Indonesian MSF Priests Share Stories of Missionary Life at 131st Anniversary Celebration

Indonesian priests of the Missionaries of the Holy Family (MSF) shared personal stories of missionary service, vocation, hardship and fraternity as the congregation marked its 131st anniversary with a Eucharistic celebration in South Jakarta on September 28.

The celebration at Queen of the Rosary Parish in Jagakarsa brought together MSF priests, a religious brother and hundreds of parishioners. Eight MSF priests concelebrated the Eucharist, including parish priest Fr. Bimo Handoko MSF, Fr. Sulistyo Dwi Nugroho MSF, Fr. Giovani Mahendra Christi MSF, Fr. Ruswan MSF, Fr. Budiyono MSF, Fr. Antonius Feri MSF and Fr. Rufinus Herlambang MSF. Brother Sigit MSF also joined the celebration.

Instead of a conventional homily, the priests were invited to answer a question: What makes you happy as an MSF priest or religious?

Fr. Bimo, who has been a priest for 18 years and has served in seven assignments, said his joy comes from recognizing his vocation as a call from God. He regards every assignment from his superiors as a mission entrusted to him by God.

“I have never bargained over an assignment,” he said, adding that he tries to carry out every task with joy.

Fr. Ruswan spoke about the mobility required in missionary ministry. He has served in East Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Lampung and Pangkalpinang. He said missionary service means being ready to go wherever people need pastoral care.

His daily ministry can take him from Sunter in North Jakarta in the morning to East Jakarta or Tangerang in Banten Province later in the day.

For Fr. Antonius, the family spirit within MSF is a major source of joy. Community life allows members to share their experiences, joys and struggles. He said this fraternity also influences how MSF priests accompany people in the parishes where they serve.

Fr. Giovani described the same experience with humor. He jokingly called MSF “Manusia Suka Festa,” or “people who love celebrations.” Behind the celebrations, however, Fr. Ivan said he discovered a deeper reason for joining MSF: fraternity. As one of the younger priests, he has experienced older members accompanying and guiding him like elder brothers.

His connection with MSF began when he was young in Purwosari Parish in Surakarta Regency, Central Java, where MSF priests served. That experience eventually influenced his decision to join the congregation.

Fr. Budiyono said MSF’s missionary identity attracted him while he was studying at the Minor Seminary of Mertoyudan in Magelang Regency, Central Java. Stories about MSF priests serving in difficult areas such as Kalimantan inspired him to choose missionary life over diocesan priesthood or another religious congregation.

Fr. Sulistyo, who has been a priest for 41 years and a religious for 48 years, recalled his years of missionary service in remote parts of Kalimantan. Difficult roads and forest terrain sometimes prevented him from completing journeys in a single day, forcing him to sleep along the way.

He described the experience in Javanese as “turu kono, turu kene,” “sleeping here and there.”

The physical demands eventually affected his health, and a doctor advised him to leave the difficult mission territory. With permission from his superiors, he returned to Java.

Despite the hardship, Fr. Sulistyo said he remained grateful for having experienced the missionary vocation he had dreamed of.

Fr. Rufinus said his deepest joy comes from helping families facing crisis find peace and reconciliation. He thanked parishioners for supporting MSF priests and apologized for times when they may not have been able to respond to pastoral needs as fully or promptly as expected.

He also reminded parishioners that vocations often begin within families and encouraged them to create homes marked by warmth, security and healthy relationships, taking the Holy Family of Nazareth as their model.

The anniversary gathering also brought back memories for Hari Padma, a civil servant and former MSF member. He said the priests’ reflections reminded him of his own experience of religious life, particularly Fr. Sulistyo’s account of illness in mission territory.

Although he is no longer formally part of MSF, he said his experience with the congregation continues to keep him close to the community.

“I came intentionally to celebrate the anniversary of the MSF congregation and to share in the joy of being part of a parish guided by MSF priests,” he said. “Although I am no longer part of the congregation, I once shared in the joys and struggles of MSF, and this continues to keep me close to the congregation.”

For the parish community, the anniversary offered a glimpse into the human stories behind missionary ministry in Indonesia, the willingness to go where pastoral needs are greatest, the hardships of remote service, the support found in religious fraternity and the call to accompany families.