Ungaran, July 31, 2026 — On Friday, Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Emmaus House for Elder Jesuits in Girisonta, Ungaran. The event marked the beginning of a 15-month construction project that will provide a state-of-the-art wellness and care facility for the aging members of the Indonesian Province.
They have spent decades serving the Church, the Society, and the people of Indonesia. They have been educators, pastors, missionaries, and spiritual guides. Now, as they enter their twilight years, the senior Jesuits of the Indonesian Province are being given a new home that reflects the same dignity and care they have so generously offered to others.
The decision to build a new Emmaus House did not emerge suddenly. It was born out of a pressing reality. As of 2023, the Indonesian Province recorded 77 Jesuits aged 65 and above, a significant portion of the province’s membership that continues to grow each year. The existing Emmaus House, inaugurated on August 7, 1973, by Fr. Antonius Soenarja, S.J., then Provincial Superior, has served the community for over five decades. However, with only 18 rooms and aging infrastructure, it is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the province’s senior members. Today, the median age of the nine residents at Emmaus is 79. Among them is His Eminence Julius Cardinal Darmaatmadja, S.J., Archbishop Emeritus of Jakarta, who at 92 years old is the eldest. The youngest resident is 75. These are men who have given their entire lives to the mission, from pastoral work in parishes to leadership in education and Church governance.
The new Emmaus facility will be built on a 2,500-square-meter plot, featuring 25 to 30 rooms designed with accessibility and comfort at their core. The architects have drawn from years of practical experience at the existing house, where residents and staff identified key challenges. One significant issue in the older building is that the bathroom doors in the original section are too narrow to accommodate wheelchairs. This lesson has been carried forward: the new rooms will feature larger doorways, and bathrooms will have two entrances, one from inside and one from outside, to ensure that caregivers can assist a resident in case of an emergency.
Beyond accessibility, the new Emmaus House will include wellness facilities such as a hydrotherapy pool specifically designed for herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) patients and a dedicated exercise room. These additions reflect the Jesuit commitment to caring for the whole person, cura personalis, extending even into the final decades of life.
Currently, the residents of Emmaus are supported by a dedicated team of two nurses, five nursing assistants, two housekeeping staff, and a Franciscan nun from Ordo Sancti Francisci (OSF) with a nursing background. The community also benefits from a partnership with St. Elisabeth Hospital in Semarang, which provides home care services and routine blood testing every three months. A Minister (the community superior responsible for daily operations) and a Sub-Minister, both Jesuits, assist in accompanying their elder brothers.
The groundbreaking ceremony was not just an event for the residents and staff of Emmaus. It was a moment for the entire province to reflect on the legacy of these men. The Jesuits who now reside in Girisonta have served across generations and geographies, from the halls of academia to the most remote villages of the Jesuit missions. They have been pillars of the Church and witnesses to faith in a rapidly changing nation.
Fr. Sosa’s presence at the groundbreaking underscored the significance of this project. His visit to Indonesia, which also included stops at several Jesuit works and communities, highlighted the Society’s dual commitment: reaching out to serve others while also caring for its own.
The new building will not replace the old one entirely. The existing rooms will remain available for guests or Jesuits seeking a quiet retreat, ensuring that the Emmaus campus continues to serve the broader community. This network of care is a testament to the familial spirit that has long characterized the Society of Jesus in Indonesia. As construction begins, the Indonesian Province is looking to the future with hope. The new Emmaus House will not only provide a physical space for senior Jesuits; it will stand as a symbol of gratitude for a life of service and a promise that no one is ever left behind in the Society of Jesus.
