ASIA/INDONESIA - Those priests born of Muslim mothers: interreligious families, the Indonesian figure

by Paolo Affatato

Jakarta (Fides News Agency) – Recounting the feast for his episcopal ordination, Ciprianus Hormat, bishop of Ruteng - on the Indonesian island of Flores - mentions, almost en passant, the wide and enthusiastic participation of his "Muslim relatives". An eloquent sign of how "interreligious" families represent a widespread and very present reality in Indonesian society. A reality in which in ordinary life one can experience an attitude that welcomes the other's spiritual experience, whatever it may be: even when this concerns children, who can choose a faith different from their own family's. "This also happens when it comes to respecting and not hindering the calling to the priestly and clerical life, which is still seen as a gift by parents or family members who profess Islam or a different faith", remarks the Bishop of Ruteng. "Family ties prevail and, on a spiritual level, there is deep respect for the faith of all relatives, in the knowledge that harmony is a precious gift that must be preserved," he observes.

An exemplary case concerns priests born to couples in which one or both parents are not Catholic: the life stories of four Indonesian priests from interreligious families "show that differences are not barriers, that spiritual life is always an asset, that the family bond is a gift from God, and is firm. A cassock and veil are not obstacles to harmony but indicators of brotherhood", notes the Bishop, citing the story of two religious Verbiti, Father Robertus Belarminus Asiyanto and Father Agustin Horowura, both natives of the island of Flores; of Don Mayolus Jefrigus Ghoba, of Sumba; of Father Edi Prasetyo Indonesian priest Dehoniano (of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) , ordained to the priesthood in nearby Malaysia with other confrères of his congregation.

In 2015 in Flores, an Indonesian island in the east of the archipelago, in the civil province of East Nusa Tenggara, began the story of Robertus Belarminus Asiyanto who, at the age of 31, was ordained a priest at St. Paul Ledalero Seminary, in Maumere.
In the Southeast Asian archipelago known for being the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world, with over 275 million inhabitants, 85% Muslim, Flores is considered "the Catholic heart of Indonesia" because, among the 17 thousand islands, it is an exception: it is an island with a Catholic majority where, out of about 4 million inhabitants, Catholics make up 80%. Flores is that island where the major and minor seminaries overflow with young people, and vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life are a universally recognized asset. Even Pope Francis said, in the Mass on the Day of Consecrated Life homily in 2022, speaking off the cuff, in the face of the crisis of vocations, one could go "to the island of Indonesia (namely Flores, ed.) and find it".

As a Muslim, Asiyanto's mother, Siti Asiyah, gave her blessing and support to her son. At the ordination celebration he wore Islamic clothes, including the hijab and was present next to him in the entrance procession, with the other parents. The woman laid her hands on her son's head and said she was really happy to see her son ordained a Catholic priest. That day all those present applauded his gesture and his public statement, pronounced with emotion as he attended the ordination rites. Asiyanto has been Catholic since he was a child, with the consent of both parents. With a strong desire to pursue his priestly vocation, he went to the Verbite Missionaries' seminary and asked for his mother's blessing. She said, “Follow your heart.” A mother who raised her son keeping in mind "the greatest gift, the freedom to become a priest", Fr. Roberto said today.

Father Agustin Horowura, a thirty-year-old Indonesian priest and missionary, also belongs to the Society of the Divine Word and is now a parish priest in Brazil. Her vocation also began in Flores and she grew up in the Seminary of the Verbite Fathers in the diocese of Maumere (one of the five dioceses of Flores). As a boy, he felt a desire to “belong totally to God.” He told his father, a Catholic, and his mother, a Muslim. And the woman, since his childhood, accompanied him to the Catholic parish to attend catechism, supporting his request to follow the preparation for first communion and then confirmation. He did not hesitate, then, to agree with the rector to join the Seminary: Agustin wanted to be a priest.
After a journey in which his parents always supported him, on the day of his priestly ordination Agustin's family, Catholic uncles and aunts, grandparents, relatives and Muslim friends, gathered together sharing the joy of a life choice that is considered a precious gift for everyone, Christians or Muslims, because "in Indonesia the presence of families with members who profess different faiths is lived with great naturalness, without any prejudice or without this representing a problem", says the parish priest today, thanking " my father, my mother, all Catholic and Muslim family members: their support has strengthened my steps". Today he feels "immense joy in recalling my priestly ordination because I see my family united and all the Muslim relatives who wanted to participate and rejoice with me, in church and at the feast".

Also on the island of Sumba, one of the Small Sunda Islands, Fr Frederikus Mayolus Jefrigus Ghoba reports on the "atmosphere of spiritual communion shared with his Muslim relatives when he was ordained a priest in Waitabula Cathedral". The strong human and spiritual bond, he says, still lasts and is strengthened over the years.

Father Edi Prasetyo SCJ, Catholic priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonaiani) remembers with emotion the embrace with his grandmother, a fervent Muslim, present at her ordination mass held in Malaysia with other confreres in 2019 and says: "All the members of the extended family and the relatives of the families of both parents, Christians and Muslims, were present at those celebrations and many others, to the immense joy of all."

Islamic-Christian families are scattered throughout the country. On the island of Sumatra, where the social and religious situation is very different from Flores and Christians are a small minority, the story of two twin sisters who have undertaken two different paths has aroused attention and offered an example of coexistence and deep love: one is a devout Muslim, follows the practices of her faith and participates in the pilgrimage to Mecca; the other, Sister Tarcisiana M., is Catholic and entered the religious congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Merauke, in Indonesian Papua, where she works in an orphanage. Both have a visceral love for each other, they live good relationships in their family that continues to be the welcoming place where they return to live mutual love, in deep respect for different faiths.

There are also illuminating examples on the island of Java: Mr. Budi and Mrs. Rosa (names changed for privacy reasons, ed.) live in Cibinong, in the province of West Java. Every day the husband runs the family business, which consists of selling chickens at markets and restaurants. He and his wife adhere to Confucian beliefs. They have three children: the oldest, Cakra, is 35 years old and is married to Rena, also 35 years old: they have two children and profess the Christian faith. Budi and Rosa's second daughter, Kristin (33 years old) is married to Karam, they have a son and profess Islam. Tara (30 years old), the third daughter, is married to Rudi: the spouses have a son and are Catholic.
Budi and Rosa calmly accept the different faiths of their children. When celebrating a religious holiday, relatives' families come together with congratulations and shared celebrations. Religious differences do not hinder harmonious family ties. This is what they taught their children Rosa and Budi. This spirit lives within the large interfaith family.
(Fides News Agency 28/8/2024)

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