Reflections from a Journey to Cimahi, West Java

On August 15, 2026, marking the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, I had the privilege of visiting Ereveld Leuwigajah in Cimahi, West Java, alongside Fr. Ignatius Windar Santoso, S.J., Schs. Maran Seng Du Aung, S.J., and Antonius Vinsensius Egwin, S.J.

Managed by the Dutch War Graves Foundation (Oorlogsgravenstichting), Ereveld locations serve as honorary burial grounds for the Dutch soldiers and civilians who fell victim to World War II. Seven such cemeteries are located across Indonesia—in Jakarta, Semarang, Bandung, Cimahi, and Surabaya—and Ereveld Leuwigajah is the largest, serving as the final resting place for more than 5,200 victims.

Why do we visit this place?

The journey began through the dedicated efforts of Fr. Windar and the Archivists of the Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus. The team set out to trace scattered Jesuit graves across Indonesia, including those in what is now West Java. Records show that early Jesuits served in Bogor until 1937, and in Cimahi, Bandung, and Cirebon until 1927.

However, the Jesuits laid to rest at Ereveld belong to a different chapter of history. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia (1942–1945), Dutch citizens—including priests, brothers, and nuns—were forced into internment camps. The prisoners endured severe starvation, a complete lack of medical care, and squalid living conditions, leading to a tragic loss of life. Of the 120 European Jesuits serving in Java at the time, 12 succumbed to the harsh conditions of these camps—representing a devastating 10% loss for the community.

By cross-referencing the Society of Jesus’ archival data with the Dutch War Graves Foundation database, we identified four Jesuit priests buried at Ereveld Leuwigajah: Joannes Josephus Hubertus Maria van Rijckevorsel, S.J., Josephus Wilhelmius Maria Wubbe, S.J., Theodorus Cocx, S.J., and Joannes Berndsen, S.J.

When we arrived at Ereveld, two cemetery caretakers warmly welcomed us and helped us locate the priests’ graves using the official ledger. The moment they read aloud the names of Father van Rijckevorsel and Father Wubbe, they suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, these are the Fathers from Strada, right?” They shared that representatives from the Strada Association still make regular pilgrimages to honor these two priests. Praise the Lord!

The Strada Association was originally founded in 1924 by a visionary triumvirate of Jesuit priests: Frs. Josephus Wilhelmius Maria Wubbe, S.J., Antonius Theodorus van Hoof, S.J., and Joannes Josephus Hubertus Maria van Rijckevorsel, S.J. When Japanese forces seized control of Java, they arrested these three Dutch nationals and sent them to separate internment camps.

Fr. Wubbe, who had been serving the community in Bidaracina, was initially held in the Kramat and Grogol Camps before being transferred to Baros Camp 6 in 1944. Meanwhile, Fr. van Rijckevorsel was targeted by the Japanese secret police (Kempeitai) in Yogyakarta, who arrested him on July 19, 1942, on trumped-up charges of treason. Though released after ten days, he was re-arrested in early September 1943. He was detained at the Benteng Camp before his final transfer to the internment camp in Cimahi.

Father Hoof, who was the Rector of St. Stanislaus College in Girisonta at the time, was arrested and interned at the Banyubiru Camp in Ambarawa. He was never transferred from the camp and passed away there on September 22, 1944. His grave is located inside the chapel at the Ambarawa Kerkhof (cemetery).

The individual lives of Frs. Cocx and Berndsen are equally profound and moving. Throughout his time in Indonesia, Fr. Cocx dedicated his ministry to formation and education. His service at St. Joseph College in Ambarawa was abruptly cut short when he was arrested and sent to the Roncalli Camp in Salatiga. He was later transferred to the internment camp in Cimahi, where he ultimately passed away. Fr. Berndsen similarly spent his final years shaping the Church’s future as a formator at both the Minor Seminary in Mertoyudan and the Major Seminary in Yogyakarta. Following his arrest, he was interned at the Benteng Camp before being moved to the Baros 5, enduring the harsh realities of captivity until his final days.

After Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allies—marking the end of World War II—the missionaries gradually emerged from the various internment camps and, whenever possible, returned to their last places of assignment.

The atmosphere at Ereveld Leuwigajah is remarkably serene rather than somber, characterized by rows of meticulously kept headstones set against a beautiful mountain backdrop. The stillness of the grounds stands in profound contrast to the tragic history of the war victims resting there.

Guided by a staff member, we located the four Jesuit graves, where we laid floral tributes and prayed. The moment sparked a powerful reflection on the continuity of our order, bringing together three generations of the Society of Jesus simultaneously: the ancestors of the past resting in the soil, Fr. Windar representing the labor of the present, and the scholastics preparing to guide our mission into the future.

We concluded our pilgrimage at Block VI, visiting the graves of religious clergy relocated from Ereveld Muntok in 1960. What began as an effort to map historically scattered graves ultimately transformed into a deeply spiritual exercise—allowing us to fully appreciate the enduring legacy of the Society of Jesus across generations.

“For some, death comes as a path of sacrifice.
For others, death comes unsought,
like an arrow of destiny.
What is the difference?
In courage and in fear alike,
they all bow to the same decree.”
(J. C. Bloem)