MSC INDONESIA, A VISIT BY THE SUPERIOR GENERAL

Yesterday’s post paid tribute to our Asian confreres and their assistance to our province.

Our neighbouring province, Indonesia, the largest in the congregation deserves our gratitude as well – especially in sending chaplains for the Indonesian communities, especially in Sydney.  They also gather for Masses at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Kensington, where Alo Lamere MSC is parish priest.

The Superior General, Abzalom Alvarado Tovar recently visited the province for the first time. Here are his reflections.

Diversity, multiculturalism, and at the same time unity are words that resonate in my being as I think of these two months of accompaniment to the MSC Province of Indonesia.

MSC Mendiptana

There is a great MSC richness that I could feel while coming to know so many of our MSC confreres, who come from an immense cultural diversity. And I underline the richness because every day I had the opportunity to meet new MSC confreres, each with great values and engaged in so many different apostolic ministries.

To feel the greatness in the quality of the missionary dedication and commitment, but also the numerical greatness of the MSC Missionary force in the midst of the more than 18,000 islands that make up this immense country.

The province of Indonesia is made up of 345 MSC, distributed in five Districts together with the provincial and formation communities. The MSC Districts are as follows: Central Java/South Kalimantan; Mollucas; West Papua; Sulawesi/Kalimantan East.; Jakarta/Western Kalimantan-Sumatra.

MSC Mollucas

Each District has so many strengths and riches especially in its members that it is impossible to summarize them here. Of course, there are great challenges that each person and therefore each MSC District is called upon to face. There is so much life emerging from within each confrere, from within the different apostolic works and, above all, from within each Culture. I was also able to experience in a special way the source of life that emerges through the witness of the lay brothers and sisters. The Chevalier Family is very much alive and in some places especially committed to the mission.

We are accustomed as MSC to conceive of this Province for its Ad Gentes missionary activity, which is certainly so valuable and admirable. But now God has shown me the immense size of its Ad Intra mission within Indonesia. There are many needs to be met.

Community life has to remain a priority, as well as initial and ongoing formation. Leadership formation at all levels is also important, especially at the level of District Leadership Teams. Trying to do Generative Listening with the confreres, I felt the cry of the need for ongoing formation based on processes of integral human development.

Another wonderful element is the abundance of vocations, it gives much hope to feel and listen to the life that cries out in the hearts of so many young MSC in formation. They invite us to a truly prophetic commitment after the witness of our confreres killed at Langgur in 1942. The heritage of their martyrs is helping our brothers in Indonesia face, with prophetic and missionary Spirit, this moment of transformation that we are living today as society and as Church.

Worthy of mention is the accompaniment in the reconstruction of life in Palu, Central Sulawesi, as well as the different commitments to the defense of the environment and human rights especially in West Papua. One should also mention the commitment to the integral development of people, and the promotion of education, rehabilitation and Credit Unions, among others.

I confirmed that being a minority in Indonesia has been an opportunity rather than a weakness. Being a minority as Catholics, the members have developed an authentic spirit of family, fraternity and mutual support. The parishioners know each other and help each other.

Thank you to all the confreres of this wonderful MSC Province for their witness and support in carrying out this accompaniment.

I conclude this report by congratulating the Sulawesi District on the beginning of the Jubilee for the 100 years of MSC presence in Manado.

TARIMA KASI.   (From the General Bulletin)