INDONESIA: OUR NEWEST NOVITIATE
JAKARTA: 18th August -- While a trickle of novices and pre-novices is much rejoiced over in some of the developed nations of the world, the numbers in the Vice-Province of Indonesia-Timor Leste, and growth especially in Indonesia in recent years, has warranted a second novitiate. Until recently, all novices went to Fatumaka, in Timor Leste, but that has become less desirable since the events leading to political separation of the two nations. This year, in fact some weeks ago only (1st August), a second novitiate has opened at Tigaraksa-Tangerang, some 50 kms from Jakarta. The Tigaraksa Community is a missionary community within Indonesia, somewhat isolated and in a rural area. The community opened several years ago as a Training Centre with informal courses in a variety of subjects....electronics, machineshop, English language teaching, communications - and a group of Indonesian postulants. This year, the 11 postulants who successfully applied for the novitiate began their novitiate at Tigaraksa, instead of travelling across to Fatumaka. Meanwhile Fatumaka itself has 14 Timorese novices in tow. A further group of 12 prenovices are at Tigaraksa.
Within the next month, Provincials and key formators from the region will have an opportunity to visit Tigaraksa, as it is the location for the inter-province Provincial and Formators gathering for this year in the East Asia-Oceania region. This gathering takes place from 7-11 September in the presnece of Fr. Vaclav Klement, Regional, Fr. Francesco Cereda, Councillor Formation and Fr. Chris Saldanha, a memebr of the Pisana-based Formation team.
