Patients of the “place of abandoned people” enjoy a donated meal.

Sister Blaise Fernando and I left New Orleans on June 4th for Indonesia to meet with Carmelites actively engaged in Justice & Peace ministries. We arrived in Jakarta, on June 6th and were taken to the parish (Mary Flower of Carmel) of Father Yulius Sudharnoto, O.Carm. There we joined Father Yulius and a group of his parishioners for the Eucharist in the “upper room” which is a small room located on the second floor of a commercial building. Mary Flower of Carmel is a very active parish. Each morning before the 5:45 AM Eucharistic celebration, members of the Third Order meet to pray the Office. The entire time we were there some type of parish activity was happening.

On our second day in Jakarta we joined a group of dedicated women, who donate meals and medicine at a local shelter for the mentally ill. I must confess I was unprepared for what I witnessed at the shelter. The shelter is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ and is the most inhumane facility I have ever visited. The patients were corralled into a space too small for them to move—they sat on a concrete floor that was filthy and damp. The ladies go to this “place of abandoned people” each month to feed the patients and administer what medical care they can. One of their members is a doctor and she said all the patients are severely malnourished and suffering with skin fungus due to the lack of a nutritious diet and the filth. There is an open sewer running through the area that drains into an open cesspool. You can imagine the flies. To say the patients (men, women and teenagers all living together) are not receiving adequate health care is an understatement. It seems the level of understanding regarding care for the mentally ill is at the level of care Western society provided in the early 1900s.

Market place in Malang

We left this facility feeling helpless because there is no organization, government agency, medical society or advocacy group you can turn to for help in improving conditions at the shelter. There is no inspection by officials to check on patient care, only the dedicated women who come and feed and minister to the patients. The toothless smiles and sad eyes of the residents touch the depths of one’s soul.

On June 9th we took the onehour and a half flight to the city of Malang. Malang is located in a mountainous area where the temperature is cooler—much different from Jakarta that is quite hot. In Malang we stayed with the retired Carmelite Fathers at Saint Elias. It was in Malang where we met with Carmelites actively working in Justice & Peace ministries. We held meetings for two days. Those attending were asked three questions. First, what is your present ministry? Second, where do you see your ministry in five years? And, third, what needs to happen now in order for you to attain your five-year goal?

The Hermanas Carmelitas spoke of their ministries of early childhood education and caring for the victims of domestic violence. The Fathers working in the rural area of Nias, (an Island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia) spoke of their work in rebuilding the area after the tsunami and earthquake of 2004. Others shared their work in areas such as; media services and working with university students in justice and peace.

After two days of sharing the group focused its attention on networking. Networking became very important because during our sharing all mentioned a lack of communication among Justice & Peace groups as a major obstacle to their working together. The major outcome of our meeting was to form the Association of Carmelites Actively Working in Justice & Peace Ministries in Indonesia (ACAWJPMI). The Association would become a member of the Carmelite NGO representing Indonesia.

After discussion the Nias and ACAWJPMI (Association of Carmelites Actively Working in Justice & Peace Ministries in Indonesia) programs were chosen for funding.

The Nias program has two projects. The first is an immediate economic development project and the second is a long-term education project. The economic development project consists of a family receiving a piglet to raise and sell after seven months. The family keeps the money from the sale of the pig and then is eligible to purchase another pig to raise and sell.

The education project will provide education for elementary and secondary teachers as well as education for agricultural and animal husbandry workers. The goal is to provide teachers for the existing school and to rebuild the food supply destroyed by the tsunami and earthquake.

Funding was provided to purchase a residence in Malang for those participating in the project. The fiveyear goal is to have fourteen teachers for the elementary and secondary schools, and three workers to help rebuild the soil and plant crops for food.

The Association of Carmelites Actively Working in Justice & Peace Ministries in Indonesia will build and coordinate a network of Justice & Peace groups. Funding was provided to purchase an office in Malang as the Association’s headquarters and as a place for Justice & Peace groups to meet.

The outcomes of our meetings proved to be life giving and an exciting time for our Carmelite NGO in Indonesia.

Editor’s note: If you would like to provide assistance for the parish or shelter in Jakarta, please make your donation to: Sister Jane Remson, O.Carm., 1725 General Taylor Street, New Orleans, LA 70115.