3rd letter of September 2005

3) 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 18, 2005

Monday, September 12, 2005.
Today together with Father Victor and Harno, I am in charge of the liturgy for this week. In the morning I had class of Amos then I was at the library to read some magazines. At 1 p.m. to 3.45 p.m. I attended Presiding Class for the first time with Father Richard Fragomeni as the professor. There were 12 students that consists of 8 SVD’s. There were about 8 Vietnamese, one White American (OMI), one Holy Spiritans (Vietnamese), one SCJ (Vietnamese) and myself from Indonesia (Xaverians). Two of us from China (SVD’s). Fragomeni gave us the syllabus of this course that emphasized on the Eucharistic presiding, confession, initiation, funeral, wedding and some other group work. According to the syllabus, I have to make two videotapes of the Eucharistic/Mass (one on weekday and the other one on Sunday). About confession, I have to meet three persons in the faculty or my formator at the Xaverians to practice this sacrament in which I am acting as a priest, the confessor and they as the ones who confess to me.
In the afternoon, Father Victor guided us in the lectio divina of our Xaverian community.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005.
In the morning Mass there was one Holy Spiritan priest from Ghana who visited us here in Chicago. He’s Daniel. After having breakfast, by CTA bus and train I went to Saint Therese Chinatown to meet Father Michael for spiritual direction (colloquium). I met Father Aniello who just arrived yesterday from Medjugorje. Before noon I went to the public library at downtown to borrow some tapes and DVD’s (courses in Mandarin, Japanese and Italian languages). Directly after supper, I went to the CTU library to borrow some books for my presiding class then I attended the class of Dawn Notwehr on Social Justice and Peace (an Integrating Core course). Coming back from CTU, I got a note that the mother of my friend in Philadelphia passed away in Indonesia. My condolences to Tatiana in Philadelphia for her mother who has returned to God. I keep her and the family in my prayer.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005.
In the morning when the Mass was almost started, Harno was sick desperately. His fever was coming again. Directly Father Rocco took him to Mercy Hospital. He remained stay at the hospital till Saturday morning. He was diagnosed by the doctors having Malaria. I attended the class of Amos in the morning at 8.30 to 9.45. At the CTU library I borrowed some videotapes and watched them at home. One of them is entitled “What is priest?” In the evening together with Alejandro, Ignas and Wawan, I went to visit Harno at the hospital.

Thursday, September 15, 2005.
In the morning I attended the class of Inculturation given by Bob Schreiter while the professor of this class was not coming. He’s Edmund Chia. After I prepared Pizza for the supper, I went to CTU to attend a seminar about 40 years of the Second Vatican Council named Nostra Aetate. There were four speakers, namely, Don Senior, John Pawlikowski, Scot Alexander and Rabi Sandmel. While I was watching a video about liturgy, I got a phone call from my friend in New York, named Theresia Ken-ken. With Dharmawan, I watched the videotape entitled Color Purple until midnight.

Friday, September 16, 2005.
We had Mass at 7.30 a.m. and community retreat led by Father Pascal. The topic was about the formation of International Theology in the Xaverians. We reflected and discussed the Vade Mecum of this regard. It lasted at 12.45 p.m. After having lunch, we (the 7 students) went to Franklin, Milwaukee by two cars to attend the meeting of Xaverian festival volunteer gathering. We went back to Chicago at 9 p.m. except Ignatius who stayed there till Sunday afternoon. We brought a lot of bread, tomatoes and two computer monitors from Franklin. At night Father Rocco returned home from the meeting at Baltimore, Maryland.

Saturday, September 17, 2005.
Today my youngest brother named Jimmy is getting married in Kediri. He’s 23 years old and his wife named Yenny, 19 years old. They married at Bethany Church in Kediri, East Java. My other brother, Rony married in 2003 when I had been in the U.S.A. So, both of my brothers I couldn’t attend their weddings. I am not really sad because it’s the reality that I am being far away of my family in distance but in heart I always close to them. I keep in touch with them through phone so that I know their up-to-date news. What I can do just pray and remember them in my prayer and call them up routinely as my concern of them.
After having breakfast, together with Father Rocco and Valery, I went to Frankfort, Illinois to attend a meeting with Saint Therese parishioners to plan the parish activities for 2005-2006. There were about 35 people coming to this meeting. They depicted multi ethnics in this church, namely, Italian-Americans, Mandarin speaking parishioners, Cantonese speaking parishioners, Indonesian, the Philippines, and Latinos. One of the Indonesian Catholic leaders in Chicago, named The Mulianto came to this meeting. The meeting started at 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. We went home and I took a rest for a while. At 5 p.m. I followed Father Rocco to go to Our Lady of Good Counsel Church at 35th Street to attend the Mass at 5.30 p.m. presided by Father Rocco. We went home after the Mass finished. With Valery, I made tomatoes juice at night because we have a lot of tomatoes given by Father Dominic in Franklin, Milwaukee. I like very much this tomatoes juice. At night I got a phone call from my good friend in New York City, named Frans Slamet.

Sunday, September 18, 2005.
I woke up at 7 a.m., took shower and prayed the breviary personally at my room. At 8.20 a.m. together with Valery, I went to Saint Therese church to attend the Mass at 9.30 a.m. in which Father Michael presided. I helped him to warm up the food for the parishioners after the Mass. The ministry I have in the confirmation program doesn’t start yet. Next week we are going to have meeting with all catechists at this parish coordinated by Darlene Chan. Father Michael asked me to accompany him at the 9.30 a.m. Mass starting next week to be an acolyte exercising my ministry to share the Body of Christ in the Mass. It is also an initial ministry for me toward deaconate year that hopefully happens next year in order to know and to be known by church of this parish. George, one of the nice fellows at this parish took us home. He took me to the public library returning videotapes I borrowed and we went back to Hyde Park. I took a rest for a while and at 4 p.m. I helped Father Victor to cook for the supper. At 7 p.m. we had the evening prayer and sharing continued by supper. I called up my youngest brother in Ponorogo to congratulate his wedding that was held last Saturday. I asked my oldest sister to send my youngest brother, Jimmy’s wedding. They are going to have party probably in December 2005.