“The majority of the people of the parish
are simple people, people who farm and fish”
Agus, can you please introduce yourself briefly and tell us how long you have been in the SSCC community of Mentawai.
After a time serving in the Philippines, in August 2018 I was sent to serve in the newly erected Parish in Mentawai Islands, St. Damian – Saibi Parish. I arrived at the parish of St Damian-Saibi, on the Siberut Island part of Mentawai Islands, Padang (West Sumatra), Indonesia on 23rd August. This newly erected parish was entrusted to SSCC six years ago by the late bishop of Padang (West Sumatra), Mgr Martinus Dogma Situmorang O.Carm. Getting from Padang, Sumatra to Mentawai involves taking the Ferry Fast to Siberut via the Indian Ocean. At times the Indian Ocean can be very rough and the waves very high. In good weather without storms we can travel in 4 hrs from Padang to Siberut by Ferry Fast. Then from Siberut harbour we travel in a small boat for another 2 to 2.5hrs to reach our parish.
Can you describe for us the presence of the Congregation on the island of Mentawai?
The first SSCC brother who arrived and worked as a minister was Fr Dame Simatupang. He arrived in Padang on 14th December, 2014 accompanied by Fr Lambert who was representing the Indonesian Provincial Council. In their first meeting with the Bishop the next day, Fr. Lambert asked the bishop to allow the name of St Damian to be the patron saint of the New Parish – for two reasons :
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The area is just like Molokai, with wild nature, mountains, simple tribal people who yearn for sacramental services regularly.
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Fr Damian gave his life totally for the people right up to the end of his life. He became part of the people. Fr. Lambert hoped that all the priests who arrived to minister would be just like Fr Damian.
The request was granted and 4 days later on 18th December 2014 St Damian-Saibi Parish, was officially established as a new Parish in the diocese of Padang, West Sumatra. The name of the parish coincided with their first arrival at Saibi. Without further ado, Fr Dame began his ministry and a year later Fr. Alex Dato came to assist in the parish and was appointed the first parish priest.
In July, 2018 Fr. Dame left to study civil law in Bandung. Before leaving, he was still able to invite the parishioners together for the laying of a foundation stone for the multipurpose parish building.
Who is in the SSCC community at this present time?
When I arrived to replace Fr. Dane there was still considerable work to be done. I tried to help him as far as I could. He was able to multi-task as a pastor of 13 parish station areas that could only be reached by motorboat passing through the rivers and the sea, and thereafter by foot for hours passing through the jungles. As well as building the Christian community life he continued to oversee the building of the multipurpose Parish facilities and arrange the Parish compound as well. He way of working really impressed me. Fr. Alex left the parish and headed to Batam on 4th November, 2019 to start a new project for children with special needs. Although I was hoping differently the leadership team and Fr. Alex in their wisdom asked me to become the pastor of Saint Damian- Saibi Parish.
What challenges does a pastor face serving on what is both an island and a remote place, we could say a parish on the "periphery"?
Fortunately, the many activities ahead kept me busy, so there was no time to think or let my worries and fears overcome me. I just wanted to make sure that all the programs we had going could carry on smoothly. With the assistance and companionship of Brother Nellis, our scholastic, who had been doing his pastoral year in our Parish for some months already and Fr Bonifasius Kokomaking (Fr Asran), who came some weeks after Fr Alex left, we continued to the develop the mission. Together as a team, we used to sit down together to talk about the mission of the Congregation because we realised that we were sent by Congregation.
Br. Nellis finished his pastoral year some months later and Br. Felix who had finished his study and was preparing for his Diaconate, was sent to be part of the mission, keeping in mind the idea of the General Government that each community, if possible, have three members. Right now, we are three musketeers in this new rising Parish. We have so much homework to do as a team.
As pastor, I want to continue the good things that were done by Fr Alex and Fr Dame. After some time studying the situation, we did a short retreat and started with a new PARL. As a new parish in the remote area that is still growing, we really need to make some adjustments. We listed out some priorities.
The pastoral experiences of Fr Asran in the Indonesian context and his ability in the organising and putting it on paper and in the field are a great help. Br. Nellis and Br. Felix at present make everything seem easier, lighter and full joy and spirit. The positive atmosphere induces the ambiance of having a positive spirit in the community. The monthly Pastoral Core Group meeting before Pastoral Council meeting has been taking place.
Our daily masses, the breviary and adoration in the community, our weekly half day sharing on Wednesdays and twice a week with the KSFL sisters community have made our relationship stronger and created more understanding especially as regards our evaluation of weekly planning before and after. This has helped help us see clearly what is wrong and what requires correction. It doesn’t mean that there are no debates nor hot disputes, but we finish our dialogues at the table of discussion. Daily meals together is also very helpful for us. We are all in favour of building up a positive mindset in the community. We believe that there is always a solution rather than the pointing of a finger to judge others or a situation. A problem is a problem, so there is no need to complicate it further but find a solution.
