The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr Adolfo Nicolás, has appointed Fr Petrus Sunu Hardiyanta to succeed Fr R B Riyo Mursanto as Provincial of the Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus.
Fr Sunu is finishing his doctoral studies in System Ecology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he did his Master’s degree in 2007. His thesis dissertation is on the Mangrove Ecosystem under the Netherland Fellowship Programme.
Born to two secondary school teachers who also farmed their own land, Fr Sunu grew up familiar with teaching as a profession and farming, hence his interest in biology and teaching.
He was inspired to join the Society after reading a book about Fr Pedro Arrupe’s experiences in Japan during the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The seed of compassion from contemplating the life of Pedro Arrupe grew stronger when he encountered urban workers, pedicab drivers, and street boys during the oppression of the Suharto regime.
He was ordained on July 31, 2001 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and pronounced his final vows in 2009 when Fr Adolfo Nicolás SJ visited Indonesia to celebrate with the Indonesian Jesuits the 150th anniversary of the Society of Jesus in their country.
Fr Sunu has held several assignments working with novices and scholastics at various stages of their formation. He was also a member of special studies commission and consultant to the Provincial. He participated in the 70th Congregation of Procurators 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya as procurator for the Indonesia Province. And he was a biology lecturer at Sanata Dharma University where he was involved in the creation of the university’s Centre for Environmental Study, a project that involved many of his Muslims friends.
Fr Sunu will assume office as Provincial on July 15, 2014.