30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 24, 2004

4) 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 24, 2004

Monday, October 18, 2004. This morning before going to CTU, I went to post office to send my application of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) to Alexian Brothers Health System at Elk Grove Village, Illinois. I am looking forward whether they will accept it. After having Sacraments I class, I met my spirituality professor, Mary Frohlich in order to consult of my MA paper about Saint Augustine. She proposed me to take the book 8th of the Confession with audience of adult catechumens of a university in Jakarta-Indonesia. She advised me to find two books about this topic and for the first time I borrowed books at the CTU library. It’s very easy to find these books; first of all I checked it out on the Internet. I could search those books on the shelves by myself. Actually, at CTU we can do research conveniently because the easiness of resources. In the afternoon I had a formation direction with Father Rocco and I was glad that this academic year we have a routine meeting in monthly basis even we made an appointment for the next meeting on November 15. He was convinced of my formal ministry at a retreat house dealing with issue of social justice and peace. At night I read a book of theological reflection for the class tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004. For the theological reflection class this morning we had a meeting at the Scalabrinian house. We shared our reading on the book of theological reflection methods and next week we have to evolve a list of question on our choice of the method. In the evening I attended Interreligious Dialogue class and this time we presented a topic of Islam and Christian and next week we will have mid semester exam with three major topic on Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Victor Hugo, our Xaverian brother who lives in Saint Therese Parish took us (Alexis, Chuy, Pascal and I) home at Hyde Park by car of Father Aniello. In the car, I heard of a tape about Bible and it urged me to listen to the Bible tape again that used to do it last year. It is a good exercise to listen good Word and a good way how to read the Bible with proper pronunciation in the American way. I was convinced by the comment of Victor and Alexis in the car so now I am listening to it again in my own room while I am writing this journal. Today was a historical day for Indonesia since there was an inauguration of the new president of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the vice president Yusuf Kalla.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004. In the morning class, I had a group discussion of Sacraments I (Initiation and Reconciliation) class with a topic of pastoral implication of article 75 on RCIA book in which we have to evolve a program of catechumenate program in a parish setting. We’re five persons in the group including Dharmawan. Based on my experiences dealing with RCIA in Indonesia, I contributed some thoughts. It is a part of the alternative learning program of CTU at this class and we will present it as a group next Monday. Luckily, Andi, a member of our group has a laptop to type it directly our discussion and we do not worry about the report next week. In the afternoon, I was typing a data and reflection of the Xaverians in Indonesia for tomorrow morning Mass. This week the liturgy group (Pascal Atumisi, Jacques and Father Victor) who is in charge has idea to share of the Xaverians mission in some countries. So far, we heard about mission in R.D. Congo (Pascal Atumisi), the USA (Father Rocco) and Sierra Leone (Father Victor). It is a way to celebrate the mission month, October in our community. In the evening prayer, Pascal Atumisi prayed for Brother Wayne Teasdale who died today because of his cancer sickness. He is the one who gave us a retreat in 2003 about the centering prayer. We pray for him in a special way. I met him last time in May 2003 when in the evening I would go to Claude Mary’s room for interview, he asked me favor to bring his things to one’s car for he moved from CTU building to other place. I saw his weak condition and his voice was very low after he endured surgery of his cancer and would take other surgery again.

