Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sintang (Fides Service) – A new parish, a point of reference for evangelisation among Dayak tribals on Borneo Island in the diocese of Sintang on the Indonesia/Malaysia border. In this area the Church is deeply involved in providing social assistance, education and professional training.
The decision to build the parish comes after the Indonesian government started building a main road through the regions of west and east Kalimantan, along the Indo-Malaysian frontier.
The parish will offer pastoral care to the local Dayak people who live in isolation in the forests and are mostly hunters and subsistence farmers. Many Dyaks are Catholics. But many are still keep to their animist beliefs and the aim is bring the Good News to these peoples.
Local sources tells Fides that Jakarta decided at last to build the road so the army can control timber trafficking which infests the area. But the new road will also open the way for evangelisation.
Borneo in Indonesian Kalimantan or Diamond River is Indonesia’s largest region has an area of 549,032 sq. km and a population of 10 million. It has four sectors, north south east and west. Transport is by river and villages have neither telephone nor electricity. Evangelisation is difficult and is mainly by personal contact. Catechists and missionaries travel around to different villages talking with village chiefs and announcing the message of Christ. The number of baptisms in growing. The local Church has opened various centres for social assistance, education and professional training. PA (Fides Service 10/10/2003 EM lines 29 Words: 235)
