OCTOBER 2003

OCTOBER 2003

1). 27TH Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 5, 2003
This week was my first time having experience study at CTU (Catholic Theological Union) in Chicago. This Fall Quarter I take 3 classes, which will be finished on December 13. It means that I have only 10 weeks, so I have to really try to understand the requirements of the courses. Looking at the syllabus of the courses, I have to do many readings before attend the class and I have to do the paper as the date line I should submit them. Considering my daily activities, which are running very fast, I should manage my time properly, so I can live my entire dimension lives (spiritual, study, community, ministry, and vocation) properly. They seem very heavy for me at the first time, but I believe that I can do step by step and always give up to the God’s will. Above all, I can say that this opportunity to study and live in Chicago is very awesome.
On Tuesday and Thursday noon, I had class of the Gospel according to John with Sr. Barbara Reid, OP as the professor. The class had about 36 students, which most of them were 2nd, 3rd, or last year at CTU, but I was just the beginner. In the second meeting, I had discussion with my group about John 20-21. It’s nice experience to share our thoughts one another. We were from various countries, like Ghana, Philippine, the USA, Vietnamese American, and Indonesia. The plurality of many aspects depicts what CTU is all about, which I learned when I was in Indonesia and recently I experience it.
On Tuesday night, 7 p.m. till 9.45 p.m., I had the Introduction of Social Ethics, which was attended about 36 students. The professor was Kevin Jung, a new professor who studies for his doctoral in University of Chicago. We have also discussion group, which have 9 members and discuss a certain topic every week. It’ll draw me to speak English and to be patient to listen and understand to others. I feel that my English is quite enough to understand others, but I think I have to improve more and more since I still have a couple of mistakes grammatically when I write and speak. I hope from this experience, I can improve my English.
On Wednesday, I didn’t have class at CTU, but I went there to read some binder and books that were required of my classes. With the help of Father Edi, osc, in the CTU library, I made photocopy, which I used my student card. In the night I had meeting personally with my rector, Father Rocco.
On Thursday night, we had community meeting and celebrated the birthday of Chuy (36). In the morning, I went to CTU to ask Peter Xu and Therese how to use the “blackboard”, which is technology of Internet to access the classes I take at CTU. From this tool, I can download at home or anywhere the courses (announcement, the lessons of the professor, discussion, and submitting the paper) I have at CTU.
On Friday morning, we had lectio divina in the community. We pondered, prayed, and shared of Luke 5:1-11. In the afternoon, it was raining and I was going to Chinatown, Saint Therese parish to meet Petrus. I talked to Father Michael and asked him to be my spiritual director and he was agree. Thank you Father for your willingness to receive me. Also, every Sunday I have ministry in Chinatown to teach catechumens of 6-8 grades with Petrus. In the evening, Petrus and I went to DePaul University, Lincoln Park, to attend a mass of the death of F.X. Madirun, a father of an Indonesian Vincentian priest, Romo Robertus Wijanarko, cm. It was attended about 35 Indonesian people. After mass, we had dinner at the basement, of course Indonesian food. By this moment, I introduced myself to others as a new member of PWKI Chicago. It’s really nice to be here and get along with others. Thank you for all and especially the Indonesian food that I also brought home the leftover for my lunch. Feli and Mira dropped us (Romo Edi, Frater Sony, and me) home. Thank you Feli and Mira for your kindness, see you again.
On Saturday morning 8.30, I had to go to CTU to attend my last class during this first week of my study. I had class of the problem of God in Contemporary Society, which was presented about 36 students. The professor was Babka, a young-short-blonde woman, who graduated from Notre Dame University, Indiana. She explained many philosophical theories from Ancient to Modern era that I had received in my previous study in Jakarta. With the new language, English, I tried to understand her fast power point lecture. In the afternoon, we went to a Mexican family to have dinner and Tequila. Last year at Christmas night, I also joined them to this family, who gave each of us a box of chocolate. We met also Jerry (Coco), a former of Xaverian student.
One thing that I’d like to share is that I like to be a connector between others. For instance, when Mbak Shafa, my neighbor in Chicago will go to Lebanon via Paris, I told her about an Indonesian father, Romo Yakobus, sx who lives there. I gave her his address, which she can call him up. She also knew him in Yogyakarta a couple of years ago. Secondly, Mother Oey, my relative in Jakarta who will go to Mexico City at the mid of October and I tell my confrere, Maryono about her. I am glad also that she will visit Wawan, my Indonesian confrere who is sick in Guadalajara, Mexico. Finally, they have planning to meet. From these experiences, I am very grateful to be connector to each other.
On Sunday morning, Father Rocco took me to Chinatown. I had a mass at 9.30 a.m., then for the first time I helped Petrus to teach CCD (like Sunday School) for 6-8 grades. There were 7 children. We tried to invite them to sing, to clap, but apparently they didn’t want to do it. So, we just asked bible story to them. There was bazaar at Saint Therese School, where a lot of children played games. While on the street there was a parade celebrating the independence day of Taiwan (10/10). Since Petrus had many tickets, so I spent a lot of food and brought them home. He dropped me home by car at 3.30 p.m. I enjoyed this day, even though we were not success to make the CCD children have fun and enthusiasm. We have to use other method so that they will be enjoying class next week. In the afternoon, we had supper at home to celebrate farewell party of Sergio, who will leave to Mexico on Friday (10/10). We ate Mexican food. Tomorrow also, Father Rocco will depart to Italy for Xaverian theology rectors meeting and he will return to the USA on October 23.

