Indonesia: Jakarta Catechists Urged to Listen, Learn and Serve With Humility

A retreat for catechist instructors from the Archdiocese of Jakarta concluded with a call to embrace humility, listen before teaching and learn from the pastoral experiences of other Catholic communities.

The retreat, organized by the Catechetical Commission of the Archdiocese of Jakarta (KAJ), brought 25 members of the KAJ Catholic Class team from Indonesia’s capital to Gunungkidul Regency in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, where they reflected on catechetical ministry alongside local pastoral workers. The gathering took place at Our Lady of Tritis Grotto and included a visit to Our Lady of the Rosary Grotto in Ngijorejo, within the Bandung Parish pastoral area.

Fr. Carolus “Uut” Putranto Tri Hidayat Pr, head of the KAJ Catechetical Commission, told participants that effective communication begins with attentive listening and an appropriate response. The same principle, he said, applies to catechesis.

A catechist, Fr. Hidayat emphasized, must listen to people’s experiences, questions, struggles and doubts rather than rely only on knowledge of catechetical materials. Such listening helps catechists understand the people they accompany and respond to their needs with greater humility.

The retreat also emphasized learning across diocesan boundaries. Frans Widiyanto, director of the Catholic Class Division of the Archdiocese of Jakarta, said the participants traveled to Gunungkidul not for an outing but to learn from the pastoral experiences of another local Church.

One of the main resource persons was Fr. Laurentius Suhar Dwi Prasetya Pr, who served for about 12 years in the Catechetical Commission of the Archdiocese of Semarang. Fr. Prasetya used four images to help participants reflect on the qualities of a good catechist, with humility emerging as a central theme.

The images explored how catechists relate to others, accept differences, respond to differing opinions and understand their role as servants sent to proclaim the faith. Fr. Prasetya stressed that a catechist should not allow personal ego to become the center of ministry.

He also shared a pastoral example in which children and young people were given opportunities to serve as lectors and other liturgical ministers. The experience illustrated that pastoral approaches may differ between communities because their circumstances and needs differ.

For Fr. Prasetya, the catechist is not the center of proclamation. Catechists proclaim the faith not only through lessons but also through how they listen, welcome others, respond to differences and serve with joy.

The retreat used the image of a house surrounded by a high fence to illustrate how ego, defensiveness and an unwillingness to accept criticism can prevent people from drawing closer. Catechists, Fr. Prasetya said, are called to lower those fences and become bridges that create space for dialogue and encounter.

The journey from Jakarta, Indonesia’s political and economic center, to rural Gunungkidul became part of that lesson: effective catechesis requires not only speaking about faith but listening to how faith is experienced by people in different communities.

The retreat ultimately left participants with a simple message: a good catechist remains willing to learn, makes room for others and approaches ministry with humility.