1st letter of May 2006

4th Sunday of Easter, May 07, 2006
1st letter of May 2006

1) 4th Sunday of Easter, May 07, 2006

Monday, May 01, 2006.
I attended the morning class: Natural Law and the Beguines. In the afternoon I led the lectio divina in our community and in the evening I attended the class of biblical spirituality. At night I did make photocopies of the booklet of my diaconate ordination.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006.
The whole morning I made photocopy of the booklets. There’re 250 copies and I have done it at 2 p.m. In the evening after the supper, I read a new Xaverian magazine from Indonesia made by the students at the philosophy. It’s wonderful edition that I ever know so far. I read it with my gladness and proud of being Indonesian Xaverian. It gave me bit fresh up date information about our confreres in Indonesia especially in the formation houses.

Wednesday, 03, 2006.
In the morning I attended the class of Natural Law then at 10 to 11.40 a.m. I attended at the courtyard of CTU, the lecture of a famous person, named Jean Vanier. Three courtyards were filled by many people. It’s a great sharing of thie L’Arch Community which concerns much to disabled brothers and sisters. Before noon I went to downtown at Saint Peter Church to have sacrament of reconciliation as my preparation to perpetual vows this coming Saturday then I went to Thompson Center to donate my blood, probably for the last time since after I return to the USA from my vacation to Indonesia I won’t be allowed to donate my blood due to Malaria risk in Indonesia. I may donate it after living continuously three years in the USA. In the afternoon I cooked hot dog and bean for my community.

Thursday, May 04, 2006.
This morning at the class of integrating core of spirituality and liturgy, with my group I did prayer service of home blessing in which I acted as a deacon. Upon arrival at home there was a guest, named Andrew (20) from California who came to visit and to know the Xaverians. In the afternoon Father Rocco made the booklet of my perpetual vows special for Father Ivan and I helped him to make it. At the holy hour at 5 p.m. I shared my reflection on the vow of chastity in answering the question of “HOW” the celibate chastity in the religious life. We had community meeting to share our ministerial experience during this almost a year. At night I typed my reflection of Mary and my Vocation to the Xaverians as I share on this journal (look at the very bottom of it). I typed as well my journal for this week.

Friday, May 05, 2006.
After having breakfast, accompanied by Valery as my driving instructor, together with Harno, I went to Franklin-Wisconsin by red car and at noon we arrived there. At night, Nita and Alejandro came as well as Wawan, Edi-Lisa, Mimi, and Michael.

Saturday, May 06, 2006.
I attended the morning prayer and the Mass at our chapel then we went to the chapel of Sacred Heart School of Theology at Hales Corners to attend the Mass of perpetual profession of my SCJ classmate, Thi Panh. There were about 260 people. After three years I graduated of this ESL program at this school, I came back to see the huge building again. We met an Indonesian priest of SCJ, named Yohanes. After having lunch there, we went back to Franklin, the Xaverian House. PERPETUAL PROFESSION OF DENNY WAHYUDI…myself…at our Xaverian chapel at Franklin-Knoll, Wisconsin at 4.30 p.m. concelebrated by the provincial superior, Father Ivan Marchesin and 9 other Xaverian priests (Rocco, Pascal, Victor Mosele, Victor Bongiovanni, Dominic, Larry, Willy, Adolph, and Alfredo as the musician/organist). I counted there were about 56 people altogether coming to this solemn event including 20 Indonesians. Joyfully and thankfully, I was taking part of this 1.45 hours Mass in giving us my entire life to the Xaverian family. I am supported by many people who were present at this simple celebration as well as those who were not present and remembering me on this special day. The celebration followed by supper and hospitality. At this Mass, I received a mission cross as a symbol of my commitment to go to mission wherever my superior asks me to go and I will carry this cross as reminder of my vows to God in the midst of my Xaverian confreres and witnessed by those who love me and support me on this vocation.

4th Sunday of Easter, May 07, 2006.
At 7.30 a.m. we (Pascal Atumisi, Valery, and I) went to St. Therese Church. I attended the 9.30 Mass, the Cantonese one presided by Father Tim. At 11 to 12 p.m. Cesare was teaching the confirmation program. At 12.30 p.m. Valery and I went back to our house. After taking a nap in the afternoon, I typed this journal.
At night I got a phone call from Mother Oey in Jakarta congratulated me for my final vows. From 9 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. I was typing my paper on the Lord’s Prayer (Forgiveness).