The more I see, the more I’ll be
If I cannot see it, I’ll not be it
Until I believe it, I’ll not achieve it
In faith-hope-love,
Frater Alexander Cornelius Denny Wahyudi, sx





2). 28TH Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 12, 2003

The weather in Chicago in the past week was quite warm, about 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit, like in the summer season, while the leaves of trees change color to be yellowish and begin to fall on the streets. But, as the forecast weather saying, the week to come will be colder and colder.
Entering the past second week of CTU study, I realized that the time runs quickly. I have to arrange my time properly and my responsibility both community and myself wisely. Last Friday was my first time to cook in my community. Since it’s my first time, so I was rather nervous. I began at noon prepared the meat. For I had Indonesian instant spices, I planned to make ‘rendang’ (beef meat), but I had already prepared pork meat. My thought was making pork ‘rendang’ instead of beef ‘rendang’. I separated the meat from the bones, then I didn’t have an idea what I to do with the rest bones. I saw that there were ‘gulai (a sort of soup) instant spices’, so I was making pork ‘gulai’ with the rest of pork bones. Normally, ‘gulai’ is cooked with lamb or goat meat. I read from the instruction that I needed coconut (santan) for ‘rendang’ and ‘gulai’ but I didn’t have it, so I went to the close stores in Hyde Park. Unluckily, there was no coconut in the neighbor stores. I did my best without coconut. I also cooked yellow rice since there was also the instant spice of it. I made ‘tumpeng’ from this yellow rice. To memorize how great was my first experience to cook, I took a picture of my food. It looked like quite artistic ‘tumpeng’. Do you know what was the comment of my confreres? They said that it’s not bad for the first time. Until now, the pork soup ‘gulai’ is still left over and I eat everyday. Next Wednesday, again my turn to cook, probably I am going to cook easier one that won’t take long time.
On Friday night, Sony, an Indonesian SVD student, invited me to go to the Indonesian prayer group in Rina-Budi home. With topic of “Power of Prayer”, Romo Eko, cm emphasized James 5:16 (The prayer of righteous man is very powerful). We shared our experience of our prayer. We’re 8, Rina, Budi, Feli, Elizabeth, Sony, Marvin, Romo Eko, and I. Before we ‘ate’ the spiritual food, we enjoyed the ‘sup buntut’ (tail soup) and ‘vrekedel’ (food of potatoe) that Rina cooked. It seems that praying and sharing together is great preoccupation of our faith living.
It seemed that the last Friday was my busy day. Since morning, after lectio divina, I did jogging in the basement in order to have fit body, and then I did some work cleaning up the 2nd and 3rd floor. Since my thought only on the cooking, so I didn’t feel hungry. Though the day was so busy, but I didn’t feel tired and sleepy. I guess, if we do the work with full of rejoice and responsibility, we won’t feel bored and tired.
Since on Saturday I had class in the morning, so I had to go for mass at Saint Thomas at 5.30 p.m. Before mass, I met a Vietnamese SVD student, Chinh, who is recently my classmate at CTU. A couple of time some students assumed that I am a Vietnamese, Philippines, or Korean. They’re wonder when I said that I’m from Indonesia. Maybe they saw that I have face and skin similar like them and they never experienced knowing an Indonesian like me. Once a Philippine Alexian brother talked to me with Chinese language, then I answered with English that I don’t speak Chinese (‘pu ce tau’).
On Sunday morning I headed to Chinatown parish by CTA bus and train, red line. I attended the Indonesian mass at 11.20 a.m. On the street there was marathon-running event, so some streets were blocked. In the mass that was presented about 35 Indonesian folks, I met new friend especially Monci and Steve family whom I knew from phone, and also some from my province, East Java, namely Edi, Ibu Marta and her husband from Surabaya. After mass, we gathered at the basement for lunch. We enjoyed the Indonesian food (bakso, rice, etc) that was prepared by Ibu Andrea and Ibu Imelda Palmas (thank you Ibu Imelda and Ibu Andrea for the delicious food you have prepared and for your willingness to read my journal). Because the food was more than people who came, so I also grabbed the leftover home. We (Romo Edi osc, a Philippines Vincentian priest, Sony, Maggie, and I) were dropped by Petrus in Hyde Park. Thank you for all of grace both spiritual and material that I received today. This day coincided with my first arrival in the USA, on November 12, 2002. It means that next month I have to report myself to INS in Chicago for annual report as the USA rule for Indonesian man. As a faithful, I reflected that this day was not coincidence but providence.
After supper, we celebrated the birthday of our Camerun Xaverian confrere, Alexis (31 years old). Normally, our theology community in Chicago celebrates every our birthday on the exact of one’s birthday, blowing up the candles on the cake, singing the various birthday songs and giving present from the community
All in all, I conclude my experience above with quoting the book of William Johston entitled Silent Music, The Science of Meditation:

