Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - The Dominican Family in Indonesia - composed of religious men, nuns and laity - welcomes new laity: a sign of hope in the Year of Consecrated Life, in which all religious families are called to make a journey of renewal and deepening of their charism in the Church.
The coordinator of the Dominican Laity of Indonesia, Teofilo Adiwiyarta Atmadi OP, reports that the Dominican Catholic laity in Indonesia are: 150 lay Dominicans, present in three archdioceses (Jakarta, Semarang and Pontianak) and two dioceses (Bandung and Surabaya). Other lay professions are expected for the month of July 2015, in Yogyakarta, and in Pontianak in October.
The Dominicans are historically linked to the arrival of the Christian faith in Indonesia: in 1520, on the island of Flores, the Portuguese merchant Jeae Soares baptized 200 people in the village of Lewonama and the chaplain of the ship, the Dominican, Fr. Anthony Tavera, OP, then baptized about 5,000 people on the islands of Flores and Timor. (PCP-PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/01/2015)
