On its 80th anniversary, Saint Stanislaw Novitiate, Indonesia, commonly referred to as Girisonta, offered a warm welcome to 11 new candidates and celebrated the first vows of 10 new scholastics.
The 11 candidates who entered on June 22, 2011 were chosen from 17 applicants in a selection process in early March. Ten came from various seminaries in Java, while another, who aspires to become a Jesuit brother, entered after having been accompanied by the Vocation Promotion team in Yogyakarta.
The candidates commenced their novitiate formation with an introductory session chaired by the novitiate staff followed by lunch in the novitiate refectory. After that, the parents and relatives returned home. It will be a year before they can see their sons again – on Parents Day, an annual event held to allow the second year novices to share the stories of grace written on their lives during the first year of novitiate formation.
On June 24, 10 novices pronounced their first vows in the Society of Jesus in a Mass attended by families, guests and Jesuits from various communities in Central Java. The Mass was celebrated by Provincial of the Indonesian Province Fr R.B. Riyo Mursanto SJ; Novice Master Fr Leo Agung Sardi SJ; and Superior of St. Stanislaw College Fr Synesius Suyitna SJ.
Two days later, the new scholastics left for Jakarta to begin their study of philosophy. The metropolis of Jakarta will generate shocks and tensions for those who are still adjusting from the serenity of novitiate life. However, these human conditions can only become a fountain of grace and growth if they are embraced with a watchful soul.
The Mass was also a celebration of the 80th anniversary of Saint Stanislaw Novitiate. Established on September 27, 1931, the novitiate has stood the test of time and survived every episode of the grand narrative of recent Indonesian history. It has shared the tensions of the war for independence in the 1940s, felt the dismay of the communist rebellions of the 1960s and faced the demands of globalisation.
In an attempt to trace the footprints of the Spirit, the first year novices performed a short play after the Mass that showed that while much has changed due to history, many things have remained the same. The novitiate has always been an arena of inculcating the dynamism of the Jesuit Way of Proceeding.
The anniversary celebration had begun earlier, in May, when the novitiate, in collaboration with Christ the King Retreat House, held a workshop on “Spiritual Direction”. Over 30 novice masters and spiritual directors from various religious congregations in Java and Bali attended the four-day event.
The workshop was a genuine effort to improve the overall quality of spiritual direction so as to allow the Word to become more Incarnate in lives of many. The participants were able to enhance their knowledge and practical skills, and develop a network of cooperation and information sharing. They also came up with a recommendation for the Indonesian Bishops Conference and the regional superiors of their own religious congregations.
In early June, the novitiate hosted a small gathering of Jesuits residing in Central Java, during which three Jesuits shared their missions. Fr C. Kuntoro Adi SJ, an expert in Information Technology, spoke about how the creativity and innovation in the Jesuit reductions in Latin America are a source of inspiration to his mission today. Fr F X Murti Hadi Wijayanto SJ shared his experiences in the film industry, particularly about his ongoing movie project on Mgr Andreas Soegijopranata SJ – the first Indonesian to become a bishop and who played a decisive role during the independence war in the 1940s. Finally, Fr Adrianus Suyadi SJ shared his thoughts, experiences and insights on accompanying migrants as the National Director of Jesuit Refugee Service in Indonesia.
Although the three Jesuits are in dissimilar fields, their reflections echo the grammar of the Jesuit Way of Proceeding. It is a way of being with the God of history, which was implanted in the novitiate. Each has then developed it according to his own charisma to seek the face of God in the midst of mortal despair and suffering, as well as human optimism and joy. For such is the plight and grace of Incarnation.