“Teilhard put it well when he said that it used to be ‘Love one another if you want to be perfect’, but now it is ‘Love one another if you want to survive’. If we are to get on with the business of planetization and building the earth, we must learn how to live together. Hence our interest in communal living, interpersonal relations, group encounters, sensitivity training, and all the rest. It seems that community is one of the great preoccupations of our day.”

In faith-hope-love,
Frater Alexander Cornelius Denny Wahyudi, sx

My recent address:
Xaverian Missionaries
1347 East Hyde Park Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60615-2724
USA
Phone: (773) 643-5745

3). 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 19, 2003 (World Mission Day)
The weather in Chicago in the past week was not constant, sometimes cold and sometimes warm. It drew me to my daily life’s meaning that I experienced my life up and down as a natural experience. Sometimes I am doubt and scare, how can I do my homework at CTU, while the time is running quickly? I believe that God’s grace and my willingness to do my best will result goodness. For this intention, I want to ask you to pray for me so that I can do my job properly. Thank you.
On Wednesday, once again I cooked in my community. This time I cooked the simple one: spaghetti (from leftover) with meatball and egg, soup and corn. I remembered when I was trying to get instant coconut in Hyde Park stores, but I couldn’t find it. I entered a store and asked, “Do you have ‘instant coconut’? Then the seller said, “On the wall”, but I didn’t see it. Then another salesman showed me…..’incense’ with various aroma like strawberry, maybe coconut also….So, probably the seller understood my pronunciation ‘incense’ instead of ‘instant’, also maybe he looked at me as Chinese or Asian face, so I needed this kind of incense to pray, I guess. I realized this story when I had conversation in my Xaverian community dinner and we’re laughing. Now, I have instant coconut that I got from Chinatown.
On Thursday, coincided with the 37th anniversary of Father Aniello’s priesthood, I watched on the EWTN television channel the mass of 25th anniversary of Pontificate of Pope John Paul II in Vatican. At CTU I attended the community gathering with other students in order to know each other. We had supper that we brought together in this event. At 8 p.m. in my Xaverian community, Father Aniello shared of his mission experience both in Italy and Sierra Leone. Then we celebrated his priesthood anniversary with eating cake and drinking wine.
On Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., I attended a workshop entitled ‘Addiction and Ministry’ as mandatory of M.Div program in CTU. In the beginning and in the middle it’s bored and made me sleepy, but at the end when a man shared and witnessed his experience of addiction, I had enthusiasm to listen to. Unluckily, when he spoke, some of the students have left the workshop. At night, I went to Indonesian prayer group in SVD house, my neighbor. There’re 11 people who came to this prayer, which had topic of Mary in our Catholic Church by Frater Sony, SVD. Father Benjamin, SVD who just arrived 2 days ago from Indonesia, dropped me to my house.
On Saturday as usual, I have class in the morning and mass at Saint Thomas the Apostle at 5.30 p.m.
On Sunday morning, I headed to Chinatown church by bus and Redline train. At 9 o’clock we prayed rosary in the church with various languages of Hail Mary: English, Korean, Cantonese, and Indonesian. In the mass at 9.30 a.m. that was presided by Father Michael Davitti, SX, Frater Petrus, SX gave a homily. As comments of many people, he’s doing a good job. Congratulation Petrus.
At 11 to 12, as my ministry, I taught CCD of 6 to 8 grades. There’re 11 children and in the beginning I asked them to write down the Hail Mary and Glory prayer. Now I can remember their name as a shepherd know his sheeps: Nolan, Christian, Kevin, Catherine, Laura, Regina, Nicole, Tracy, Michelle, Rachel, and Aileen. I taught them about rosary prayer and then I asked them about mission as the World Mission Day celebration. Suddenly, I got an idea to bring the mission pictures, which was already in the room. It’s quite interesting to ask them which picture they chose personally and they gave the reason. From their saying, I was amazed that they have good idea of peace, compassionate, natural balance, family care, and they didn’t like bad situation in the picture like poverty, violation. Next time, I have to dig deeply their concern about others. With the method of asking and answering about Catholic general knowledge, it worked much better. They’re enthusiastically participating the lesson. Most of them know little about it, so it’s my job to give them ‘enlightenment’. Finally, I divided them to be 2 groups and made a quiz with some questions. One hour was very short for me to envoy the message they should know.
In the afternoon, Father Ivan visited us in Hyde Park. In our evening prayer also there was a guess, Maiko, a Japanese friend of Jacques, who studies at CTU. This day is also the beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

