Padang (AsiaNews)
- Promoting encounter and integration among the faithful within a dispersed and
fragmented diocese. This
is the purpose of the seminar organized on July 6 and 7 by the Bishop of
Padang, Msgr. Martinus
Dogma Situmorang, "The goal of the initiative - Fr. Alex I. Suwandi, head
of the diocesan foundation Prayoga Educational explains to AsiaNews - is to
encourage the spiritual growth of the faithful in the Church and in
society."
With
an area of three times that of Java, but a much lower population density, the
island of Sumatra lacks an adequate infrastructure and communications system. While
Java, the most developed among the Indonesian islands, is divided into 3
provinces and 7dioceses, Sumatra faces major challenges such as a far greater and
wilder territory. The
Diocese of Padang, the capital of the western province, for example, also
contains a number of parishes in the provinces of Jambi and Rau, to administer
a territory that extends far beyond the proportions of the province. Some
Catholics from the Mentawai,
Dumai, Duri and Pekanbaru
Islands undertook a trip of about 30 hours to make it to Padang.
The
event, which was attended by 4 priests and 36 lay people, took place in a house
owned by the diocese in the outskirts of Padang. "The
two days were very exciting - said Fr. Suwandi Alex - a unique opportunity to
instill the same motivations in hundreds of teachers working in every village
of the country." "The
experience of this seminar will be shared by the teachers of each diocese -
said one of the participants from the parish of Air Molek - because only those
who teach can lead to a real change in society."
The
week prior to the meeting on July 6 and 7 a similar initiative was promoted on
the island of Java in the diocese of Bogor. Sister
Anne Marie SFS, from the Indonesian Bishops' Conference Gender Commission, told
AsiaNews that the event was greeted with enthusiasm by all 40 participants,
mostly women and teachers.