Missionaries of the Sacred

Most of our MSC confreres in Indonesia work in places where Catholics are in the minority, especially in the island of North Celebes where the majority of people are Protestant or in the island of Java where the majority are Muslim.

From the beginning of formal formation in the Major Seminary, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are involved intensively in inter-religious dialogue activities. There is yearly meeting between our students who are candidates for priesthood and students from different Protestant denominations who are candidates for pastor. This meeting is held once a year and the agenda focuses on discussion of biblical, theological or social issues. After having lunch together, the candidates play sports such as football, volleyball and so on. This kind of meeting also has a positive impact on the faithful of the respective churches, due to the awareness that their future leaders are gathered to communicate with one another, to discuss common issues, and to build a dialogue.

There is also a student exchange program between our seminarians and the students of a local Protestant church. For a week, some of the Protestant students live in our Major Seminary while our students live in their boarding school. The students in each place attend all of the activities including classes, daily prayers and meals, and participate in any practical works. The MSC students in Indonesia have a regular meeting for biblical studies, which currently occurs every two months. The frequency of this meeting depends upon the agreement students make at the beginning of the academic year.

MSC priests promote ecumenical activities in the places where they are assigned, and also participate in a form of an exchange program. For instance, Catholic priests and Protestant pastors switch places for some Christmas celebrations. The Catholic priest preaches at the Protestant church and vice versa.

In Java, the MSC focus on fostering inter-religious dialogue with Muslims. There is a special committee called “Harmony among followers of Religions”. The leaders of each religion (Islam, Protestantism Catholicism, Buddhism and Hinduism) are members of this committee, which has an important role in helping create harmony among the faithful.

Members of our MSC community also have begun initiatives for social activities and medical services which are open to people of all religious traditions, and they invite people from other religions to participate. During Ramadan, when Muslims are fasting from dawn to dusk, our men invite them to have dinner together. They use this occasion to get to know one another better and to create a basis for dialogue from the activity of eating together. Especially in the areas where there is tension between Christians and Muslims, our MSC priests and brothers play an important role in engaging in dialogue to promote peace and harmony.