Thursday, October 21, 2004. In the morning Mass, I gave a reflection about the Xaverian Missionaries in Indonesia. After attending a spirituality class, I met Father Paul LaChance, OFM who is my MA academic advisor and he gave me his e-mail address to make an appointment for next week. At night I was doing my theological reflection paper for next Tuesday. It’s the reflection about the Xaverians in Indonesia:
(first phase) The Xaverian Mission in Indonesia began with the arrival of 8 Xaverians who had been expelled from China in Padang, on 24 July 1951. We took over the Capuchins in West Sumatera and Riau then extended to some zones and groups not yet reached by the Gospel, such as Mentawai Islands and migrant Javanese, Batak and Nias present in the areas of Minangkabau and Riau. The activities of the mission increased when the Apostolic Prefecture of Padang became a diocese in 1961 with the first bishop, Raimondo Bergamin, SX. Thanks to the Xaverians, the diocese of Padang soon had a consolidated structure in the social, catechetical, educational, health fields and some diocesan commissions were formed and developed.
The Xaverians initially declined the opportunity to engage in recruitment activity for the Institute and promoted vocations to the local diocesan clergy. Thanks to their support, the diocese soon had its first native priests, whose numbers continued to rise until today’s figure of about 30.
In the second phase, with the erection of the Indonesian Region (1969), the Xaverians felt the need to respond to the needs of other dioceses, and at the same time let themselves be enriched by the different apostolic experiences and methods of these dioceses. Some parishes were opened in the dioceses of Jakarta (1970), Medan (1975) and Sibolga (1981). We concentrated our energies on parish pastoral ministry, making ourselves available for pastoral activities at zonal and diocesan levels.
The third stage is the opening of the formation of Indonesian Xaverians. This phase began with the 5th Regional Chapter in 1984 with our decision to begin the recruitment of Indonesian Xaverians Vocations. This soon led to the opening of formation houses in Jakarta and these made heavy demands on our commitment, finances and personnel, which inevitably, were taken from the pastoral activity sector.
The number of the Indonesian Xaverians are growing: now there are 12 priests, 11 students in the five international theologies, 31 professed students in pastoral year and philosophy house, 8 novices, 11 pre-novices, 18 young men in Tunas Xaverian.
The Xaverians priests and brothers in Indonesia now are working in some areas:
- Parish/ diocese ministry: 25
- Animation/Vocation promotion: 2
- Formation: 10
- Other Service: 3
- TOTAL: 40 XAVERIANS (including 2 Italian brothers, 3 Mexican priests, 3 Spaniards) + 31 professed students.
The principal fields of work: Animation/Vocation Promotion; Formation; Pastoral activities at diocesan and parish levels and various services on behalf of the Region.
- We feel the need to emphasize the importance of missionary animation. The two confreres chosen to work full-time in this activity.
- Formation is the activity that has absorbed in the Region’s most valid personnel and it enjoys priority over the other pastoral activities. Now, there are three Indonesian Xaverian priests in our formation houses.
Over the last few years, the Xaverians in Indonesia have been challenged to re-examine their identity and our missionary activity by the Church in Asia and the General Direction. We now realize that some new demands of the mission find echo in the response that some confreres try to give initiatives of solidarity towards the poor, animating the Christian communities to a “sense of mission”, the incarnation in the Indonesian culture especially through the formation of native Indonesian Xaverians and a deep involvement in Indonesian life and affairs. We find it difficult, however, to respond to other demands that the mission makes on us: dialogue with other religions is made particularly difficult by the lack of suitable personnel for this activity, the advanced age of the majority of confreres and their long-established traditional mission activity (parish work) and the problems we experience when it comes to sharing individual experiences and programming together. We are pleased to see, that the students are very open to this new style of mission and that they are supported and guided in this openness by the formators.
More than 30 Xaverians who work in Indonesia are over 60’s, so in the future the re-generation is in the hands of young Xaverians who are now prepared in the formation stages.

Friday, October 22, 2004. In the morning I swept the TV room at the basement and did laundry of my clothes. Ignas helped me scan my newest picture and I sent them by e-mail to my pen pal. I found some videocassettes at the TV room about social analysis that will be helpful for my ministry at David Darst and I watched them for a while. It seemed that I was learning some concept about circle of Insertion-Social Analysis-Theological Reflection and Pastoral Planning.

