In Sintang, there were many reasons to celebrate: “This year we celebrated this feast in a truly special way for a number of particularly significant reasons.
Firstly, the celebration coincided with the visit of Sister Anna, Provincial of South-East Asia in Indonesia. This is certainly no coincidence. Her presence during the celebration gave a different colour and flavour to the Sisters of Charity in Indonesia.
The second reason is that we invited the Friends of Jeanne-Antide to celebrate this day full of God’s grace together.
The presence of the AJA Friends helps us greatly in our service to the poor, given the limited number of Sisters.
For this reason, we took this opportunity of grace to give thanks together with them: may the example and spirit of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret always be a source of inspiration for the lives of the Friends.
he third reason is that today we are celebrating together with the people we serve. These are the girls who live in our boarding school and others who live with the sisters in the Betania Jerora Satu Convent. They come from distant villages and are studying in Sintang. They are teachers, from whom we learn to be creative, patient and to continue to grow in order to realise the charism of Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret.
The next reason is that this celebration coincides with the Jubilee Year of Hope. Giovanna Antida is an example of hope. Difficult situations, even those that seemed hopeless and without direction, did not cause her to fall into despair. She always saw a glimmer of hope that drove her to fight tirelessly to seek and fulfil God’s will. She did not care how far she had to go, even facing rain and wind. She was a seeker who would not stop until she found what she was looking for.
May this situation of uncertainty that characterises our world not make us lose hope, because Giovanna Antida has given us an example of perseverance in hope. She firmly believed that God never disappoints those who place their hope in Him.
The event took place in three parts. First, there was the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. Wawan, SMM, in the oratory of the Betania convent in Jerora Satu. The celebration was animated by the children of the convent.
They sang songs with great devotion. This helped greatly to enter into an atmosphere of prayer and gratitude for the example of St. Jeanne-Antide a, who loved the Church deeply and invited the sisters to be like her: ‘I am a daughter of the Church, be with me.’ This invitation still resonates today. May this voice remain in our hearts in the days that follow, in our daily routine, and become a stimulus that moves us to serve those in need.
After the Eucharistic celebration, we continued with a communal dinner. The meal was simple but tasty, as it was prepared by various people, including the sisters, the AJA Friends and the children of the boarding school. This festive moment was a time of unity and joy.
The last event was a moment of recreation together. The children of the boarding school presented traditional dances and songs.
The AJA Friends also presented songs and dances and prepared a cake and a pyramid-shaped rice dish (nasi tumpeng) and asked the Provincial Superior to cut the first slice.
Cutting the nasi tumpeng and the cake is a festive tradition in Indonesia. This gesture expresses immense gratitude for God’s presence.
We truly felt a shared joy. Jeanne-Antide really united us in this place. May her desire to serve to the ends of the earth be fulfilled with faith, hope and love.
Happy feast day of St Jeanne-Antide Thouret to all!
Sr. Emil, SdC
