M@M in Conflict in Culemborg. Moluccans and Moroccans

In the small town Culemborg in the rural central region of the Netherlands, commonly called 'between the rivers', a small community of Moluccan people live in Diepenbrochstraat. There is a much larger group of people of Moroccan offspring, some sources even mention 20% out of a population of 27,000. Since 1993 there have been some clashes between small groups of Moroccan and Moluccan youth gangs.
In early September 2009 there were conflicts, about a damaged car. Earlier about two Moroccan children who were removed from a playing ground. Stones were thrown in houses. New Year's night 2009-2010 a group of five Moroccan attacked a Moluccan house, driving backward while some people were standing in front of the house. The fence before the house was damaged. Two Morrocan youth were taken out of the car and seriously hit by the Moluccan men, before police arrived.
Also on 2 January 2010 there were riots between the two groups. Stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown to houses, but no serious damages other than broken windows occurred. Special police forces now are in the region.
One comparison with the Moluccan wars 1999-2004 van be made in this respect: the weak position of religious leaders. Police had asked mosque leadership to convince the youth to refrain form these actions, but they had no influence at all.
Major goal of violence was the restoration of prestige. Expression of a culture of shame or at least a culture where people do like be proud of their influence and power albeit in a very small circle.


Above the very modest Moluccan Patasiwa Patalima Centre of Culemborg. The Geredja Maluku is somewhat better but also needs restoration. There are plan to build a new church and attach apartments for older people. The Moluccan group has many older people who want to stay in the own environment.

A Christmas Girl! Sophie Steenbrink

Dear readers of this weblog, friends and those interested,

On 18 December our first grandchild, Sophie, was born to our second son Stijn, married to Irene Vink. The birth was somewhat premature, after only 34.5 weeks of pregnancy and mother and child had to stay in the hospital. But everything seems to be OK. We are very happy with this new member of the family. It was for us also the ultimate sign of our old age, or rather of our maturity: more than ever before we realize now that the younger generation has taken over the responsibility to steer the dynamics of life.
This year we have several times realized the limits of life: Paule had a severe accident, while coming back home from down town Utrecht on her bicycle. It was perhaps a typical Dutch accident, with only bicycles involved, but in a crowded street. She had a severe concussion of her head, was for more than one hour unconscious. In November she had to undergo an operation to remove cataract in her left eye. It was very successful. For the rest we stayed healthy and even were able to travel during one month (17 August until 17 September) through Indonesia: Minahasa, Ambon and Papua, new areas for us and quite primitive as to lodging and travelling. A long report is in the weblog http://relindonesia.blogspot.com/. Karel is still active in teaching and writing. A new experience was a course in Islam for Hibernia College, the Open University of Ireland. He was teaching at HOVO, courses for retired people, where Islam is a hot topic nowadays. He accepted a series of courses to substitute for one year a colleague at Kampen Theological College. We went together to a wonderful conference about the Gülen Movement in Potsdam, near Berlin and had time enough to visit the palaces and museum of these places. Karel even went to a conference in good old Montreal with a paper on “Buddhist in Muslim Indonesia”. But much of our free time is dedicated to research on the history of Catholics in Independent Indonesia. The trip to Indonesia was for this purpose and we found thrilling new archives and many resources on the subject and this certainly will become another thick book, if we have good health long enough. Paule is quite busy with the family magazine Steenbrink Times and accepted a similar job for the ecumenical congregation of St. John’s Church in Utrecht, where Karel is still singing in the choir.
Floris and Inge lived this year their first full year in the new house in Amsterdam and they enjoy the garden, the greater space in the house and their new environment. Floris had some hectic periods with his company Cisco, when on the national level problems arose in the telecommunication system. Inge does much travelling to difficult countries (Bosnia, Georgia, Romania) to instruct former communist countries in the mechanism of civil society and volunteer work.
So, all in all, we are glad with life, count our blessings and wish the same for you, Karel and Paule Steenbrink

