On August 14, at the feast of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Indonesian province, the 100 years celebration of SSCC presence in Indonesia begins. Our Mother Province, the Netherlands has received a mandate from the Holy See for the mission in Riau Archipelago on 1923 but the first group of missionaries, led by Fr. Theodosius Herckenrath left The Netherlands on July 9 1924 and arrived in Mentok, Bangka Island on August 14 1924. To prepare the culmination of this celebration on 14 August 2024, we have begun our celebration with a theme “A call for renewal” along these three years. It is a call for self-personal renewal, renewal of our interpersonal relationship with people, with mother earth or cosmic and finally with our predecessor who laid the missionary spirit in Indonesia.
In the Eucharist, Fr. Provincial invited all people who are present in the Batam Oase Center and those who participate virtually to reflect on the goal of life. Heaven is our ultimate goal in this life, and Mary who was taken to heaven body and soul is our model. Her magnificat embraces unknown future with praise and joy within the suffering and pain of following her Son Jesus. However our missionaries who gave their life totally for mission in Indonesia are another example for us in giving our life totally for witnessing the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Provincial invited all who were present to reflect on their life and called for renewal in order to reach the final goal that is heaven.
After Eucharist, all who were present moved to the garden, besides they went to the cemetery of Fr. Rolf Reichenback to bless the simple monument as memory of our twelve brothers who gave their life for mission in Indonesia. The intension of having this monument is to invite the spirit of our missionaries to help us in our work of four level of reparations above. We hope that every visitor who comes in this place can reconnect with the spirit of our missionary brother in order to bring the Good New everywhere.
08/15/2022