Don Bosco Tigaraksa, Indonesia, 2 January 2025 -- Indonesia is a missionary land that has for centuries welcomed the presence of missionaries from the various religious orders of consecrated life. The Salesian Missionaries themselves began their work in Indonesia in September 1985, and in 2025 celebrated 40 years of Salesian presence in Indonesia. Father Jose Carbonell was the pioneer of the Salesian missionary presence in Indonesia, followed by Salesians who are still working today, namely Father Andres Calleja (Surabaya), Father Noel Vilafuerte (Jakarta), and Brother Ephrem Santos (Sumba). The Salesians and Salesian Families in Indonesia are happy and grateful for the presence of Salesian missionaries and are ready to send missionaries to other countries.
On December 8, 2024, Salesians in Indonesia gave thanks with Father Andres Calleja, SDB, a senior Spanish missionary working in Surabaya. Father Andres celebrated his 50 years of Salesian life, 45 years as a missionary, and 40 years as a Salesian priest. The presence of Father Andres and other Salesian missionaries has fostered the call of Indonesian Salesians to be missionaries. Already 8 Indonesian Salesian confreres have been sent as missionaries.
In order to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sending of Salesian missionaries to Argentina, the Salesians in Indonesia also held a launching to nurture the Indonesian Salesian missionary vocation. So, in addition to Father Andres Calleja's thanksgiving celebration, Father Noel Villafuerte, a senior missionary from the Philippines, also reminded the Indonesian Salesians to cultivate the missionary spirit.
Father Noel, in sharing about his missionary life on December 28, 2024, felt grateful for the presence of Salesian missionaries in the Philippines at that time. Their presence encouraged him to become a Salesian missionary. He then conveyed his intention to Father Luc Van Loy, who was the superior for the Salesian mission. Father Noel was advised to prepare himself for the mission lands entrusted to the Salesian province of the Philippines, especially in Timor Leste. Father Noel also recalled the joyous moment when Father Francesco Panfilo, SDB, the Salesian superior in the Philippines, announced his mission as a Salesian missionary priest in Timor Leste. It was truly a moment of strengthening his missionary vocation. He is very proactive in realizing his missionary vocation.
Based on this personal experience, Father Noel reminded Indonesian Salesians to be missionaries because the missionary vocation is a vocation within the Salesian vocation. For him, to be a true missionary requires patience to carry out God's will. Therefore, to the Salesian confreres in Indonesia, he said, “If there is a whisper to become a missionary, you must always be ready to answer this call.” He adds: “Missionaries ad gentes and local missionaries are still important in the Church, especially in the Salesian congregation.” The launching of the missionary vocation to welcome the 150th anniversary of the sending of the first missionaries to Argentina was also an expression of prayer and hope for the Salesian confreres in Indonesia.