The Popularity of M&M among Javanese Catholics

Not less than three new books on the early history of Catholicism in Central Java have appeared recently. Anton Haryono, Awal Mulanya adalah Muntilan. Misi Jesuit di Yogyakarta 1914-1940 (Yogyakarta: Kanisius 2009) stresses that the Catholic mission started from Muntilan around 1904, but also entered the major town of Yogyakarta since 1914. Schools first, then church buildings, the Onder de Bogen hospital, the seminary in Kota Baru, but most of all the huge crowds that came together at several meetings in the 1930s. Haryono wrote this book as a Master's Thesis at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. The context of the late colonial period has been more or less forgotten here. Not the rivalry with Protestants and Muslims (who also had their hospital and many schools), but only the single denomination of the Catholics has been portrayed here in a very sympathetic story. It has been written very close to the original reports and the style of Claverbond is present on all pages. Nice illustrations from the rich collection of Kanisius!

Dr. Gregorius Budi Subanar, Menari di Terra Incognita (Yogyakarta Kanisius 2009) is a curious book. It is written as a diary of a student who is involved in a research programme as well as his Master's Thesis on the native Jesuits of Central Java, 1915-1962. It has many transcripts of SNS messages to his fiancee and to fellow students, reports about technical details (should he write a paper thesis or rather make a documentary or even an e-report, only available as a weblog?). In fact the major representatives of the early Jesuits figure in this book. Soegijopranoto, but also F.X. Satiman, the shy and pious man who entered the Trappist monastery in 1940, the twin brothers Eugenius and William Csizmasia von Somogy who left the Jesuit order later in the Netherlands, the very gifted and artistic Michael Reksaatmadja who died too early. An internal conflict among the clergy is also depicted here: Petrus Sutopanitro was on duty in Batakland, where he showed much sympathy for the nationalist struggle, but was sent back to Java by Dutch priests and (neo-)colonial officials. This is a lively style of writing history. Of course very interesting for the inner circle of Catholic historians. Outsiders perhaps will feel somewhat estarnged because many small elements are not explained here. After all, it has the same style of self glorification, talking big and somewhat exaggerating the qualities of the own community. The last sentence of the book is (p. 282): Yes!!! We are the perfect generation. It is not explained, but may be understood in a false way.

The third book is by Iswanti, Jalan Emansipasi. Perempuan Katolik Pionir dari Mendut, 1908-1943, (Yogyakarta: Kanisius 2008). It is a thorough study of the boarding school for girls in Mendut, established by the Franciscan Sisters ´of Heythuizen´. This book can be seen as the even more outspoken feminist and more precise documented counterpart of the more lighthearted Dara/dara Mendut by the late Mangunwijaya.
The body of the book are 20 (self-)portraits by fermer pupils and students in the school (163-393). Besides, a survey of the rise of Catholicism in Central Java is given from the feminist perspective. The quite docile and humble Franciscan Sisters would have been very surprised to read that their activities in retrospect are seen as liberating and emancipating for women. But Iswanti gives strong arguments and illustratios for her thesis. The book has many nice photographs and also numerous illustrations by MSF (Holy Family) priest Romo Koko (if that is his true name!)
I include to other cartoons by this illustrator.

Muntilan and Mendut are popular places in the history of Javanese Catholicism. We now may forget that the glorious Father Van Lith was not on speaking term with his colleague in Mendut, Petrus Hoevenaars. Van Lith is praised as a friend of Lavanese culture, but what about his school that ended as a full Dutch-language school? The present perspective can be used in a way that puts history not always in its 'true' context. I is this writer too obsessed with the colonial heritage? The authors in this respect may learn from the attitude of Romokoko as a critical observer.

18. I Nyoman Paskalis and the Legacy of the SVD Order in Bali

This is the last of 18 short impressions of the trip of Karel and Pauline Steenbrink to East Indonesia in preparation for the 3d volume of the book "Catholics in Indonesia"


Our long trip to East Indonesia ended where it began, in Bali. We arranged again the good hotel, nice swimming pool, beautiful envinroment in statues, images and plants. Still, we made some trips. First to the Protestant hotel annex church, Dhyana Pura (see a History of Chriatianity in Indonesia page 738-9. This was quite a deception, because it is very Calvinistic: no statues in the church, very few images and more a rich Western style church than a masterpiece of Balinese architecture. No 5 below is an image of the visitation, a must for us to give to Marianne Papavoine, born on 6th June sometime ago.

