From 4-15 August 2024, the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli OFM, accompanied by the Definitor General for Asia and Oceania, Br. John Wong OFM, and the representative of Development Office, Br. Baptist D’souza OFM visited the Friars of the Province of St. Michael the Archangel in Indonesia and the dependent Foundation of St. António de Lisboa Timor Leste.
On the first day of their visit, upon arriving on the island of Java on Sunday, 4 August 2024, the team from the General Curia was welcomed by Br. Mikael Peruhe OFM as the Provincial Minister, with the Definitors and friars. The visitors were greeted with a cultural ceremony from Ngada-Bajawa in the island of Flores, namely Sa Ngaza(welcoming speech) and the Ja'i dance (welcoming dance). They were also presented with traditional Ulos cloth from North Sumatra in the Provincial House.
During his official address of welcome, Br. Mikael expressed the Province's great joy at the visit of the Minister General, and he highlighted the diversity of Indonesia and widespread presence of friars across the archipelago. The welcoming ceremony in Jakarta concluded with a fraternal lunch, immediately after which team from Rome departed for Dili in Timor Leste (see separate article on the 3-day visit of the Minister General to the Foundation of St. Antonio de Lisboa), where the visit to the Foundation also included a meeting with members of the Order serving in West Timor.
From Timor Leste, Brothers Massimo, John and Baptist, accompanied by the Vicar Provincial of Indonesia Br Daniel Klau Nahak, made a 4-day visit to Manggarai region in the western part of the island of Flores, where they were greeted in Labuan Bajo by representatives of the Franciscan family and local leaders, including Emeritus Bishop of Bogor Diocese, Msgr. Michael Cosmas Angkur OFM.
After a night in Labuan Bajo, Br Massimo and team proceeded to Pagal, where they were greeted with a traditional “tuak cur”' ceremony and Ronda and Ja'i dances. In Pagal, they also met with the friars serving in 4 different places in the Manggarai region. The friars from the OFM missions of Airamu and Kurubokho in central Flores also joined in the meetings and celebrations.
The pastoral council members of the 5 parishes served by the friars in Flores, as well as 25 youth from each of these Franciscan parishes, also had the opportunity to share with the Minister General and Definitor General about their hopes, challenges and dreams. A visit was also made to the eco-pastoral project of the friars and their collaborators in Pagal, that included a liturgy and a tree-planting ceremony. The visit to Flores concluded with a Eucharistic celebration on August 11, 2024, presided by Br. John Wong in the Indonesian language. In his homily in English, Br. Massimo drew inspiration from Jesus as the bread of life, emphasizing His role as a source of strength, joy, and sustenance.
After the visit to Flores, the team from the General Curia proceeded to the current Indonesian capital city of Jakarta, where they met with the friars serving in the islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Riau. They also met with Msgr. Paskalis Bruno Syukur OFM (Bishop of Bogor Diocese) and Msgr. Adrianus Sunarko OFM (Bishop of Pangkalpinang Diocese).
After a full morning of an Interfaith Dialogue on the theme of “Humanity and Ecology” at the Hindu’s Temple of Adhitya Jaya, with leaders of Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Confucianist and Baha'i traditions, the visitors spent the afternoon and evening on a fraternal meeting and Eucharistic celebration with approximately 250 representatives of the Franciscan family and Franciscan parishes of Jakarta and Bogor.
The visit to the Province of St Michael the Archangel in Indonesia culminated the celebration of the Solemn Profession of six young friars of the Province. Quoting the Earlier Rule XXII, Br. Massimo in his homily affirmed that “every life is a gift. Our Franciscan life is a gift. Our vows are a gift. A gift by itself is never forced, never selfish, never calculating. This gift is also a somewhat special. You don’t give something. You give yourself. You give your life. And this is truly Franciscan view… Religious vows, and our Franciscan vows are indeed a bond of faithfulness and ties of love.”
Throughout their visit in this vast Province, Brothers Massimo, John and Baptist were delighted to experience the unity in diversity, the youthfulness, the growth of the Order's presence and its missions, and the beautiful and sincere joy of the brothers in Indonesia.
Br Massimo continually encouraged the brothers of the Province to remain authentically human and evangelically dynamic. He challenged them to continue to take up new presences and new fields of mission, and to remain contact with the people and the world, especially with the world of the young that continues to rapidly evolve. “All this remains possible”, the Minister General exhorted, “if the soul remains alive and true to the Franciscan spiritual quest.”
Read the chronicle of the visit
