Pada tangal 17 April 2023, saya memperbaharui Kaul Sementara untuk ketiga kalinya di Kapel Biara Fransiskus Jakarta, Indonesia. Saya menyadari bahwa saya telah memperbaharui kaul dalam tangan tiga Pelayan Provinsi serta Kustos. Berawal dari Kaul Pertama di Filipina, pembaharuan di Singapura dan kini di Indonesia.
Friar Marvin memperbaharui Kaul Sementara untuk setahun di dalam tangan Friar Mikael Peruhe OFM, Pelayan Provinsi St. Mikhael Malaikat Agung Indonesia.
Pada tahun ini, saya menjalani tahun Fransiskan. Saya meyakini bahwa Allah sendiri yang membawa saya ke Indonesia untuk mempererat hubungan antara Kustodi St. Anthony Malaysia-Singapura dan Provinsi St. Mikhael Malaikat Agung Indonesia. Selain itu, Saya juga belajar lebih banyak mengenai Komisi Keadilan, Perdamaian dan Keutuhan ciptaan serta Ekopastoral, baik dalam kerja lapangan maupun dalam hal tata administrasi.
Meskipun berada jauh dari saudara-saudara di Kustodi St. Anthony Malaysia-Singapura, saya percaya bahwa Allah telah menyiapkan jalan yang unik bagi saya untuk mengalamiNya. Jalan ini mungkin kurang dilalui, tetapi saya percaya bahwa jalan ini adalah jalan yang tepat bagi saya. Setiap perjalanan, baik itu penyembuhan dari luka batin, pemurnian hati, atau menghadapi tantangan hidup, saya percaya bahwa Allah selalu bersama saya.
Terkadang, fokus saya mungkin berubah dan mungkin merasa putus asa, tetapi saya sadar bahwa pilihan untuk mengikuti jalan ini adalah pilihan saya. Kesempatan ini telah mengajarkan saya untuk keluar dari zon selesa, mengalami hal-hal baru, dan memperdalam spiritualitas Fransiskan saya sebagai seorang musafir dan perantau (Itinerant), seperti Santo Fransiskus dari Asisi. Dia selalu memuji Tuhan dalam perjalanannya dan dalam perjumpaan dengan setiap orang.
Dalam pertemuan saya dengan para saudara fransiskan dan orang-orang di Indonesia, saya diteguhkan tidak hanya untuk menghargai perbedaan, persamaan budaya ataupun bahasa, tetapi juga membiarkan Allah membimbing saya untuk melihat apa yang Dia ingin saya lihat serta menjadi seperti apa yang Dia inginkan. Walaupun memiliki kelemahan, saya menjadi saksi tentang betapa indahnya dunia yang diciptakan bagi kita.
Ketika memperbaharui kaul Ketiga, saya percaya pada Allah Bapa yang terus memberi saya kekuatan untuk melihat dunia melalui mata PutraNya, Yesus Kristus.
– Friar Marvin Voo, OFM
A group photo with the friars at Francis Friary Chapel, Jakarta Indonesia.
We are blessed to have two new novices in 2023. On 14 January, Friar Peter Michael, Director of the Novitiate at St Anthony Friary, received Friars Jorgerson Japar and Nicholas Lee into the Novitiate programme.
From left : Novice Friar Jorgerson, Novice Master Friar Peter Michael, Novice Friar Nicholas
Novitiate is a sacred time during which the novices undergo an intense period of formation to know and experience the Franciscan way of life. It is a year for them to understand themselves, to form their minds and hearts more deeply in the spirit of St Francis, and to test their resolution and suitability for the life of a friar.
The novices begin their day with Morning Prayer and Mass at 7 am. They then attend classes on Franciscan Spirituality, Franciscan History, the Writings of St Francis and St Clare, and the Constitutions of the Order. At noon, they have Midday Prayer followed by lunch and then personal time. At 6 pm, they gather with the rest of the community for Evening Prayer followed by dinner and then Night Prayer at 8 pm.
