'Prapaskah Masa', a time of spiritual activities for Indonesian Catholics
Communities bear witness to their faith in the period before Easter. Laity and clergy also engage in socially relevant activities. Catholics work on environmental conservation and development plans.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – In Indonesia, the period before Easter is called Masa Prapaskah. For decades, the country’s dioceses have dedicated it to special activities called Lenten development works, Aksi Puasa Pembangunan in Indonesian.
Such works entail fundraising by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia to finance development activities by Indonesian Catholic groups, including particular actions to meet the needs of local Catholic communities.
In Java’s western, central and eastern provinces, socially relevant activities are part of local cultural traditions. Most recently, this has found fertile ground in Catholics bearing witness to their faith.
In St Mary the Virgin Parish in Wedi, Klaten Regency (Central Java), people pledged to clean up the parish and repaint the statue of the Virgin. Thanks to the contribution of the Red Cross, the parish launched a blood donor drive involving dozens of local Catholics, including the pastor.
The St Bernard's Catholic Community in Kalitengah turned its attention to the environment. Many Catholics from the village of Garuman cleaned up both banks of the Ujung River.
The Archdiocese of Semarang noted that, as part of their Lenten development work, both adults and children came together to raise awareness about environmental conservation in the local population.
In the province of North Sulawesi, the Manado Catholic Fathers also launched a largescale environmental protection project.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Thomas Heru Rinawan, an army officer, said that this initiative is the result of collaboration between Manado Catholics, the Merdeka Military Command, and the provinces of North and Central Sulawesi.
"Our goal was to get local Catholics and military personnel to take part in the nature conservation programme,” he said. “More than 500 people – Catholic parishioners, soldiers, clergymen from ten parishes, and public servants – planted scores of trees.”
During Masa Prapaskah, Indonesia’s Catholic communities also take part in many spiritual activities, as well as volunteer in charitable initiatives. Meditations and prayers involved both laity and clergy.
In Malang, East Java, local parishes met to pray and share the testimonies of Catholics from remote areas of the regency.
On the island of Timor, the Bishop of Atambua Mgr Dominikus Saku gathered priests, nuns, seminarians and believers for spiritual exercises in North Balu.
.png)
15/03/2016 15:35
13/03/2016 14:32
