The Indonesian Province welcomed four new Jesuit priests during a liturgy at St Anthony of Padua Church in Yogyakarta on 31 July. Fr Tiro Angelo Daenuwy SJ, Fr Andreas Aryono Mantiri SJ, Fr Antonius Bagas Prasetyo SJ, and Fr Vincentius Doni Erlangga Setiawan SJ received the ordination blessing from Bishop Robertus Rubiyatmoko of the Archdiocese of Semarang. More than a thousand people attended the ordination liturgy and the after-Mass celebration at Kolese Santo Ignatius, the formation house for scholastics studying theology.
Inspired by the story of the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus, the newly ordained priests chose a verse from St Luke 24:28: “Stay with us” as the theme of their ordination. Bishop Rubiyatmoko, in his homily, invited the ordinands to recall their experiences in their long years of formation as evidence of how Jesus has always been present in their lives.
“Behind this motto lie various compelling experiences. They have been walking with Jesus, who accompanies them side by side, helping them stand strong and firm,” the Bishop told the congregation.
Fr Bagas shared the loneliness he often struggled with during the 12 years of his formation. He recounted how he entered the Society of Jesus in 2012 with nine other candidates, but he is the only one who has remained a Jesuit. Despite this, he is thankful for the support he has received from his friends in the Society—not only from his classmates. “It’s true that every day God teaches and forms me through a lot of painful and joyful moments,” he reflected. “Those experiences make me want to always stay with Jesus and follow him until the end of my life.”
Unlike Fr Bagas who came to the Society from a minor seminary, the rest of the ordinands entered the Society through the vocation promotion programme. Bishop Rubiyatmoko joked that he ordained the group of “old men” this year. He stressed how Fathers Tiro, Doni, and Andre had left behind their past ambitions, hobbies, and relationships to begin a new path in religious life. Although they already had rich life experiences, God called them to serve His people.
He quoted from what Fr Doni had written in their ordination booklet: “Priesthood is a process. So, what is needed from us is to follow the process, like following the path of a pilgrimage. It is vague at first indeed, but leads to the destination.” Bishop Rubiyatmoko concluded by reminding the ordinands to always be simple and humble priests who serve with sincerity.
The paths that the ordinands took to reach this point in their formation have been diverse given their different backgrounds and experiences. Fr Bagas hails from Pamulang, Banten and spent the early years of his formation, from 2008 to 2012, at St Peter Canisius Minor Seminary in Magelang. During his Regency, he worked as a student moderator at Loyola High School in Semarang.
Fr Andre from Jakarta and Fr Doni from Yogyakarta obtained bachelor’s degrees before entering the Jesuit novitiate in 2014. During their Regency from 2018 to 2020, Fr Andre assisted the province treasurer in Semarang, while Fr Doni taught at ATMI Polytechnic and Mikael College in Surakarta.
Fr Tiro spent his Regency undertaking various assignments. He served his first year at St Ignatius Parish in Danan, Wonogiri, his second year with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Bogor and Palu, and his third year at Loyola High School in Semarang.
Before the Mass ended, Indonesian Provincial Fr Benedictus Hari Juliawan SJ announced the new missions of the new priests. Fr Tiro will serve as student moderator at St Mikael College, a Jesuit vocational school in Solo. Fr Bagas will assist St Anthony of Padua Parish in Purbayan, Solo, as a parochial vicar. Fr Doni will complete his graduate degree in civil engineering at Gadjah Mada University while serving as parochial vicar at St Anthony of Padua Parish in Kotabaru, Yogyakarta. Fr Andre will continue his graduate studies in financial management at Atmajaya University while serving as house formator for the scholastics in Jakarta. [Benicdiktus Juliar Elmawan SJ/Indonesian Province]