Novices also have household chores. They cook for the community twice a week and do some cleaning and gardening. On Thursday mornings, they assist in teaching Catechism classes at St Anthony’s Primary School.
Please keep Jorgerson and Nicholas in your prayers as they continue on their Novitiate journey.
Fifteen young men joined the Franciscan Vocation Discernment Retreats held in Singapore and Kuching last November and December. The aspirants accepted the invitation to Come and See Franciscan spirituality and the Franciscan way of life for different reasons, but they all shared the same desire: to seek the will of God in their lives.
Friar Giacomo Bini OFM, former Minister General of the Franciscan Order, said, “Nowadays, fraternal holiness is more effective than personal holiness.“ Inspired by this wisdom, the retreat was planned to help the aspirants learn more about God and about themselves through a fraternal living experience.
Over four days and three nights, they prayed, reflected, ate and shared as a fraternity. It was a safe space where everyone could be open and honest in sharing. The aspirants came as individuals, but it did not take long for each to feel a sense of belonging to the fraternity they formed during the retreat.
Vocation Retreat in Kuching, Sarawak, East MalaysiaVocation Retreat in Singapore
Eight aspirants (from Singapore and West Malaysia) at the retreats in Singapore (3-6 November and 15-18 December) and seven (from Sarawak, East Malaysia ) at the retreat in Kuching (1-4 December).
The new “fraternity” in Kuching was even inspired to compose a song together. They titled their song “Panggilan Hidupku” (My Vocation).
The aspirants left the retreat grateful for the brief experience of Loving God the Franciscan Way. Some expressed interest in discerning more intensively about a vocation to the Order in the next few years. Others said that the experience had opened their eyes to new possibilities and would help them make more informed decisions.
The friars involved too were grateful for the retreat experience. As Friar Robin Toha, who is part of the Vocation Team, said, “It is a joy to share life with the aspirants. Often, their stories inspire me and renew my commitment and desire to love and serve God and others as a friar.”
We ask for your prayers for these young men as we continue journeying with them, that they may discern the will of God for their lives.
The Custody sent a sizeable contingent to this year’s Malaysia-Singapore Young Priests Gathering. Our nine young priests joined 33 other young priests from the two countries for the gathering hosted by the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur from 10 to 13 October 2022.
The annual Young Priests Gathering is organised by the Episcopal Commission for Diocesan Priests and Seminaries headed by Bishop Richard Ng of Miri. It is a time of ongoing formation, and allows the young priests to catch up with each other and strengthen fraternal bonds as they share their experiences and challenges in priestly ministry.
The gathering is for young priests who have been ordained for less than five years. Our participants this year were Friars Aiden Peter Jr, Claurence Motoyou, Cosmas Francis, Crispus Mosinoh, David Au, Don Don Ramerez, Esmond Chua, Gerald Terence and Sixtus Pitah.
Nine OFM Franciscan Friars together with an OFM Capuchin friar.
It was a fruitful time for our young priests. Not only were they able to exchange ideas and share their challenges and personal struggles, they also had a day of recollection with Fr Michael Raymond OFM Cap and Msgr Mitchel Joseph.
Both speakers shared important and useful tips, touching on the psychosocial aspect of priestly ministry, compassion fatigue, stress management, the importance of accompaniment, and defence mechanism.
Msgr Mitchel invited them to deepen their understanding of the priesthood. He said,
“It’s vital for us, as priests, to continue to pay attention to the pulse of our own spiritual growth. We tend to be functional in ministry rather than looking into holiness seriously. There is no real ministry without holiness”.
The participants also had the opportunity to visit churches around Kuala Lumpur such as Church of Holy Family in Kajang and Church of Divine Mercy.
The next Young Priests Gathering will be held in Sandakan, Sabah from 1 to 5 May 2023.
Let us continue to pray for these young shepherds who have given their lives to care for the Lord’s sheep, and to minister to their needs. We praise and thank God for the gift of their vocation.
