It is,” he went on to say, “an invitation for Catholic families to socialise with neighbours as good tolerant Indonesian citizens. This is a reference to pastoral motto of the archdiocese of Jakarta: 'For a fairer and more civilised humanity’.”
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21/07/2005
