Last September 5, during the Mass presided by Pope Francis at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, one hundred thousand faithful gathered to participate in this historic celebration.
Among them were the parishioners of the Parish of St. Augustine of Hippo (West Kalimantan), accompanied by their parish priest Fr.
Russell Lapidez, who is also prior of the Recollect community.
At the same time, in Ledo, the Eucharistic celebration was broadcast live in the parish church, where many of the faithful attended with Fr.
Jovy Gallego and Fr.
Ken Oliver Lao.
In his homily, Pope Francis stressed two essential attitudes for every disciple of Jesus: listening to the Word and living it.
The Pontiff stressed that faith begins with humble listening to the Word of God, which must resonate in the heart, transforming thoughts and actions.
The Pope warned against superficiality in the spiritual life and encouraged the faithful to allow the Word of God to inspire a courageous and full life, far from mediocrity and fear.
In a message of hope, Francis urged the community to trust in Jesus, especially in times of failure, and to continue to sow love and build peace.
Francis concluded his homily by encouraging the Indonesian people to dream and be builders of hope, highlighting their characteristic kindness and smiles, exhorting them to be bearers of the joy and fraternity of the Gospel.
Faith begins with humble listening to the Word of God, which should resonate in the heart, transforming thoughts and actions.
At the end of the celebration, Fr.
Lapidez highlighted the experience as a “message of faith, fraternity and compassion”. “message of faith, fraternity and compassion” that the Pope conveyed to the Indonesian Catholic community. that the Pope transmitted to the Catholic community of Indonesia. For his part, Fr. Jovy Gallego stressed that “this is an extraordinary event that benefits the spiritual growth of the people we serve in our pastoral mission”.
“A message of faith, brotherhood and compassion.”
The Augustinian Recollects arrived in the Archdiocese of Pontianak in West Kalimantan (Borneo) on September 19, 2018, the feast of St. Alonso de Orozco.
The first two missionaries were Fr.
Russell Lapidez and Fr.
Dominador Mercador.
Currently, the community is made up of three religious and they are awaiting the incorporation of Fr.
Niel Joseph Baygan in November, after his ordination to the diaconate.
The community was formally established on January 8, 2020.
From St. Augustine Parish, the religious serve diverse communities in scattered areas.
In West Kalimantan, there is a significant Catholic presence in a Muslim-majority country, where Catholicism represents only 3% of the population.