Jesuit Brothers
On October 23 – November 1, 2024, the Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus was grateful for the presence of representatives of the Jesuit Conference Asia-Pacific (JCAP). They received the grace to walk with God in the JCAP Brothers Retreat at Christ the King Retreat House, Girisonta. Fourteen Jesuit brothers were attending this meeting, namely Br. Raymund Belleza, SJ (PHI), Br. Paul Pok , SJ (THA), Br. Augustine Tino , SJ (MYN), Br. Pae Song-Mun (KOR), Br. Tha, SJ (TLS), Br. Tran Tien Kinh , SJ (VIE), Br. Tu Howard (CHN), Br. Luong Quoc, SJ (VIE), Br. Jeff Pioquinto , SJ (PHI), Br. John Melad , SJ (PHI), Br. Jeric Madelo , SJ (PHI), Br. Juan Pablo Socrates, SJ (PHI), Br. Dieng Karnaedi , SJ (IDN), and Br. Nicolaus David Kristianto, SJ (IDO). In unity of heart and mind, the brothers underwent a retreat with several themes adapted to the document De Statu Societatis and the Life Story and Reflection on the example of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, SJ:
Theme I: An Open Heart to Listen to Where the Holy Spirit is Leading Me
Theme II: The Jesuit Brother in A Changing and Challenging World
Theme III: Who Are We? My Identity as a Jesuit Brother
Theme IV: Jesuit Brother: My Identity and My Apostolate
Theme V: Collaborators in The Mission of Jesus
Theme VI: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez , SJ
Theme VII: Prayerful Thanksgiving to Move Forward
There were two solemn and profound moments of togetherness in the middle of the retreat process. The first was an hour of prayer together before the Blessed Sacrament. The second was an hour of sessions about our prayer experiences in retreat. The spiritual stories shared were about the experience of being called to become a Jesuit Brother. Br. Pae Song-Mun, SJ, shared about his apostolic ministry trip to JRS Uganda and his inner struggle with the small number of Jesuits in South Korea, which is only four people. Br Luong Quoc shared his joy in apostolic ministry in Laos and attended his first retreat with the JCAP brothers. Br. Tha from Vietnam talked about his joys decades in Timor Leste. From village to village, he interacted a lot with the local people. Br. Juan Pablo Socrates and Br. Jeric Madelo shared their joy with the JCAP brothers and enjoyed the hospitality of the Indonesian Jesuit brothers. Br. Dieng Karnaedi shared stories about his mission at KPTT Salatiga, and Br. Nicolaus David shared stories about his encounter with the JCAP brothers, who attended the retreat together. Br Paul Pok shared the struggle as the only Jesuit Brother from Thailand and experiencing a spiritual oasis through this retreat. Br Kinh shared the joy of experiencing the unity of heart and mind during the retreat with the SJ Brothers. Br Jeff shared inner struggles at the work site and felt a spiritual oasis when experiencing togetherness with the JCAP brothers during the retreat.
Some spiritual points also confirmed by the presence of Jesuit priests during the retreat were: (1) the Jesuit vocation is a vocation rooted and grounded in the love of Christ and (2) the virtues of selflessness, gentleness, and compassion, which are continuously lived by the Jesuits. The retreat director, Br. Raymund Belleza emphasized that the Jesuit Brother’s vocation is directed directly to the poor and humble Jesus.
Closing the retreat together, we had an outing to Borobudur Temple, visited fellow brothers in the Muntilan Parish while having a mini-tour to the Muntilan Mission Museum, and a mass & celebration of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, SJ at the Mertoyudan Minor Seminary, Magelang. In the mass, the Provincial of the Society of Jesus of the Indonesian Province gave two points of spiritual virtues for the Jesuit brothers: (1) rooted in experience & encounter with God and (2) listening. Father Provincial gave illustrations & reflections on the life story of St. Alfonsus Rodriguez during his 46 years of service as a doorman in Mallorca. His greetings, encounters, and spiritual conversations touched and ignited the hearts of those he met. One famous story is about the encounter of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, SJ (in his 70s) with St. Peter Claver. There is hope that the collaborative presence of the Jesuits is like two sides of a pair of wings flapping together.
In the mass, the brothers were grateful for the renewal of the vows of four Jesuit Brothers, namely Br Augustine Tino, Br Tu Howard, and Br. Nicolaus David Kristianto, and Br Tran Tien Kinh. The presence of other Indonesian Jesuit Brothers also strengthened us in prayer and togetherness. The Brothers are grateful for the formation of the International Commission on the Jesuit Brother. Let us walk together as an example by Maria de La Strada (Our Lady of The Way), who walked with the poor and humble Jesus.
Contributor: F Nicolaus David Kristianto, S.J.