MARY IN MY LIFE AND VOCATION
Reflecting my life and vocation in the Xaverian missionaries, I never forget my experience with my Catholic neighbors praying rosary in every May and October. Apparently, this occasion formed me to answer the vocation that I am living it out now in the Xaverian Missionaries toward missionary-religious-priesthood.
Moving in a new rented-house with my family located on Halim Perdanakusuma Street, when I was in the second grade of Junior High School in 1988, obviously determined my future life and idea to be a priest. In this house also, in one evening some catechists came to my house offering to my father whether we, as his children wanted to be catechumens and to be baptized in the Catholic Church. One of the catechists named Joko is a catechist who works now in Muara Siberut- Mentawai, the mission of Xaverian Missionaries where I met him as I visited Mentawai before I entered Xaverian in 1996. My Father agreed and finally I learned catechism in a convent of nuns, the Missionary of Claris from the Blessed Sacrament (MC), originally from Mexico, not far from my house. This convent has a shrine of Mary with a gorgeous mosaic depicts the Lady of Guadalupe, and then I knew that she is the patron of the American continent. Actually, my parents married in a Catholic Church in my hometown in 1970 but none of their children were baptized. My mother was Catholic then converted to be a Protestant and my father is not Catholic and he professes no religion at all until now. After almost two years I learned to be a catechumen, then I was baptized on December 24, 1990, as a 16 year-old boy. Even though, I was baptized an adult, I already knew some Catholic teachings from my Catholic schools since kindergarten at Saint Bernard, which belongs to the Ursula Sisters and primary school at Saint Joseph, which belongs to Saint Aloysius Brothers. When I studied in both schools, I always mentioned that I was Protestant like my mother but after I went to Junior High School in public school, I decided to be Catholic because I used to know Catholic teaching, not Protestant who were always memorizing some verses of the Scriptures. Probably, with the influence and life example of my oldest sister and my grandmother (mother of my father) who lived in our family after my mother passed away, I decided to be Catholic. They were baptized first in the Catholic Church then I followed them.
My grandma always invited me to accompany her to pray the rosary with our Catholic neighbors. Her baptismal name is Maria; also my mother's name is Anna Maria. It is not a coincidence that both of my close female relatives had the same name, Mary. My mother passed away when I was nine and my grandma died as well when I was 18 years old. My first willingness and thought to be a priest was when I went on a pilgrimage to a Shrine of our Lady Mary in 'Gua Kerep' Ambarawa, Central Java with some parishioners of my Church, Saint Cornelius, Madiun in May 1991. Joining the evening prayer in a Trappist (OCSO) convent in Salatiga before going home, I was impressed by the sisters who prayed the evening prayer solemnly and the variety of their origins. At that time, my heart and my mind always urged me to be like them, to be a priest. I had such a strong eagerness to answer this call but after on the way to my hometown, I thought that it was impossible to me. Afterward, in the rosary prayer with my Catholic neighbors, a lady approached me and said to me, "You are worthy to be a priest, I will pray for you." It recalled me that my previous desire on thought to be a priest but I had denied it. At that time, I did not know anything about a vocation to be a priest then I asked my grandma whether I could be a priest. But, my grandma answered me, "No, do not be a priest because it will add our sins." Ignoring her answer, I tried to search for this sort of vocation and I found a Catholic magazine, HIDUP, when I prayed rosary in the house of the lady who told me that I was able to be a priest. From this magazine I came to know the Xaverian Missionaries and I sent a letter to the vocation director, Father Silvano Laurenzi, SX in Yogyakarta. These stories drew me, eventually, to answer radically God's call in the Xaverian Missionaries after I had waited for a proper time and postponed this vocation.
It is not a coincidence but providence that my call to the Xaverian Missionaries is from the chronicle-story-chain of my young life involving with my Catholic neighbors and Mary as my intercessor to this call. I believe Mary always accompanies me on this spiritual journey that finally led me to the Xaverian Missionaries after I had worked for three years, 1993 to 1996, in Jakarta.
The founder of the Xaverian Missionaries, Blessed Guido Maria Conforti had a spiritual experience with Mary of Fontanellato (Italy) whom he believed to be the intercessor of his healing. Even, in the Xaverian Constitution number 49 written, "Mary, mother of the Lord and the Church, has a singular role in the history of salvation. We look to her as the attentive Virgin who harbors the Word of God within. She transmits it with courage and simplicity. She is ever mindful of others' needs." And, in number 49.1: "The Rosary: In Christian tradition one of the most popular and revered Marian devotions is the rosary. We recommend its frequent use." In the formula of renewal of vows in the Xaverian missionaries, I found a correlation to Mary as it is written at the end of the formula, "Grant me, Lord, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, your assistance so that my whole life, free from evil, may be a gift and sign of your love to all."
Since I have strong devotion to Mary, before I went to the Pre-Novitiate of the Xaverian to have a test in February 1996, I went to the statue of Mary at the Cathedral Church in Jakarta. In my prayer over there I surrendered myself through her so that what I had decided at that time was really God’s will and I had conviction that it’s going to be O.K. When I got stuck of getting my visa to come to the USA in 2002, I asked special prayer of Mary through my confreres who went to Mexico City to study theology in the same year. They are Maryono and Setyawan. I asked them to pray to our Lady of Guadalupe for this intention.
Like Mary who lived in the midst of the disciples of Jesus, my vocation also grew from the Catholic community of my neighbors who were strongly devoted to Mary. This Catholic community is named after Mary as well and I will never forget the origin of my vocation to be a priest from this community. The rosary prayer that leads me to contemplate the mysteries of Jesus is always my prayer before going to bed at night. With Mary in the midst of the Catholic community that initiates, develops and nurtures my vocation to be a Catholic and then my particular vocation, missionary-religious-priesthood, I praise and thank God for this beauty of vocation story that I privilege to have.