It has been a long awaited visit of Fr. Leocir Pessini which was originally scheduled on the first week of November but finally he arrived on November 12 at Maumere, Flores, Indonesia where the first Camillian mission was opened in 2009. He was stranded three times in Rome, Doha and Denpasar because of the spewing Lombok volcano in Bali. Fr. Leo himself described it as the longest trip he ever made in his life. The visit was preceded by Fr. Aris Miranda, a member of the general council who arrived in Indonesia on October 26 and has visited the two formation communities of Ruteng and Maumere. Both were scheduled to travel to Sydney for the second lap of this fraternal visit but due to this unavoidable circumstance it was postponed indefinitely.

The first contact of the Camillians in Indonesia was in 1996. This was provoked by the curiosity and enthusiasm of Frs. Luigi Galvani and Giovanni Rizzi who met an Indonesian clergy and missionaries in the Philippines. They were amazed by the spiraling growth of Catholic vocation in a country which is a home to the world’s largest Muslim population. Few years after, the Camillians started to admit the first Indonesian candidates and sent them to the Philippines for their formation. After a decade of religious formation, the neophytes (4) came back to Indonesia with Fr. Luigi Galvani and began forming new candidates in Maumere. In 2009, the Indonesian delegation opened up a new seminary which can accommodate 50 seminarians. At present, there are 19 aspirants who are staying in a new aspirancy house in Ruteng opened last August, and 28 postulants who are staying in the seminary of Maumere and studying philosophy at Ledalero School of philosophy and theology.

During the visit, aside from doing the usual colloquium of each religious, Fr. Leo delivered an interesting introduction to palliative care to the seminarians, a topic that is new to them. On the other hand, Fr. Aris gave a session on Camillian vocation to the aspirants and three sessions on Camillian ministry to the postulants. These talks provoked curiosity and reflection to most of them that made them interpellate bringing issues that they have encountered in their apostolate in the hospital and in the communities. During the talks, a simultaneous translation from English to Bahasa was conducted. One of the highlights of this visit is the pinning of red crosses and giving of bibles to the 19 new aspirants.

This fraternal visit has left a good and overwhelming impression of Frs. Leo and Aris; seeing the progress of the mission despite the known difficulties at its beginning and continually confronting new challenges particularly in terms of human and economic resources at present. In a span of 5 years, the Camillian delegation here is showing great signs of progress and opportunities specially in terms of promoting vocation. Fr. Leo remarked during his address to the seminarians, “You are very precious to the Order because you carry in you the hope of our mission in the world of health.” Another thing amazing is the strong fraternal rapport and support with the religious of the other congregations as well as with the Diocese of Maumere. In fact, the Camillians are also in charge of a special program of the diocese to combat malaria and to animate the pastoral care program as chaplain in a public hospital.

During the “despedida” celebration in the evening of November 15, the seminarians displayed their creative and culturally grounded way of expressing their admiration and gratefulness of the visit. They felt so much support and encouragement from the General Council of the Order. Fr. Leo is the second general superior who paid a visit to this delegation since 2009. In return, both Frs. Leo and Aris rendered a song in their own native tongue as a sign of gratitude and at homeness to this community. Fr. Leo said, just before he rendered the song, “I am provoked by the joys that you’ve displayed in these days and so I would like to offer a song to you, a song which I have composed in my teenage days.” Both are expected to be back to Rome on November 18.