   |
 |
|
|
|
Jesuit Journeys
Winter 2000
Fr. Baskara Wardaya, SJ meets with Indonesian students attending school in the Midwest.
|
Seeking peace and justice
Jesuit's activism in U.S. fosters
hope for changes in Indonesia |
| |
By Phil Nero
|
 On a fair Midwest day in late summer, Fr. Baskara Wardaya, SJ struggles with the notion that some of his brother Jesuits are in grave danger in his homeland of Indonesia while he studies for his doctorate and lives in secure comfort at Marquette University.
It doesn't matter to him that he's doing a variety of creative ministry works to plant the seeds of societal change from afar. Back home bullets are flying. Innocent people are dying at the hands of the Indonesian military. Fr. Wardaya feels helpless.
He dials international long-distance codes, reaches a small Jesuit residence in East Timor, and checks up on a friend he entered the seminary with in Central Java in 1981. The call was made on September 4, 1999.
"I said 'I am sorry that I cannot be with you right now, but my community and I have been praying for you. Please be assured of our prayers.'
"He asked where I was call i ng from. When I told him the U.S., he was surprised and thankful that I had thought of him. He was touched by that. Maybe it helped."
Fr. Wardaya was thankful too. Thankful that his friend, Fr. Eduard Ratu Dopo, SJ was OK.
Three days later, as the people of East Timor continued to struggle for independence, word came that the government-backed militia broke into Fr. Dopo's community in the middle of the night, shooting and killing a Jesuit. Fr. Wardaya was momentarily relieved when he learned Fr. Dopo was not the victim. Soon, though, he was grabbed by another kind of grief, the sadness in knowing another brother Jesuit had been martyred.
Fr. Wardaya attends Marquette under sponsorship of the International Jesuit Scholarship program, provided by the school in cooperation with the M.U. Jesuit Community. Under the program the University and the Jesuit community invite Jesuits from around the globe to study at Marquette with the caveat that they return to their homelands and serve the local Church after completing their studies. |
| |
 |
| Fr. Baskara Wardaya, SJ (right, photo bottom) and Fr. Robert Sutopo, SCJ concelebrate Mass for about 25 Indonesian students (above) studying in the Milwaukee area. Mass was celebrated at the Marquette University Jesuit Community Chapel in December. After Mass, students gathered for a discussion of Church-related issues and shared a meal at the residence. The students try to meet every other week. |
 |
In some Asian countries, including Indonesia, Fr. Wardaya explains, there remains a feeling among non-Christians that the Catholic faith is a foreign religion. "The Catholic Church, and Christianity in general, can be considered extensions of Western cultures, often antagonizing or threatening local cultures and beliefs," Fr. Wardaya says. "This is partly due to centuries of colonialism. In some places white missionaries are considered an extension of colonialism. Some (but not all) acts of violence against Christians in Indonesia these past few years are partly based on this view.
"It is hard to be away from home at times like this," Fr. Wardaya says, solemn tones erasing any traces of a smile from his normally buoyant persona. "Very, very hard."
To battle the sense of helplessness, Fr. Wardaya reserves time away from his studies to pursue personal ministries he hopes will foster change back home. One is called Parokinet. The other is Mengembangkan Wawasan, which means Opening Your Views.
Parokinet was started by another Indonesian Jesuit, Fr. Alex Wijoyo, SJ, before Fr. Wardaya's 1993 arrival in America. Fr. Wijoyo, who was studying at Columbia University in New York at the time, has since returned to Indonesia but remains wired to group activities via the Internet. Parokinet uses a combination of Internet and personal contacts to help Indonesian students, primarily Catholics, dialog on issues related to the Church's role in improving life in Indonesia. Fr. Wardaya enhances these links by traveling and meeting regularly with students, particularly in the Midwest.
"I try to help strengthen their Christian faith and, at the same time, help them be aware of the social, political, and economic situations both in the U.S. and in Indonesia." He serves students by celebrating Masses and directing retreats, while encouraging personal reflection, recreational activities, and discussion.
"Most Indonesian Catholics who are studying in the U.S. are from the upper level of society, mainly Chinese Christians," he says. "They go to elite religious schools and are insulated from Indonesian current events. While they are in America, they are reluctant to learn about what is going on, because they are excited to be here and tend to focus on life in the U.S., not Church issues back home." Fr. Wardaya believes it is crucial to get students thinking about Indonesian affairs while they're in the U.S. where news flows uncensored. |
| |
 |
| A long-time advocate for social justice, Fr. Baskara Wardaya,SJ works at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, Austria. |
In 1993 Parokinet numbered fewer than 100 members, mostly in the U.S.
Now, with more Internet users, the group numbers 200-plus, with some students who graduated and returned to Indonesia continuing to be part of the network.
"National geographical boundaries don't apply anymore," says Fr. Wardaya.
