Ten new priests were ordained at Jakarta Cathedral, with Cardinal Ignatius Soeharyo, Archbishop of Jakarta, urging them to embrace the priesthood as a life of humble and self-giving service to God and his people.
The new priests come from the Archdiocese of Jakarta and the Order of Friars Minor (OFM). Their ordination marks the beginning of a new chapter of pastoral ministry in the Catholic Church in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s most populous country.
During the solemn Eucharistic celebration, the newly ordained priests were reminded that priesthood is not a position of honor but a call to serve with humility, fidelity and love.
A central message of the celebration was the call to conform their lives to the mystery of Christ’s cross. During the presentation of the gifts in the ordination rite, they were told: “Receive the offerings brought by the people of God to be presented to God. Live out what you do, bringing your life into conformity with the mystery of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The ten priests chose a common ordination motto inspired by the words of Peter: “Yet because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
The motto expresses their trust in God’s word and their willingness to respond to his call even when the road ahead is uncertain.
Representing the newly ordained priests, one expressed gratitude for the grace of priestly ordination while acknowledging the mixture of joy, peace and anxiety that accompanied the occasion.
He said their vocation does not rest on their own strength but on God’s love and accompaniment. The priests therefore asked for the grace to remain open to God’s action and to become servants who bring new life to the Church and signs of God’s love wherever they are sent.
They also expressed gratitude to their families, formators, seminaries, pastoral communities and parishes that accompanied their formation.
Following their ordination, the ten priests received their first pastoral assignments, sending them into different areas of Indonesia.
Six OFM priests were assigned to ministries outside Jakarta, including formation houses and parishes in the Diocese of Bogor in West Java, the Diocese of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, and the dioceses of Labuan Bajo and Ruteng on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara.
One of the assignments is at St. John Paul II Seminary in Labuan Bajo, a growing Catholic center in eastern Indonesia.
The four priests from the Archdiocese of Jakarta were assigned to parishes within the archdiocese.
The assignments underscore the missionary character of priesthood, with newly ordained clergy being sent from Indonesia’s capital to serve Catholic communities in different parts of the country, from densely populated Java to the predominantly Catholic regions of eastern Indonesia.
At the end of the celebration, the ten priests asked the faithful to pray for them as they begin their ministry and seek to live their vocation in conformity with Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest.
They also encouraged the people they serve to correct them when necessary, recognizing that priestly ministry is lived in relationship with the communities entrusted to their care.
The celebration concluded with the first priestly blessing given by the ten newly ordained priests.
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