The event took place for the first time in 2019, at the initiative of Bishop Paulinus Yan Olla. This year, the mass was celebrated in Apau Kayan parish, one of the least accessible areas of North Kalimantan. Two PIME missionaries were also present.
Tanjung Selor () – This year, the celebrations of the Missionary Month in the Indonesian diocese of Tanjung Selor, in North Kalimantan, took place in the remote area of Apau Kayan. On October 23, the mass was celebrated, which was presided over by the local bishop, Monsignor Paulinus Yan Olla, in the parish church of Saint Paul in Tideng Pale. Two PIME missionaries participated in it – Father Xavier Lourdh, a member of the General Directorate, and Father John Berchman, from the India region – who are visiting the local Church.
Since 2019, the diocese of Tanjung Selor celebrates missionary solidarity with an event. Bishop Olla was the one who promoted this initiative on the occasion of the Extraordinary Missionary Month proclaimed by Pope Francis to commemorate the centenary of the apostolic letter Maximum Illud of Pope Benedict XV. Since then, every year a procession is organized that ends in the host parish.
spoke with the bishop: he explained that the presence of PIME was favored by the interest of the institute in the most peripheral regions of Asia. Apau Kayan is the most isolated area and the most difficult to access using means of transport. The parish priest, Father Sixtus, who has been running the parish for at least six years, said “there are no daily flights from Tanjung Selor to Apau Kayan. There is only a weekly service depending on weather conditions and there are only eight seats available on board.” “.
The two PIME priests expressed their joy at the possibility of visiting the diocese of Tanjung Selor. “The key word is ‘solidarity,’ because it leads everyone to work without preferences,” said Fr. Xavier. “I was very moved to witness the charitable work of this diocese, in which hundreds of people from all walks of life and all religions participate.” “We are going to tell our superior general in Milan about this experience,” he added.
(Contributed Angel Li from Tanjung Selor)