Saturday, October 23, 2004. Since the morning to noon I stayed at my room prepared myself to face a mid semester test of Interreligious Dialogue which will be held on next Tuesday. At 3 p.m. by bus I went to Saint Peter Loop Church to have a confession then by red line I went to my ministry site at David Darst Spirituality Center and this time we sold raffle tickets at the entrance door of Saint Anthony of All Saints Church, behind the retreat house. Sister Paula, OSF took me home by her car and I invited her tomorrow evening to come to our house to celebrate the Mission Sunday. At night I called up my aunt and my father in Indonesia. Father Ivan, our provincial was coming to visit our community and met him as I came to the kitchen at 6 p.m.

Sunday, October 24, 2004. In the morning we went to Saint Therese church-Chinatown to attend a Mass concelebrated by Bishop Garcia with Fathers Michael, Victor, Ivan and Rocco. It’s a special Sunday Mass to celebrate Mission Sunday and there’s an infant baptism and a sending of catechists of this church. The liturgy was composed by some ethnic cultures such as Cantonese, Mandarin, Indonesian and English language in songs, prayers and even dance of Indonesian ladies in the offertory gifts. What a diverse oriental cultures in this parish. To celebrate this Mission Sunday, in our Xaverians theology community, we had a special evening prayer attended also by some guests. There were about eight guests coming to our dinner this night including Father Aniello and Sister Paula, OSF, my supervisor of ministry site at David Darst Spirituality Center. It lasted at 9 p.m. and I could finish my journal this week.
In my own reflection, my life now is already a mission but I am looking forward one day when I will be sent to a mission land wherever I will be ministering as a missionary priest in my beloved Xaverians Order. The time of sending a missionary is an “Easter Day” for the one who will be sent, according to the Blessed Conforti, the Xaverians founder.


4) Hari Minggu Biasa ke-30, 24 Oktober 2004

Senin, 18 Oktober 2004. Pagi ini sebelum pergi ke CTU, saya pergi ke kantor pos untuk mengirimkan surat lamaran saya untuk program CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) ke Alexian Brothers Health System di Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Saya menunggu kabar selanjutnya apakah lamaran ini akan diterima. Setelah ikut kuliah Sakramen I saya bertemu dosen spiritualitas saya, Mary Frohlich untuk konsultasi tentang tema paper MA saya mengenai Santo Agustinus. Ia menyarankan untuk mengambil bab ke-8 buku Confession Santo Agustinus dengan audience katekumen sebuah universitas di Jakarta-Indonesia. Ia menyarankan saya untuk mencari dua buku berkenaan dengan topik ini dan untuk kali pertamanya saya meminjam buku-buku ini di perpustakaan CTU. Sungguh mudah meminjam buku di CTU, tinggal lihat di internet lalu saya bisa mencari sendiri di rak buku. Sebenarnya di CTU kita dapat melakukan riset dengan nyaman karena kemudahan mendapatkan sumber buku-buku. Sore hari saya bertemu Pastor Rocco untuk pembinaan pribadi dan saya senang karena untuk tahun akademis ini 2004-2005, kami memiliki jadwal rutin sebulan sekali bertemu untuk pembinaan bahkan kami sudah bikin janji akan bertemu lagi bulan depan tanggal 15 November. Ia yakin akan kerasulan resmi yang saya jalani saat ini dari CTU yaitu berhubungan dengan isu keadilan sosial, perdamaian di sebuah rumah retret, khusus untuk retret anak-anak muda. Malam harinya, saya membaca sebuah buku tentang refleksi teologi untuk kelas besok pagi.