Much better was the day-trip offered to us by SVD priest Paskalis I Nyoman. We visited the new Cathedral, a truly grand cathedral, full with statues, white marble against these nice small red Balinese bricks. The cathedral has a great basement for parking, because Denpasar has become a great town.






Second place was the SVD parish Church of Saint Joseph. In grand design similar to a small church, but in details so rich and very Balinese. Notice the kayun with the two first human beings, but also the eye of God! In the midst of traditional Balinese framing there is a kitsch copy of Michelangelo´s pieta.





A third and last place to be shown here)we saw many other chapels and churches with Father Paskalis' is the first church, built in the style of an open pendopo, no walls, the sacred place is in the wall itself like the tabernacle, also for the sacred scripture, because in Balinese temples Holy Scripture is not shown openly for alle believers. There is here, in the Catholic/Balinese village of Tuka, just north of Den Pasar, once a month a Mass in Balinese. Further Indonesian has gained a place of prominence instead of Balinese.







Not yet enough pictures! The parish house of Tuka is also the SVD centre for the whole of Bali. The religious orders loose more and more their dominant position, that they held until the 1980s. Since then the diocesan clergy has taken over most of the routine pastoral work. The SVD in Bali hope to retain two centres: this one in Tuka and the Northwestern Palasari with the Catholic village that started in the late 1930s. In Tuka and Palasari it is native Balinese Catholics, while in other places its is mostly pendatang, Catholics from Flores, Java and other parts of Indonesia in the flock.
Besides these two Balinese centres, the SVD still have a foundation for schools, from primary tot high schools. For the time being, they will takle care for these institutions as well and our friendly host, Father Paskalis I Nyoman, is the caretaker for this foundation.

In Tuka the SVD take care for the best library of things Balinese, started by father Simon Buys and Father Shadeg. Unfortunately, its location is quite isolated not so easy to reach, but amidst one of the most beautiful sceneries of green rice fields!

Finally, below, the Virgin killing the devil in the form of a truly Balinese naga.

17. To give or not to give, that is the problem

This is one of 18 short impressions of the trip of Karel and Pauline Steenbrink to East Indonesia in preparation for the 3d volume of the book "Catholics in Indonesia"


There are many charitable institutions, organizations and funds that provide help for Papua. One very private programme is by Dutch specialist, who since 1990 gives courses in eye examination for in an ophthalmology clinic of the Catholic Dian Harapan Hostpital of Abepura. Since nearly twenty years he comes yearly for period of 6-8 weeks.
We also met Tio Aritonang, daughter of my dear colleague Jan Aritonang, the Chuch historian of Jakarta. Tio worked first in Jakarta at an international NGO, then in Ternate, then in Aceh (with Cordaid), then in Poso, while she is now in Jayapura, working for CARE in a programme of two year that aims to provide good toilets and sanitary conditions, including removal of waste in one district. She is here with her young husband and their daughter, born in January 2009. Mrs and Mr Steenbrink, not yet grandparents, were allowed to accustom themselves to holding young borns during their visit to our hotel.



A peculiar message in the Cenderawasih Post. The district officer or bupati of the Balim vlley had given six cars to each of the major Christian churches in his region, in order that they should be able to work in the best possible way.
To quote literally: Harapan kami, gereja bisa menjadi mitra kerja pemerintah dan jangan gereja hanya mengkritisi kinerja pemerintah, tapi mereka ikut menentukan langkah kebijakan pembangunan secara bersama, according to Wempo Wetipo, Bupati of Jayawijaya. In translation: It is our hope the the Church will be a true companion for the work of the government and let the church not only utter criticism about the activities of the government, but they should join in the formulation of the policy of our common development.
This is a clear statement about the purpose of government help to churches: is it wise/necessary to receive this help?

In the same time there was a long debate about famine (or not) in one of the mountain regions. Some commentators in the Franciscan monastery of Sentani stated that the churches now receive rice at Christmas in order to give that to the needy and to their members. The result of this free gifts is sometimes that people think that they receive food and therefore should not organize their own gardens and plant sago or potatoes. Giving may kill the wish to be responbile and thus creates dependancy.
We discussed this already immediately after arrival, coming back in Amsterdam, with Floris and Inge. Inge (not here on the picture) has since long been active in ICA, an Institute for Training of Cultural Assistance. Between giver and receiver there must be a clear understanding of what is the best for the receiver!

