Balinese Catholics pray for Pope John Paul II

Balinese Catholics pray for Pope John Paul II

Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Like millions of Catholics around the world, Catholics living on
Hindu-dominated Bali also held a series of masses to honor the
late Pope John Paul II.

Thousands of mourners flocked to Denpasar Cathedral for the
morning and afternoon masses led by the bishop of Denpasar on
Wednesday.

Almost all Catholic Churches in Denpasar diocese have planned
to hold requiem masses in conjunction with the coming funeral of
the late pontiff at the Vatican on Friday.

Catholic schools such as Santo Yoseph in Denpasar also
organized a solemn prayer meeting for the late pope, attended by
hundreds of its students from kindergarten to high school.

Nyoman Lolona, 60, and his wife Sekarwati from Banjar Semate
in Dalung, five kilometers north of Denpasar, woke up early in
the morning to attend the service at the cathedral in Renon,
quite far from his house.

"I felt very much in debt spiritually to the Church. I was
very weak and ill when Father Shadek from Tuka Catholic Church
guided me to embrace Catholicism," recalled Lolona who converted
to the religion in l965 when Bali and other parts of Indonesia
experienced social and political upheaval.

"The death of the pope has left a deep emptiness to the hearts
of Catholics around the world, including those in Bali. I was
always happy to see him on television leading the Christmas mass
every year and, more recently, Easter mass, shortly before he
died," he said.

I G N Subagyo, 30, his wife Widikasih and their three young
children also rushed from Singaraja, 95 km north of Denpasar, to
attend the mass.

Religious tolerance

"My father was a Balinese married to a Javanese woman from
Surakarta. My mother is a Catholic and my late father later
converted to Catholicism," said Subagyo who married Widikasih
from a strong and devout Hindu family in Singaraja.

"My father is quite moderate in his way of thinking and
religious tolerance. He allowed me to follow my husband's faith
when got married eight years ago," said Widi.

Nowadays, her parents visit the young family every Christmas
and Easter and bring presents for their grandchildren.

"I was very touched when my parents told me that they really
intended to be present at the Church when we baptized our first
son. I could not help but cry upon realizing that my parents
still deeply loved me despite the difference in our faiths," said
Widi.

Catholicism, she said, is a religion of peace and
understanding and the late Pope John Paul II was an exemplary
individual and leader for parishes all over the world.

Nyoman Lolona and Subagyo are just two examples of old and new
Catholic couples living together with approximately 19,000 other
Catholics on the island.

According to Father Dominikus Kusumawanta from the Catholic
seminary in Tuka, some 10 kilometers northwest of Denpasar, the
total Catholic congregation is not fixed.

Denpasar Diocese oversees Catholic churches in Bali and in
Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara province. It is
estimated that Catholics in the diocese comprise around 29,000
people.

"We (Catholics in Bali) live with our Hindu brothers and
sisters, and people of other faiths," the father said. The
majority of Bali's more than 3 million people are Hindu and the
rest embrace Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism and Buddhism.

"It is our obligation to create harmonious relations among
people of different faiths. We have to enhance our solidarity and
religious tolerance," said Father Dominikus.

He said that Catholicism had a tough time during its early
years in Bali.

Development of Catholicism
The religion dates back to the early 1930s when the first
European missionaries arrived on the island, similuating an
interest in Catholicism from locals as well as the Dutch colonial
administration.

Although Catholicism has existed in parts of Indonesia since
the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, the religion
only began to make headway on Bali in the 1930s.

Pioneering missionaries such as Father J. Keraten, Father
Agustinus de Boer and Simon Buis first arrived on Easter Day
1936 and shortly thereafter converted a number of people in Tuka
village, around 10 kilometers north of Denpasar.

Tuka became the first predominantly Catholic village on Bali.

A year later, as many as 72 people from Tuka and some from
Gumbrih village, Jembrana, West Bali, were baptized at the Tuka
Catholic church.

In a move to assist the new converts, Father Simon Buis, who
was at that time head of Tuka Catholic Church, made a proposal to
the Dutch colonial administration and Bali's Board of Rulers to
request a plot of land for his Catholic congregation.

Both the Dutch administration and the Board agreed to a plot
of land in the lush forest of Pangkung Sente in Jembrana, West
Bali.

On Sept. 15, l940, Father Buis and his faithful followers made
a dangerous journey to conquer the virgin forest, which was
surrounded by nutmeg plants, locally called pala. The area where
they settled is presently known as Palasari. The month-long,
risky journey at that time is now only three-hours' drive from
Denpasar and an hour's drive from Gilimanuk harbor.

The spiritual name of Palasari translates into "merit from
Jesus Christ". The first village to become established included a
200-hectare of plot of land for growing food crops and a 15-
hectare plot for dwellings, which is currently known as Palasari
Lama (old Palasari).

When Japanese troops occupied Bali in l943, Father Simon Buis
and several painters including Rudolf Bonet and William J. Hofker
were exiled to Sulawesi. In May 1946, Father Buis returned to
Palasari and found that the number of Catholic families had
increased to 100.

With the rapid growth of the Catholic congregation, Father
Buis again asked the Board to provide him with another 200-
hectare plot of land, now called Palasari Baru (new Palasari).

Despite great challenges, the Palasari Catholic Community grew
substantially. They soon had permanent homes and built semi-
permanent places of worship. Initiated by Father Bernadus Blanken
and Father Ignatius A.M. de Vriese, the Palasari community began
to work on a rocky hill to make way for the development of a
permanent church.

The construction of the Sacred Heart Church, a perfect blend
of Balinese and European Gothic architectural styles, started in
l954 and finished on Dec. 13, l958.

The Church was inaugurated by Malang Bishop Antonius Evaristus
Yohanes Albers O. Carm. The Church was again renovated in l992
and l994 by Father Yosef Wora and Father Ignatius A.M de Vriese.

Catholics in Bali today

Currently, there are about 1,500 Catholics in Palasari.

In Tuka village, approximately 1,500 Catholics faithfully
attend church every Sunday. The villages of Palasari in Jembrana,
Tuka and Dalung near Denpasar have become important Catholic
enclaves on the island.

Many people from Flores and Timor, East Nusa Tenggara
province, now work in Bali, adding to the number of Catholics on
the island.

"Catholics in Bali should fully respect the culture and
religion of the locals. I am a Balinese and have strong roots in
the culture and tradition," explained Father Dominikus.

He shared his own experience. "My extended Balinese family,
mostly Hindu, openly accepted my plan to become a Catholic
priest. When my grandfather died and was cremated as a Hindu, I
was sincerely asked by my family to pray for him," he said.

Embracing Catholicism should not necessarily extinguish your
Balinese culture, the father added.

"The late Pope John Paul II has left us with a vital legacy.
During his papacy, he showed us and the world his consistent
tolerance towards other faiths, and his great effort in creating
world peace. Balinese Catholics should follow his path: Respect
other people and cultures while embracing a harmonious life,"
said Father Dominikus.