Indonesia is an island country made up of more than 17,000 islands, more than 6,000 of which are inhabited. Most of them belong to Asia; the rest are part of the Australian mainland. With its more than 272 million inhabitants, Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation in the world. However, the religious composition varies from place to place: for example, most of the inhabitants of the island of Flores are Catholics.
The parish of Beteng Jawa, which extends over a vast rural area, also belongs to the island of Flores. Its inhabitants are indigenous people who make a living from small-scale agriculture and find it difficult to provide for their families.
The Golo Popa branch also belongs to this parish, where more than 1,700 Catholics live. Since there is no chapel there, the faithful gather at the school on Sundays to celebrate Holy Mass, and although this is a temporary solution, they come in large numbers. However, on weekdays, when there are classes at the school, the community lacks a place to gather to pray and celebrate mass, baptisms, weddings and other church activities.
Father Ferdinandus Tahul reports: “The people live the Catholic faith with great joy, and among them the faith is very much alive. The faithful of Golo Popa have been collecting building materials and money for years to build a chapel, but they need the generous support of ACN to fulfill their dream.” The priest also explains that a chapel would be very important for the religious life of the people on the island of Flores, and would also have great significance as a visible sign of the Church’s presence in Indonesia.
We do not want to disappoint the faithful of Golo Popa, on the island of Flores, so we have pledged to donate 28,000 euros. Who would like to contribute?