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Indonesia: Earthquake Cannot Shake 27 SVD Missionaries’ Commitment
Louis Diego Liko, SVD and Kasmir Nema, SVD
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck at approximately 5:58 a.m., only two hours before the Eucharistic celebration for their perpetual profession was scheduled to begin. The epicenter was located about 30 kilometers northeast of Mbay in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, approximately 90 kilometers from Maumere.
The earthquake severely damaged parts of the seminary, including St. Thomas Aquinas Hall, where the celebration had been prepared. Cracks appeared in walls and ceilings, raising serious concerns about the safety of the participants. With the possibility of further tremors, the organizing committee made the decision to move the celebration outdoors.
Despite the sudden disruption and uncertainty, the celebration went ahead under the theme “Forever,” inspired by Luke 1:55. Surrounded by fellow seminarians, family members, friends and members of the wider SVD community, the 27 seminarians publicly professed the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience before Fr. Josef Emanuel Embu, SVD, Provincial Superior of the SVD Ende Province.
Their profession became more than a liturgical celebration. It became a powerful witness of faith, perseverance and missionary commitment at a moment when the earth itself seemed to challenge the foundations on which they stood.
A disaster still unfolding
The full scale of the earthquake disaster has continued to emerge in the days since the initial tremor.
According to the latest figures released by Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), 70 people have died and 1,182 have been injured. More than 40,000 people have been displaced, affecting more than 16,000 families across seven districts.
Although authorities have reported no additional missing persons, Flores continues to experience significant seismic activity. Since the main earthquake struck on 15 August, more than 3,002 aftershocks have been recorded, according to Nelly Florida Riama, Deputy Head of Geophysics at Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). The strongest aftershock measured 6.2 in magnitude.
As emergency teams continue to reach isolated communities, the extent of the destruction is becoming increasingly clear.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Social Affairs reports that more than 12,000 houses have been damaged, including approximately 6,500 completely destroyed homes and nearly 1,700 severely damaged houses.
Public infrastructure has also suffered extensive damage. At least 260 schools, 83 health facilities, 157 places of worship and around 170 government buildings have been affected. Roads, bridges, irrigation networks and public warehouses have also sustained damage, creating additional difficulties for humanitarian and relief operations.
Communication services, which were severely disrupted when more than 800 cellular towers went offline across 11 districts, have gradually begun to recover.
The earthquake is considered one of the strongest to strike Flores since the devastating 1992 earthquake and tsunami, which claimed more than 2,000 lives.
“Forever” amid uncertainty
Against this backdrop of destruction, the decision of the 27 confreres to proceed with their perpetual profession took on an even deeper significance.
The celebration was originally planned inside the seminary hall. Instead, the seminarians and the congregation gathered in an open space after the earthquake made the building unsafe.
Standing outside a damaged building, they professed their definitive commitment to the Society of the Divine Word and to the mission of proclaiming the Gospel among peoples and cultures.
The unexpected relocation gave the theme “Forever” a profound and almost prophetic meaning. Their commitment was not made under perfect circumstances, but in the midst of uncertainty, fear and suffering.
The earthquake reminded everyone present that life and mission can be shaken without warning. Yet, for these young missionaries, the experience also became a testimony that a vocation is not built only in moments of comfort and security. It is tested and strengthened when circumstances become difficult.
Their profession therefore became a visible sign of missionary discipleship: a commitment to remain faithful even when the ground beneath them is no longer stable.
Missionaries for a wounded community
For the people of Flores, the earthquake has brought grief, displacement and enormous material loss. Homes have been destroyed, schools and places of worship damaged, and communities cut off by damaged infrastructure.
The SVD community in Flores has also experienced the disaster directly. Yet the perpetual profession at Ledalero offered a moment of hope amid the crisis.
The newly professed missionaries are now preparing to continue their formation and missionary journey in different parts of the world. Their assignments will take them to communities in Indonesia, Brazil, Slovakia, Austria-Switzerland-Croatia-France, the United States, Bolivia, Australia, Ecuador, Chile, Zimbabwe, the Philippines, Mozambique, Spain, Belarus-Russia, England-Ireland, Argentina, Angola, Togo-Benin, Poland, Colombia and the Netherlands-Belgium.
Their names and assignments are:
Frt. Aloysius Adiman, SVD — IDT, Indonesia
Frt. Orlisius Gonsaga Rasima Asang, SVD — BRS, Brazil
Frt. Yohanes Paulus Bhegu, SVD — SVK, Slovakia
Frt. Edith Erian Dita, SVD — ECP, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, France
Frt. Kritoanus Pratama Putra Halley, SVD — USC, United States of America
Frt. Yulius Muliadi Jehali, SVD — BOL, Bolivia
Frt. Paulus Ricardus Lawe, SVD — IDR, Indonesia
Frt. Paskalis Mau Pelu, SVD — AUS, Australia
Frt. Petrus Mbawo Santoso, SVD — ECU, Ecuador
Frt. Evaristo Metan, SVD — CHI, Chile
Frt. Yohanes Fransisco Toribio Nepa, SVD — IDR, Indonesia
Frt. Feliks Nggo, SVD — IDE, Indonesia
Frt. Kristoforus Notuan Muda, SVD — ZIM, Zimbabwe
Frt. Oktovianus Ediwisius Plaja Soge, SVD — PHN, Philippines
Frt. Ferdinandus Reo, SVD — IDT, Indonesia
Frt. Kristian Rio Ledo, SVD — MOZ, Mozambique
Frt. Bonaventura Sampurna, SVD — ESP, Spain
Frt. Fransiskus Strambi Bintara Sempo, SVD — URL, Belarus-Russia
Frt. Theobaldus Armando Seran, SVD — IDE, Indonesia
Frt. Yohanes Siga Meze, SVD — IBP, England-Ireland
Frt. Fransiskus Simo, SVD — IDT, Indonesia
Frt. Febrinaus Suryanto, SVD — ARS, Argentina
Frt. Apolinaris Suwardi, SVD — ANG, Angola
Frt. Brachmansanz Tenga Geda, SVD — TOG, Togo-Benin
Frt. Krispianus Wedho, SVD — POL, