Fr Eka Tanaya SJ was ordained to the priesthood on 14 November at St Ignatius Church, Richmond by Most Rev Shane Mackinlay, Bishop of Sandhurst. The ordination, which fell on the Feast of St Joseph Pignatelli, the patron of asylum seekers and refugees, was much anticipated by the Australian Province after three failed attempts because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Only a small group of loved ones and Jesuits were present, but the livestream allowed for many people to share in the joy of the celebration online.
“Eka is a man devoted to prayer, who has been given a deep and passionate love for Jesus,” said Fr Brendan Byrne SJ. “Hearing him speak of his relationship with Christ has always moved me. Like the Jesus he follows, he is a true man with and for others.”
In his homily, Bishop Mackinlay thanked Fr Tanaya for “the generosity of your gift of yourself, your faith, your trust, your readiness to place yourself in God’s hands in service of His people, in service of the Body of Christ”.
Fr Tanaya’s journey to the priesthood took 10 years, but his formation really started at home, with parents who taught him about faith, hope, and love. He remembers a time when as a child he was sick with fever.
“My mother would sit by my bedside for hours. Every time I opened my eyes briefly she was there, praying. Faith, hope, and love – all demonstrated in one simple act of being present to her child and to God. I understand why Mother Mary is such an important figure in a Jesuit’s life,” shared Fr Tanaya in his thanksgiving speech.
As well, he expressed gratitude to all the communities – Jesuits and the wider faith community, and even outside the circle of people of faith – that have been part of his vocation journey. Having been born in Indonesia, Fr Tanaya added, has given him a special connection with the Indonesian faith communities in every city he has lived in – Jakarta, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Boston.
“Communities have been really important to me,” he said. “They have nourished me, supported me, challenged me, corrected me – and most importantly, they have been where I regularly encountered Jesus Christ.”
Watch highlights of Fr Eka Tanaya’s ordination:
