2911 ITM Ordinations
austraLasia #2911
ITM: Special gifts from the Lord of the Harvest
JAKARTA, 22 August, 2011 - In July, Fr Brigildo de
Deus, Timorese missionary in Argentina, was ordained priest.
August has been equally memorable for the ITM Vice-Province.
The Good Lord, on the occasion of the Assumption and then
the Queenship of Mary, has again gifted the Vic e-Province
with 5 new priests.
On the 14th of August, Sunday, when
most of the dioceses here celebrated the Solemnity of the
Assumption of the Blessed Mother, four Salesian priests were
ordained in the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in
Fatumaca, East Timor. They were Frs Alarico Tomas Sarmento
Correia, Florentino Gil dos Santos, Nelson Gonçalves
and Rui Gomes. The Ordination Ceremony lasted for five
hours, beginning with traditional rites and music, and the
ordianing prelate was the Bishop of Baucau, bishop
Basilio do Nascimento. After the ceremony, the Superior of
the Vice Province thanked all those present for coming to
grace the event, especially the families of the ordinands
who generously gave their sons to the Church and the
Congregation.
On 22 August, the Feast of the Queenship
of Mary, the Salesian Delegation of Indonesia and the whole
ITM Vice Province again rejoiced with the ordination of
another new priest, Fr Hendrikus Mado Tolok. He was ordained
with 3 OFM Deacons in the Franciscan Parish of St.
Paschalis, Jakarta. The Ordaining Prelate, Archbishop
Ignatius Suharyo, Archbishop of Jakarta, who celebrates the
14th anniversary of his episcopal ordination, was generous
in his praise for the 4 new priests for accepting the
invitation of the Lord to follow Him in shepherding His
flock. Around 50 priests concelebrated, with many people
witnessing the simple but well-prepared liturgy. Fr.
Hendrikus (whose nickname is Pele for his love for football)
chose this motto for his ordination, “I have the strength
for everything through Him Who empowers me.” (Phil. 4:13)
After the Ordination Rites, the SDB
Provincial Delegate extended the congratulations of the
Congregation to all those ordained, and announced the
obedience of Fr. Hendrikus – as the new Bursar (economer)
for Don Bosco, Tigaraksa.
With the priestly ordination of Fr
Hendrikus, since the arrival of the pioneer of Salesian work
in Indonesia, Fr. Jose Carbonell 26 years ago, there are now
16 Indonesian Salesian priests. After the ceremonies,
especially during the photo session, the usual atmosphere of
peace, calm and simplicity of the Franciscan Parish of St.
Paschalis was punctured by the Salesian joy and noise of the
prenovices, postnovices, young people and others who came
for the priestly ordination from Salesian centres.