Interest in goings-on back home tends to heighten as students come to understand the extent of the atrocities. That is when some of them become very active.
One, a young woman from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, returned to Indonesia in 1997 and is now very active in social affairs while working full-time at her family's company.
Another came to Marquette for an MBA at
the urging of her father, a retired military colonel, and knew nothing about Indonesian policy. Now back home, she actively organizes meetings among young Indonesian professionals, making them aware of their government's activities and urging them to help create a better social order.
"She is a Moslem woman, but many of her close friends, I think, are Jesuits," Fr. Wardaya laughs.
Mengembangkan Wawasan, unlike Parokinet, is not Church-centered, springing instead from professional contacts Fr. Wardaya began cultivating while editing a book about U.S.-Indonesian politics and history titled Mencari Demokrasi, which means In Search of Democracy.
Made up of Catholic and non-Catholic Indonesians in the U.S., and other concerned professionals, the group is directed toward students. Members are in their late 20s to 30s and hail from about 20 different geographical areas and a wide range of professional fields including Islamic studies, sociology, anthropology, physics, forestry, and business. Along with listening to guest speakers, they participate in seminars and other events across the U.S. aimed at encouraging students returning to Indonesia to participate in activities to help heal the country.
"It is not too formal and pretty much underground," Fr. Wardaya says. "Sometimes it takes more time than my studies."
Fr. Wardaya hopes to complete his doctorate (on the history of U.S. policy toward Indonesia from 1953 to 1963) by fall 2000. Then he will return home for good.
"I am anxious to be part of the process there in a way that is not on the margins like I have been in the past 6 years."
But from the margins he has been planting seeds and when he returns home, he just might find some of them in full bloom and strongly rooted in doing good things to heal a nation in dire need of healing.
You can contact Fr. Wardaya at
The Marquette University Jesuit Residence
1404 West Wisconsin Ave. P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
Telephone: 414-288-5000 |
| |
Human rights, self-determination
challenge Indonesian Catholics
By Fr. Baskara Wardaya, SJ
|
It is quite disheartening when I consider that in Indonesia - as perhaps in some other Asian countries - the Catholic faith is still considered a somewhat foreign religion. In my country, Catholics make up only 3% of the population. This presents a challenge for me, or should I say a calling.
As a Jesuit, I know that my assignments to future works are not determined by me, but by my superiors. However, when I return to my homeland in Spring 2001, my hope is to help make the Catholic community a major contributor in the life and dynamics of the country. In fact, I would hope many Catholics feel called in a similar way.
This contribution could be in the form of deepening our own faith, helping to address the social, economic and political problems of the country, or engaging in religious dialog with others. We cannot over-emphasize the importance of the latter. Persistent and successful communication can lead to close cooperation among people of different religions in ways that will benefit the country as a whole. I'm convinced of this because I have seen it on a smaller scale.
Shortly before I came to Marquette, I worked with six Indonesian friends from different religions to start the Religious Forum for Human Rights in Indonesia. We were one Catholic, one Hindu, one Protestant, and four Muslims. Despite our different religious backgrounds, we were able to work together for the cause of human rights. We were even able to help bring Indonesian human rights issues to the United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, Austria, in 1993.
Along with my brother Jesuits, I would like to help the Church serve Indonesian Catholics, but at the same time contribute as much as we can to the life and dynamics of the rest of the Indonesian people. Since I am studying history at Marquette, I hope that the knowledge I acquire here will help me serve my country and my people in this way.
My academic focus has been the history of U.S. foreign policy toward Indonesia, particularly during the Cold War. This is a very important period in our history, a time of shifting leadership and outside politics that affected the lives of millions of people in many different ways. I believe people can learn from history and the mistakes of past generations. The more we learn from history, the more equipped we become to avoid repeating the same or similar mistakes.
I want to help the Indonesian people understand their history from more than a local perspective. In this shrinking world, how others view us is every bit as important as how we see ourselves. For example, the suppression of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965-66 and the massacres of the suspected Communists that followed need to be viewed not only in terms of what happened to our country, but the roles and influence other nations played in these events. The same principle applies to the fall of President Sukarno and the rise to power of General Suharto in 1966.
Without full knowledge and understanding of what happened to Indonesia in the 20th Century, we will be unable to move ahead effectively in this new century.
In this context, the International Jesuit Scholarship I receive from Marquette University and the Marquette University Jesuit Community play a very important role. My years at Marquette have enabled me not only to study history, but also to learn many other things about Americans, their culture, the lives and ministries of American Jesuits, and even to meet and work with my fellow Indonesians who study in the U.S.
I am grateful to the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus for this opportunity and hope what I give back to the Church and people of Indonesia will help build a better world for others. |
| |
Return to Winter 2000 issue
Next Article: 101 and still teaching in a class by herself
Previous Article - Nativity school gets a facelift
|
|
|
|
 |
|
