Indonesia’s oldest seminary marks 100 years

(June 04, 2012) Indonesia’s oldest minor seminary celebrated its centenary on Sunday with a Holy Mass involving nine bishops, former seminarians and dozens of priests. Around 3,000 Catholics attended the Mass at St. Peter Canisius Minor Seminary in Central Java’s Magelang district which was led by Archbishop Johannes Maria Trilaksyanta Pujasumarta of Semarang. The seminary began with only two students, Petrus Darmaseputra and Franciscus Xaverius Satiman, after Jesuit priests Fathers Franciscus Georgius Josephus van Lith and Y Mertens submitted plans to build a local seminary to the Jesuit superior-general in Rome, who granted permission on May 30, 1912. Hundreds of bishops and priests have graduated from the seminary since then. The rector, Jesuit Father Ignatius Sumarya said “the seminary’s journey has produced individuals who have strong faith and the capability to strengthen faith in others.”