The Eucharistic Thanksgiving Celebration of the 92nd Anniversary of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Girisonta Parish, themed “Maguyub Welas Asih,” took place solemnly and lively. Father Agustinus Sigit Widisana, S.J., as the Parish Priest, and Father Leonardus Dibyawiyata, SJ, who previously worked as a parish priest from 1973-1977, led the thanksgiving mass.
The Eucharist began at 08.00 WIB, beginning with the pramisa song, greetings from the committee, and a dance performance from the students of Santa Anna Kindergarten, Girisonta. Joy and happiness enveloped all the people present. Not to forget the joint choir of the extended family of SMPK Girisonta and the alumni, enlivening this Eucharistic celebration of gratitude.
The atmosphere of Sunday, November 10, 2024, truly lifted the spirit of the entire 4,873-person Girisonta community.
A piece History
The birth of the Church in Girisonta cannot be separated from the establishment of the Girisonta Retreat and Novitiate House. The retreat house was built in 1930, with the laying of the first stone on October 3, 1930. This retreat house was then named Girisonta. Giri means mountain, and Sonta means Holy. Girisonta was intended as a place at the foot of a quiet mountain, suitable for meditation and purification.
In 1932, Girisonta became the SJ Community for the first time. Father H. Koch, SJ, was the rector at that time, Father G. Schmedding was the novice master, Father Th. Verhoeven was the retreat house director, Father J. Hellings was the minister scholasticorum, and Father J. Schouten was undergoing Tertiants. At that time, there were 7 junior brothers, 7 novice brothers, and 3 novice brothers; there were also 2 postulants interested in becoming brothers. Of them, Father Schmedding and Verhoeven lasted the longest until the Japanese era, when they were still in Girisonta.
The Birth of the Church in Girisonta
At the time Girisonta was born, there were almost no Catholics around Karangjati; only a small group lived in Ungaran. In the book De Katholieke Missie, published in 1933, the number of Catholics in Ungaran and Girisonta was only 99. That number included 21 new baptisms. On Easter Day, 38 people received Communion.
Father G. Schmedding, S.J. initially began teaching catechesis to the college employees. The novices began to explore the surrounding villages so that, little by little, people began to know Father. The response from the people around Karangjati was still minimal, but those who lived in villages a little further from Girisonta responded better.
So, for the first time, in 1932, Father G. Schmedding, SJ, baptized and pioneered the baptism book in Girisonta as the beginning of the birth of the Church in Girisonta. The first baptism, recorded in the first book, occurred on February 22, 1932.
The Community of Compassion
The parish anniversary celebration falls on the Feast of the Name of St. Stanislaus Kostka every November 13. Sunday, November 10, 2024, Girisonta Parish has been present in our homeland for precisely 92 years, treading a historical journey that was not easy during the colonial period and the War of Independence.
The development and progress of Girisonta Parish is always continuous. Now, the number of recorded souls is around 5000 people, spread across 13 regions, 46 neighborhoods, and 1 station, namely Santa Maria Assumpta Glodogan Station, which is still within the territorial area of Semarang Regency.
The Eucharistic celebration of the 92nd Anniversary took the theme “Maguyub Welas Asih,” which is a continuation of the previous theme on the 91st Anniversary, which took the theme “Maguyub Sanggup.” The word maguyub has a deep meaning, namely that all Catholics in the Girisonta Parish Seek to always be united (maguyub) based on a sense of love and affection for others (welas asih. Maguyub welas asih is a message for all Girisonta Parish congregations always to be compassionate and full of love in serving others for the common progress of the beloved Parish church.
Before the closing blessing, the Parish Priest cut the tumpeng given to the chairman of the Parish Anniversary Committee as a symbol of gratitude for the success of the Eucharist celebration and the accompanying activities in the series of anniversary celebrations.
The Eucharistic celebration continued with a congregational party that began by taking fruits and vegetables from the blessed mountain. The event continued with a meal of yellow rice prepared by each neighborhood. The congregational party was enlivened by various performances: a drum band from SDK Girisonta, a drum band from SMK Theresiana Bandungan, and a drum-blak offering from Region 3 Yulius, which is the Committee for the 92nd Anniversary of the Saint Stanislaus Girisonta Parish.
The excitement of this event was created thanks to the cooperation of the Committee, the Parish Council, and all parties involved. Hopefully, the Girisonta church will be more capable and compassionate, and the congregation will be more enthusiastic and actively involved in various forms of down-to-earth and welcoming service, following St. Stanislaus’s example.
Contributor: KOMSOS Girisonta