While working on improving our own personal and community spiritual life, we also try to help the Parish Council, and Station Areas Councils to be more pro-active in improving their services and to apply the motto of our late Bishop; “Be a Church that is autonomous and fruitful”. It’s not easy at all, and it challenges us how to work hard and achieve it happily. Thanks be to God, God provides sufficiently. Fr Asran’s YouTube weekly reflection (Siulan Pengelana) showing many of our weekly activities has moved the hearts of many good people to support us.
At present, the station area that has no chapel at all is Tinambu. Tina bj right now is the furthest area in our parish. We need about an hour (in good weather) by boat to travel by sea, and then on foot we have to climb the mountain and go along the edge of the rivers for another 4-5 hours before reaching the station area with 12 families even though not more than 15 people join in Celebration of Holy Mass. It’s one of the challenges that we encounter. This station area some years back had 34 Catholic families with 74 practicing Catholics. When we arrived to start the service, they were 14 Catholic families and only 24 practicing Catholics remained. Most of them had converted to Islam. Recently, another 2 families converted to Islam, but 1 family has returned to the Catholic faith.
What are the people like who participate in parish life?
This is one of our challenges. Their lives seems to have no real connection to faith. They choose whatever they can get out of their faith in material benefits. It has to be something they can eat and use in their daily life. For example, meat every year, clothes and some money. According to a local Catholic leader, this seems to be the reason for their conversion. There was a time in all Mentawai Islands, where a movement was started to convert Mentawai into a Muslim area. However, some faithful people fought for their faith and finally the massive movement, slowed down. That said, in some of our station areas, we have lost some Catholic families. Some Station areas that were all Catholic or all Christian, are no longer Catholic or Christian. Education is another difficult challenge. Not all parents support their children in going to school. The Jungle and sea life is still their main source of living.
Electricity has been available only recently for the past 3 years. It is on only from 5pm-7am daily. Internet with wifi only for limited public services is available when the electricity is on. There is no road connecting to other villages. Work on this just about to start. There are no wet markets, banks, or a police station. There is only a HealthCare center and a local government office. There are plans for a simple Reading Garden, a public library in our Parish Compound, probably located in our multipurpose Parish building. As for books, we have to depend and trust in God’s providence.
We are quite happy with some local leaders who are willing to help us in some of the areas that we can’t enter. Recent meetings with those involved have made it easier for us to invite the people of God to join in our activities. Some Catholic teachers are active in the Church though not all. They are a great help in making our youth activities happen. By next year, we plan to gather all of them in the Parish, because we plan to establish a playground school foundation based in the Parish in order to help the education and growing faith of the children in some of the Station Areas that really need it. Last but not the least, most of the people who are really involved in the parish are simple people mainly engaged in non-irrigated agricultural field farming, and some are fishermen.
One can imagine that with Covid that some of the customs in the life of the SSCC community and the parish have changed.
Praise the Lord, that we are isolated and away from busy townships and bustling cities. This helps us to control the environment and activity. Unfortunately, people are not really following the healthcare requirements of wearing masks, washing hands regularly, and safe distancing in spite of our advice. But some parishioners have chosen to stay away from church citing Covid-19 as the reason. In the beginning, we had no Masses for the people for around two months (April-May) except in the Parish area with the official liturgies in the Parish only (Sunday and Friday) and had two daily masses, for the Parish community and in the KSFL sister’s community. In June, we started having Mass with only a limited number of people with some of them attending the mass outside the Church in houses and also in the Station area Chapels. In June, there was no excuse for us as a community SSCC in the mission to stop Mass. We encouraged the people of God not to be afraid of the Covid-19 that could kill only our body but not our soul. So, we decided to continue our visitation and meeting with our parishioners in all our station area. We have been visiting all Station Areas including Tinambu, our farthest place. But unfortunately, all the formation activities that we have in our calendar had to be cancelled.
In the recent Instruction ‘The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community to the Service of the Evangelising Mission of the Church of the Congregation for the Clergy’, number 64 states: “When the presbyterate experiences community life, its priestly identity is strengthened, its material concerns are diminished and the temptation of individualism gives way to the depth of personal relationship”. How, as an SSCC community, are you experiencing this reality that the document points to?
We do what we can to enhance the experience of community life. On Wednesday we have our regular weekly meeting. We pray and celebrate mass daily. We eat our meals together and always finding solutions instead of judging others because our focus is to fill the needs of the people.
Answering God’s call and to help us understand each other, respect and give personal space for each one. Listening attentively, learning to strengthen our personal relationship in the community and specially with God.
From your reading of the texts of the 2018 General Chapter regarding pastoral and missionary conversion, what do you think is the most important call coming from being in Mentawai?
The most important call coming from being in Mentawai is to remain faithful to personal and community prayers, to mix with the people, to respect and embrace their culture.
Being on an island resonates with the experience of Saint Damien. How does his message and life influence your way of being and serving on the island?
St Damien’s daily commitment to prayer, his being totally at home with the people, his spirit to build the infrastructures that people need without waiting for them to do it but rather start them himself. This really inspires us to do the same.
01/22/2021