“The Church is an integral part of society”

After a year of vacant see, Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Agustinus Tri Budi Utomo at the head of the diocese of East Java. The local community celebrated the announcement with a solemn mass. Father Didik, as he is nicknamed by the faithful, returns to his native Church after having been a missionary in a remote area of ​​the country.

Jakarta () – After a year and a month of vacant see, Pope Francis has appointed Father Agustinus Tri Budi Utomo as the new bishop of the diocese of Surabaya, in the province of East Java. The Holy See had chosen Father Didik, as he is affectionately nicknamed by the faithful, and made the decision official on October 29. The local community celebrated a solemn mass presided over by the diocesan administrator, Fr. Romo Yosef Eko Budi Susilo, attended by dozens of local priests and most of the Catholics in the area.

Despite his pastoral experience in the diocese of Surabaya, Fr. Didik spent more than four years as a missionary in the parishes of Marau and Tembelina, in the diocese of Ketapang, province of West Borneo, two remote areas with numerous problems and challenges. , starting with the journey full of difficulties that he had to face to get there.

The new bishop replaces his predecessor Bishop Vincentius Sutikno Wisaksono, who died on August 10, 2023 due to a serious illness. After the formalization of the appointment during the celebration, Father Didik stood up and addressed those present asking for help and prayers to “be able to lead our community well, which has 160 thousand faithful and 46 parishes” throughout the diocese. .

The territory of Surabaya extends between the cities of East Java province and some cities in the easternmost regions of Central Java province. The new bishop committed to continuing the work and pastoral plans that are already underway in the diocese, and at the same time strengthening the capacity for presence and activity of the community throughout the territory. “The Catholic Church – he said – must be an integral part of society”, even in a reality like that of Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world. “Being a bishop – he continued – means having the responsibility of guiding our people to love society, so that the presence of the Church can have positive effects in the territory.” As bishop, he concluded, he will also lead the Diocese of Surabaya to “adopt methods to develop the economic potential of the people, especially through small business creation programs and credit cooperatives.” Episcopal ordination is scheduled for next year.

Bishop Agustinus Tri Budi Utomo was born on March 12, 1968 in Ngawi, a small town in the province of East Java. He entered the minor seminary of Saint Vincent de Paul in Blitar and then continued his training at the interdiocesan major seminary of Saint John XXIII in Malang. He attended the Widya Sasana Philosophical and Theological Institute in Malang, where he obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Theology. On August 27, 1996, he was ordained a priest, and in these 28 years of mission he has held various positions, including: parochial vicar (1996-2000) and parish priest (2000-2001) of Santa Maria de la Annunciación in Sidoario; professor at Universitas Airlangga (1996-2001); director of the Lembaga Karya Dharma social and health foundation (2001); president of the Yohanes Gabriel Educational Foundation (2006, 2007-2012); episcopal vicar of Cepu and parochial vicar of S. Willibrordus in Cepu (2008-2011); Since 2011 he has been vicar general of the diocese of Surabaya and episcopal vicar for pastoral care.

Surabaya is the capital of the province of East Java, the third city in the Indonesian archipelago in terms of population and economy. The apostolic prefecture was established on February 15, 1928, after separating from the then apostolic vicariate of Batavia (which depended on the metropolitan archdiocese of Jakarta). On October 16, 1941, the apostolic vicariate of Surabaya was created and on January 3, 1961, the diocese of Surabaya was established. Since its establishment, the diocese was headed by the Congregatio Missionis (CM) until Bishop Jan Antonius Klooster CM (1961-1982) and subsequently by local diocesan priests since the appointment of Bishop Aloysius Josef G. Dibjokarjono (1982-1994). ).