Selasa, 19 Oktober 2004. Untuk refleksi teologi kelas pagi ini kami mengadakan pertemuan di rumah Scalabrinian. Kami mensharingkan apa yang kami dapat dari bacaan buku tentang metode refleksi teologis dan minggu depan kami harus menyusun pertanyaan atas metode yang sudah kami pilih secara pribadi. Sore hari saya mengikuti kuliah dialog antar agama dengan dosen Edmund Chia dan kali ini kami masing-masing memberikan presentasi tentang hubungan Islam dan Kristiani dan minggu depan kami akan menghadapi ujian mid semester dengan tiga topik yaitu Hinduism, Buddhism dan Islam. Victor Hugo, seorang frater Xaverian yang tinggal di paroki Santa Theresia Chinatown mengantar kami (Alexis, Chuy, Pascal dan saya) pulang ke rumah di Hyde Park dengan mobil Pastor Aniello. Di dalam mobil, saya mendengar sebuah kaset tentang Kitab Suci dan ini mengajak saya untuk mendengarkan kembali kaset tentang Kitab Suci yang tahun lalu biasa saya lakukan. Ini adalah sebuah latihan yang cukup bagus untuk mendengarkan kabar gembira, sabda Allah dan sebuah cara yang baik bagaimana membaca Kitab Suci dengan pengucapan yang tepat dalam bahasa Inggris gaya Amerika. Saya diyakinkan dengan komentar baik yang diberikan oleh Victor dan Alexis di dalam mobil sehingga saat ini pun saya sedang mendengarkan kaset Kitab Suci ini sabmil menulis jurnal ini. Hari ini adalah hari bersejarah bagi bangsa Indonesia karena hari ini adalah hari pelantikan presiden baru yaitu Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dengan wakilnya Yusuf Kalla.

Rabu, 20 Oktober 2004. Dalam kuliah pagi hari, saya mengadakan diskusi kelompok dalam matakuliah Sakramen I (Inisiasi dan Rekonsiliasi) dengan topik implikasi pastoral untuk artikel nomor 75 buku RCIA di mana kami harus menyusun sebuah program untuk katekumenat di sebuah paroki. Kami berlima termasuk Dharmawan. Berdasarkan pengalaman saya menjadi katekis di Jakarta-Indonesia, saya membagikan pemikiran tentang program ini. Ini adalah salah satu bagian dari program belajar alternatif dari CTU di matakuliah yang diajar oleh Fragomeni dan kami akan mempresentasikannya hari Senin depan. Untunglah, Andi, salah satu anggota kami memiliki laptop dan mengetik hasil diskusi kami secara langsung dan kami tidak perlu kuatir untuk laporan kerja kelompok minggu depan. Sore hari, saya mengetik data dan refleksi tentang karya Xaverian di Indonesia untuk misa besok pagi. Minggu ini tim liturgi yang bertugas yaitu Pascal Atumisi, Jacques dan PastorVictor memiliki program untuk membagikan cerita misi tentang karya misi Xaverian di beberapa negara. Sejauh ini, kami sudah mendengarkan tentang misi di R.D. Congo (Pascal Atumisi), USA (Pastor Rocco) dan Sierra Leone (Pastor Victor). Ini adalah satu cara untuk merayakan bulan misi, Oktober di komunitas teologi kami di Chicago. Dalam doa sore, Pascal Atumisi berdoa untuk Bruder Wayne Teasdale yang meninggal dunia karena sakit kanker. Ia adalah bruder yang memberikan retret pada kami para frater SX tahun 2003 tentang centering prayer. Kami berdoa untuk dia secara khusus. Saya terakhir kali bertemu dia ketika di suatu sore hari saya akan bertemu Claude Mary untuk interview, ia meminta tolong pada saya untuk membawa barang-barangnya ke dalam sebuah mobil karena saat itu ia akan pindah dari gedung CTU ke tempat lain untuk pemulihan kesehatannya. Saya melihat kondisinya memang cukup lemah dan suaranya sungguh lemah pula karena habis selesai operasi dan masih butuh operasi lagi katanya.

Kamis, 21 Oktober 2004. Dalam misa pagi, saya memberikan sebuah sharing refleksi tentang keberadaan Xaverian di Indonesia. Setelah mengikuti kuliah spiritualitas, saya bertemu Pastor Paul LaChance, OFM yang adalah penasehat akademik MA saya dan ia memberiku alamat e-mailnya untuk membuat janji pertemuan minggu depan. Malam hari saya mengerjakan tugas paper refleksi teologi untuk hari Selasa mendatang.