In faith-hope-love,
ACDW, sx

4). 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, October 26, 2003
Last week was my 4th week studying at CTU and I had to do my assignment. This is my first paper that I have to submit next week, the exegesis homily of John’s Gospel. I take the Wedding at Cana pericope, John 2:1-12. I don’t know how to do it, but I just followed the method that professor, Barbara Reid, gave us. She insisted that we should have one thesis, so I chose “We are the connector/intercessor/bridge between God’s grace and the others”. In order to fix the grammar, so I will give to Father Pascal to correct it before I give to the professor this coming Thursday. I have to do 2 other homily papers which should be submitted on due time, November 20 and December 9. For me study at CTU is quite different with my study in philosophy and theology in Indonesia. In Indonesia, my examination was required remembrance or memorizing of the matter, but at CTU the examinations are supposed to do the paper and reading a lot of stuff before attending class.
On Friday morning we had lectio divina in our community, with reading from the Sunday gospel, Bartimeus, the blind man. In the evening I went to CTU, 8th floor to attend mass at 5 p.m. There were about 30 people who attended the mass in the Passionist chapel. Most of them were the students of IRF, where Father Adolph, sx is one of the members. In the night, I came to the Indonesian prayer group at Rina-Budi’s house. I came with SVD’s: Benjamin (priest), Sony and Mateus (students). We shared about the fruits of the Holy Spirit, Galatia 5:22-23. There’re 8 people came to this prayer.
On Saturday, I have class in the morning, the Problem of God in the Contemporary Society. One thing that impressed me was the explanation about suffering. Why someone has to suffer, what should we say about it? Like Jesus on the cross was saying, “Eloi, Eloi lama sabakhtani” (O God, why are you forsaken me?), so the one who is suffering is asking, WHY? We can’t easily and simply answer this question with “BECAUSE”….because you are not praying, you don’t have enough faith, etc. But, we don’t know what we should say to the suffered if we don’t know or experience the suffering. In the evening I had time to iron my clothes and write my paper, the homily, Gospel of John after attending mass at Saint Thomas the apostle at 5.30 p.m.
On Sunday, the time is minus one hour, so I have to make my watch later one hour than before. It cost me sleeping one hour more during the night and morning. But, on April 4 next year, I have to pay one hour since the time will be added one hour again. Now, the difference hour between Chicago and Jakarta-Indonesia is 13 hours, instead of 12 hours. I went to Chinatown church by public transportation, attending mass at 9.30 a.m. In the CCD class, I showed the children (9 children) the illusion picture of Jesus. What they saw were different, one saw Jesus, the other only saw the circle, and one saw Osama bin Laden, also the other saw a man with beard. What I wanted to teach was that we can’t touch God with our senses, but we have tools in our faith and church, with pictures, prayers, etc. One said that she experienced God when she was scare. Then Petrus told them one story. At 11.30 we continued with the Halloween Party. The children wore various clothes of Halloween Party and we enjoyed some food together with the parishioners. Afterward, I had spiritual direction with Father Michael, sx. Then, he took me home in Hyde Park. Thank you Father Michael for your kindness.
Regarding to the first paragraph above, I have one thing that I want to share to you. “We are the connector the grace of God and the others” is the topic of my paper. My Xaverian confreres in Mexico last week told me that they have been visited by Mother Oey from Jakarta with her pilgrimage group. Before they met, I told Mother Oey that I knew before by e-mail that I have 2 Indonesian confreres in Mexico. So, I connected them and finally they met. In the group there were also a lady who is the Xaverian benefactor in Jakarta and Mrs. Sumarlin (the wife of a former minister in Indonesia). Besides they received their visit, presents happily, they also got Warta Xaverian, the Xaverian student magazine in Indonesia who was given by Alfons. Briefly, like the topic of the Gospel of John 2:1-12, we are the connector of God’s grace and the others. Even though I just heard about the happiness of the others, but I am also getting and feeling their happiness. Since the happiness is fulfilled if it is shared, isn’t it?

We’re the connector of
God’s grace and
The others.

Faithfully,
ACDW, sx