The Indonesian Province is thrice blessed with the profession of Final Vows of Fr Yulius Eko Sulistyo SJ, Fr Albertus Buddy Haryadi SJ, and Fr Antonius Sumarwan SJ at the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary the Queen parish in Jakarta on 2 February, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
Indonesian Provincial, Fr Benedictus Hari Juliawan SJ presided over the Mass with Fr Joannes Heru Hendarto SJ and Fr Albertus Sadhyoko Rahardjo SJ concelebrating, alongside the three Jesuits making their Final Vows. Their families and friends, and their Jesuit community were present to support them in their full incorporation into the Society of Jesus.
In his homily, Father Provincial emphasised the profession of vows as a self-giving act, just as Jesus was presented and consecrated to the Lord. The journey to the Final Vows is not always easy and requires fidelity. “The Final Vows become more meaningful after one has experienced many failures and has learned to stand up or bounce back from a fall,” said Fr Juliawan.
He asked the support and prayers of the congregation for Fr Buddy, Fr Eko, and Fr Marwan that they may draw closer to Jesus through their ministries and vows. The three Jesuits are presently engaged in challenging ministries. Fr Buddy is a missionary in Myanmar, where there is an ongoing civil war. Fr Eko is a clinical psychologist providing counselling and psychological support to people in distress, especially in this time of pandemic. Likewise, Fr Marwan, who is an economist, helps in understanding and responding to the economic impact of Covid-19.
At the end of the Eucharist, Fr Marwan, on behalf of his two companions, thanked the Society of Jesus, their families, and collaborators. He looked back to his time at the Blessed Virgin Mary the Queen parish from 2007 to 2014, and the years he worked in a credit union as some of the milestones in his Jesuit journey. Fr Marwan also read Fr Buddy’s gratitude note to the Jesuits in Myanmar and in Chicago where he had stayed during his studies. All three of them asked for the prayers of everyone so they could be more able to offer themselves freely to the Lord. [Isaac Jacques Cavin SJ/Indonesian Province]