Thousands flock to Mary to celebrate Consecrated Life
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The Indonesian Church has organized four days of events and celebrations in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life, proclaimed by Pope Francis last November, which will end in January 2016. The meeting was attended by Priests of the largest communities the island of Java, the Archdiocese of Jakarta to Semarang, the diocese of Purwokerto, Surabaya and Malang.
Yesterday, 110 priests concelebrated the Mass at the Marian shrine of Sendangsono. The church - the place the evangelization of Indonesia began in the 19th century, led by Fr. van Lith, a Dutch Jesuit - is the most popular religious destination in Java. The event was also attended by Msgr. Johannes Pujasumarta, archbishop of Semarang, Msgr. Blasius Pujaraharja, retired Bishop of Ketapang and Msgr. Anton Bunyamin, Bishop of Bandung.
The moment was prepared for the purpose of celebrating the "consecrated life" of priests and religious of the whole Church in the country, in communion with Pope Francis. Thousands of faithful from all parts of Central Java gathered at the shrine to pray together with the bishops.
One of the most intense episodes of the celebration was the Archbishop of Semarang’s offical welcome of Fr. Martin Suhartono Sanjoyo as the first "diocesan hermit." Sanjoyo, a Jesuit for 40 years, made a solemn oath declaring his belonging to the diocese of Msgr. Pujasumarta.
Fr. Martin joined the Companions of Jesus at a very young age. Before becoming "a diocesan monk" he was a professor of Holy Scripture in Yogyakarta. Nearly five years ago, he applied to the provincial superior of the Jesuits to start a monastic life in a small area of Karangpandan, in Central Java, where he wanted to dedicate his life to prayer. The superior general allowed Fr. Martin to leave the Society of Jesus with the public pronunciation of his oath in front of hundreds of witnesses.
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24/10/2019 17:56
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