16. Henk van Mastrigt, a friend of Saint Francis and Butterflies of Papua

This is one of 18 short impressions of the trip of Karel and Pauline Steenbrink to East Indonesia in preparation for the 3d volume of the book "Catholics in Indonesia"

One of our interviews in Jayapura was with the Franciscan (lay) Friar Henk van Mastrigt. Born in 1946 he studied business administration and economy at the Erasmus University of Nijmegen. In the early 1970s he entered the Franciscan order and was sent to Jayapura to serve as the economical manager of the diocese. He found many people of good will, trule devoted to their work, but a financial mess. This was no exception: of all the Indonesian dioceses only Jayapura could claim that it had a professional accountant and economist as the bookkeeper. It took him several years before the administration of the diocese was such that he had an overview of obligations and income. He esteems that, like Manado, but much different from Ambon, the financial state of the diocese is well in order. The rich parishes of the pendatang or recent arrivals support the poorer parishes of njativa Papua people. Besides, especially some of these people of the mountain regions in inland Papua like the Dani of the Balim valley consider facilities like churches, clinics and schools only their 'own' when they have paid for it. They are quite proud people and do not like to be dependent.





Van Mastrigt has developed a special sense for the beautiful and very rich nature of Papua and concentrated in his environmental work on the inventory and classification of butterflies. He has specimens of some 60,000 butterflies and cooperates with international wild life organizations as well as with the department of biology of Cenderawasih University. It is all in the parish house of Saint Francis Church of Jayapura in fully airconditioned conditions with good modern equipment and some extra staff. Saint Francis will like to see this love of nature with some member of his order!

15. Dr. Neles Tebay, man of peace

This is the one of 18 short impressions of the trip of Karel and Pauline Steenbrink to East Indonesia in preparation for the 3d volume of the book "Catholics in Indonesia"

After arrival in Sentani, 3 september 2009, we stayed four days in ht Guesthous of the Cenderawasih University. The the west side of this academic institution is another one, The Protestant Theological School S. Kijne, followed the Catholic Fajar Timur Theological School. So, our lodging was quite conveneient. It was very warm in Abepura and we were happy that we had a bedroom with airconditioning (low ceiling, not much possibility for airing, because it was built for AC). However, there was a shortage of fuel in Papua (from rice to gas, drinking water in bottles, meat and vegetables: nearly everything must be imported from other regions of Indonesia) and so, we had not much profit of the airconditioning.

Because of the heat we did not walk very much here, even not short distances. There is only one major road from Sentani to Abepura and then to Jayapura. Every few seconds there is another 'taxi' small buses for public transport. Below I just insert three pictures of the bus, to give an image of the Papua people we met here. Many migrants, pendatang prefer more luxurious means of transpost.




Of the three academic institutions, our main interest was of course with Fajar Timur. We had contacted before (in the Netherlands) Professor Nico Dister, who had just published a handbook of Systematic Theology in Indonesian. It was not yet available in Papua and we hope to see and discuss it later, because a truly handbook of Systematic Theology is quite exceptional for Indonesia. In Ambon we had received the name and telephone number of MSC priest Izak Resubun, a social scientist with much experience of fieldwork in Papua and the Southeastern Island like Aru and Kei. Resubun is also lecturer in church history and interested in our theme.
Emtering the compound of Fajar Timur is a peculiar experience. The entrance has the great sign of Bukit Doa or Mountain of Prayer. The New Jerusalem in Papua.


