Members of the Lay Fraternities of Indonesia from across the country gathered at St. Catherine Church in the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah complex in Jakarta, on July 13, 2024. On this occasion, they were visited by Br Cristóbal Torres Iglesias, OP, General Promoter for the Laity.
Gwenny Surya, President of the Indonesian Dominican Laity, reported on the activities of Indonesia’s Lay Fraternities. She highlighted the Dominican Scholarship, which provides assistance to eligible students throughout the country. She also discussed how, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indonesian Laity stayed connected through social media. She further noted that the thoughtful incorporation of social media has helped strengthen Indonesia’s Lay Fraternities, and shared plans to further develop an online learning platform as a formation tool for every member.
After President Surya’s talk, the General Promoter shared his experiences visiting various Lay Dominican communities in different parts of the world and praised the extraordinary collaboration and organization of Indonesia’s Laity with other branches of the Dominican Family. Fr. Cristóbal also shared the story behind his painting “Dominican Last Supper,” which currently hangs in the refectory of St. Albert the Great Priory in Irving, Texas and depicts Jesus surrounded by members of the Dominican Family of various historical periods and regions of the world. Citing the members of the Dominican Family depicted in the painting, fr. Cristóbal explained: “In our lives as Dominicans, regardless of which branch we belong to, the active and contemplative life flow together.”
Present at the gathering were fr. Andreas Kurniawan, OP, Promoter for the Laity of Indonesia; fr. Roman Santos, OP, Provincial Promoter for the Laity of the Province of the Philippines; Ms. Gwenny Surya, OP, President of the Dominican Laity of Indonesia; Prof. Eugene de Los Santos, OP, President of the Laity of the Philippine Province; Mr. Juan Paulo Gabriel, OP, President of the Laity in Philippines Region 3 (Metro Manila); Ms. Michele Bernardo, OP and Jesseline Bernardo, OP, members of the Asia Pacific Council for Lay Dominican Fraternities (APCLDF); and Sr. M. Cleofe, OP and Sr. Lucia K, OP, Religious Assistants of the Laity in Indonesia. Br. Joseto Bernadas, OP, of Redemptor Mundi Parish in Surabaya, and Sr. Rochelle, OP, who accompanies the Indonesian Laity in Pontianak, were also present; as were representatives of all Lay Fraternities from various regions in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Pontianak, West Surabaya, East Surabaya, and Yogyakarta.
Indonesia and its Lay Fraternities are part of the Dominican Province of the Philippines.