Jumat, 22 Oktober 2004. Pagi hari saya menyapu ruang TV di ruang basement dan mencuci serta menyeterika baju saya sendiri. Ignas membantuku men-scan photo-photo terbaruku yang baru selesai dicuci cetak lalu kukirimkan lewat e-mail untuk para sahabat. Saya menemukan beberapa kaset video di ruang TV basement tentang analisa sosial yang berguna untuk karya kerasulan saya di David Darst lalu saya menontonnya untuk beberapa saat. Nampaknya saya belajar beberapa konsep tentang suatu lingkaran: Pengalaman nyata (Insertion) – Analisa Sosial – Refleksi Teologis – Rencana Pastoral.

Sabtu, 23 Oktober 2004. Sejak pagi hari hingga tengah hari saya tinggal di kamar untuk mempersiapkan diri ujian mid semester untuk matakuliah Dialog Antar agama hari Selasa malam yang akan datang. Pukul 3 sore saya dengan naik bis nomor 6 pergi ke Gereja Santo Petrus Loop untuk rekonsiliasi bulanan di downtown Chicago sementara udara yang tadi pati sempat agak dingin dan hujan namun sekarang sinar matahari bersinar cerah dan udara cukup lumayan sejuk dan tidak dingin lalu dengan naik kereta red line saya pergi ke David Darst Spirituality Center dan kali ini saya bersama volunteer lain menjual tiket raffle di depan gereja Saint Anthony of All Saints, tepat di belakang rumah retret David Darst. Suster Paula, OSF mengantarku pulang dengan mobilnya dan saya mengundangnya untuk datang ke rumah kami di Hyde Park untuk acara hari Minggu Misi. Malam harinya saya menelpon bibi saya di Jakarta serta Papi saya di Madiun, Indonesia. Pastor Ivan, pastor propinsial kami datang ke komunitas kami dan saya jumpa dengannya ketika saya masuk ke dapur pukul 6 sore.

Minggu, 24 Oktober 2004. Pagi hari kami pergi ke gereja Santa Theresia di Chinatown untuk mengikuti misa khusus hari Minggu Misi yang kali ini dipimpin oleh Uskup Garcia serta empat pastor Xaverian: Michael, Victor, Ivan dan Rocco. Dalam acara hari Minggu Misi ini dirayakan pula pembaptisan bayi dan juga perutusan para katekis dari paroki ini yang memulai karya mereka di paroki ini. Liturgi hari Minggu ini tersusun dari beberapa budaya Asia seperti bahasa Canton, Mandarin, Indonesia dan Inggris dalam lagu dan nyanyian, dan bahkan juga tarian Indonesia dalam persembahan. Suatu paduan keragaman budaya nampak tercermin dalam gereja kecil ini yang merupakan Chinese Mission di Keuskupan Agung Chicago. Untuk merayakan hari Minggu Misi ini, di komunitas teologi Xaverian, kami mengadakan doa sore khusus dihadiri pula oleh beberapa tamu. Ada sekitar 8 orang tamu dalam acara khusus ini yang disambung dengan santap malam bersama, termasuk Pastor Aniello, SX dari gereja Santa Theresia dan Suster Paula, OSF yang merupakan supervisor saya di kerasulan saya David Darst Spirituality Center. Acara berakhir pukul 9 malam dan saya dapat meneyelesaikan penulisan jurnal ini.
Dalam refleksi pribadi saya, hidup saya saat ini sudah merupakan suatu misi namun saya menantikan saat khusus, suatu hari perutusan ke tanah misi kemanapun saya akan bertugas sebagai seorang pastor misionari di dalam Serikat Misionaris Xaverian tercinta yang merupakan saat paskah bagi seorang misionaris, menurut Beato Conforti, pendiri Xaverian.