Amidst the stations of the cross the visitor walks uphill to a Marian Grotto, a lovely small chapel, but then also to the buildings of the classrooms and the well kept library with a special room for the Papua collection: many books on Papua, majority in Dutch. They are now put page by page on a scanner to make PDF files of these work. Through a partner organization in the Netherlands they will be made available for free on the Internet. (Another project is translation into Indonesia of basic texts on Papua, a private project by Franciscan priest Floor Hoogenboom in Timika/Jayapura. There are numerous programs, projects, organizations in the Netherlands that want to help Papua). The Catholics bought a big piece of land in Abepura for the theological college. There are boarding houses for male and female students at the university. There are special houses for Franciscan, Augustine, OSC students and a major one for diocesan candidates. Diocesan candidates also have to follow a Tahun Rohani in fact more or less a noviciate of diocesan priests. There is a strong movement amongst the diocesan clergy to create a lifestyle that is very close to that of the religious orders. They are calling this lifestyl and its organization Unio. It was established in 1983 and has given much self-confidence to diocesan priests.


The most prominent diocesan priest in the Jayapura region definitely is Dr. Neles Tebay, born in Moanemani, Wissel/Paniai Lakes 13 February 1964. As a young boy he was in the boarding house of the High School under direction of Franciscan Friar Jan Serps. He studied at Fajar Timur in Jayapura, and, after his ordination in 1992, obtained a Masters Degree in Manilla and a Ph.D. at the Urbania University of Rome. He worked at the Diocesan Office of Jayapura for the Justitia et Pax issues and has here published a large number of statements, brochures and the impressive series Memoria Passionis di Papua, a year by year account of all kind of violations of human rights in Papua. Neles Tebay has a very lucid style of writing and is a regular author for articles in the Englis-language newspaper The Jakarta Post. Articles between 2000-2008 are published in a book Papua, its problems and possibilities for a peaceful solution. In march 2009 he has published a booklet of 50 pages on the proposal the have a dialogue between Papua and the Central Government in Jakarta, following the example of the peace talks in Aceh between GAM and the Central Government in Jakarta. Tebay has put several conditions for this talk: 1. The OTSUS, or special autonomy as granted to Papua in 2000 has not been respected by the Central Government, it is unilaterally interpreted and also violated by the Jakarta Government. It must be a to;pic of discussion how the idea trule can be implemented; 2. Papua people should be united in the idea that independence is not a good ideal for this community. They also should reject the idea that some foreign power should mediate here (also the Dutch should not be seen as possible rescuers by rejection of the 1969 act of free choice as the valid basis of the incorporation of West Papua into Indonesia). 3. Papua people must learn discipline. In the March 2009 event at the occasion of the launching of the book it was clear that Papua people like hot debates, often disagree among themselves and have no clear and realistic strategy for the fulfillment of their goals.
Among the social and political leaders in modern Papua the Catholics have given quite prominent leaders. Tebay's predecessor as rector of the Fajar Timur school, Lay theologian Agus A. Alua is now chairperson of the Majlis Rakyat Papua (some kind of 'Senate' besides the provincial council of Papua; it is a body instituted under the special autonomy law for Papua).
In his fight for Papua rights, Tebay also asks for a balanced judgment about the role and place of recent migrants in Papua: 'we cannot live here without their help'. For some time Neled Tebay was also the Vicar of the bishop, LLL or Leo Laba Ladjar who has less outspoken political messages but wants to give a more pure religious viewpoint about the present sytruggle of the Papua people.

Fajar Timur as a theological was established for candidates for the priesthood and for lay people alike, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This is now seen as a measure taken out of the condition of the time. In the early 1970s there were not yet five candidates for the priesthood, now they have more than hundred (even a number of 160 was mentioned). Therefore the bishop has decided in 2008 to restrict access to the classes in Fajar Timur for candidates for priesthood only and in the boarding house of the school only diocesan candidates are accepted. This is done partly because the Vatican urges the promotion of diocesan clergy and Saint Peter's Funds only provide money for diocan clergy, while the religious order have their own houses close to Fajar Timur. There is still one female student and few male students at Fajar Timur, but lay people are now sent to the Catechetical College, that is established in another location in Abepura as STPK, Sekolah Tinggi Pendidikan Katolik, following the model of the catechical college, established in Malang by Father Paul Janssen CM
However, Neles Tebay wants to develop Fajar Timur in a more general way and hopes to open next yar besides the theological faculty an new department of antrology with culture studies as it most important object. Fajar Timur has always specialised in cultural studies, much more than other major seminaries and theological schools.