IT all begins with questions-cum-expectations from the Seminary Commission in the Indonesian Bishops of Conference (Komisi Seminari KWI).
Komisi Seminari KWI’s Executive Secretary is Father Joseph Kristanto Suratman Pr, a diocesan priest from Semarang Archdiocese.
For some years, he has been the rector of St. Paul’s Major Seminary Kentungan in Yogyakarta and earlier also the rector of Inter-diocesan Major Seminary Giovanni in Malang, East Java.
Once he posed a question to his fellow alumnae of St. Peter Canisius Minor Seminary Mertoyudan in Magelang, Central Java with this challenging expectations. “What can be expected from alumnae of Seminary Mertoyudan to their alma mater?”
As he posed this question in his position of the executive secretary of Komisi Seminari KWI, then much more extensive target is expected to come from the alumnae.
PGU, the seminary’s alumnae forum
Useful and significant contributions from the seminary alumnae to their alma mater is what Father Suratman strongly expects.
An initiative was then first made by Basuki Ismael – Mertoyudan Seminary’s alumnus batch 1977—to respond to Fr. Suratman, his former fellow class-mate. He eagerly to take into action to what Father Suratman expects from the alumnae.
Basuki is indeed an avid motivator in Jakarta to gather all seminary’s alumnae to attend any social gathering.
A small group of alumnae from Mertoyudan and Garum Minor Seminaries was soon established to design programs of “alumnae’s contribution to their alma mater”.
This small ‘working group’ is formed under the official umbrella of Paguyuban Gembala Utama –roughly translated into The Good Shepherd Association, a forum of seminary’s alumnae with commitment to provide soft skill development program to seminarians at all levels across Indonesia.
After months of discussion and deliberations with Johannes Wasisa as the leader, this small group –a “think thank” of the PGU– finally released their commitment to Komisi Seminari KWI as expected by Fr. Joseph Kristanto Suratman.
When Father Suratman presented the proposal to a nationwide gathering among major seminary’s rectors in Muntilan in Central Java on late July 2018, all was very happy to accept the designed proposals.
“We have 40 minor seminaries including 7 other minor seminaries where elementary graduates could enroll; 14 major seminaries and 13 Spiritual Year Seminaries across Indonesia,” tells Fr. Joseph Kristanto Suratman to Sesawi.Net.
In Indonesia, any minor seminarian who wants to become a diocesan priest should go first to the so-called “Tahun Orientasi Rohani” (TOR) Seminary. It is one-year spirituality of priesthood program for candidates of diocesan priests, almost similar with 1-2 novitiate program from religious congregation.
Minor Seminary (in) Mertoyudan, Magelang in Central Java is the oldest one of which its existence dates back 104 years ago. In the 1970-ies, Mertoyudan still practiced student enrollment from elementary school but then this policy was not exercised again in the years later. But, Mertoyudan still open student enrollment for senior high school alumnae and this policy is also practiced by all minor seminaries across the nation.
Indonesian education starts from KG (1-2 years for toddlers), elementary (6 years), junior high (3 years), senior high school (3 years).
Action plan is set
When the PGU’s contribution to their alma mater proposal was delivered to all rectors of major seminaries in Muntilan, explained Fr. Joseph Kristanto Suratman to AsiaNews, “All major seminary’s rectors are happy with the prospective proposal in effort to develop personal capacities and professional capabilities to senior seminarians in across Indonesia.”
Then a “blue print” plan action was then orchestrated in the July’s national meeting.
“We have something both in common,” said Fr. Kristanto.
“What we need from the PGU is their powerful networking and professional capacities to help our senior seminarians to cope with modern challenges in communication skill, emotion management, leadership and other soft skills,” explained Fr. Joseph Kristanto Suratman.
According to him, a three-day long writing workshop program is set to happen in Ambarawa in Central Java on July 2019 with the PGU as the host and facilitator of the program.
Some dozens of senior seminarians are expected to participate this writing workshop program endorsed by Komisi Seminari KWI, PGU, and seminary’s alumnae.
Stella Maris Minor Seminary in Bogor, West Java
Then there is still one question and expectation which is not yet accommodated by the PGU.
“What to expect from the PGU for the benefits of minor seminary?,” asked Basuki Ismail to the “think thank” small working group in response to Father Joseph Kristanto Suratman’s expectation.
After weeks of discussion and deliberation, a three-hour long presentation on “mind mapping” by Intony Yuswanto was finally performed on Sunday (22 August) in the Stella Maris Minor Seminary in Bogor, West Java.
Yuswanto is an alumnus of St. Vincentius a Paolo Garum Minor Seminary in Blitar, East Java. He delivered a presentation of “mind mapping” to 107 minor seminarians. This is done to help these minor seminarians to design visual mapping of ideas or thoughts so that they could more easily understand content of books, outline of ideas, and keywords of issues.
Father Ari Priyanto Pr, seminary’s director of formation, express his compliments of this PGU’s initiative to inject ideas and actual contribution to their alma mater by developing soft skills to seminarians as expected by Komisi Seminari KWI.
This good initiative will soon be followed by other programs of soft skill capacity development in St. Vincentius a Paolo Minor Seminary in Garum of East Java nest September and in St. Paul Minor Seminary in Palembang (South Sumatera) in another scheduled agenda.
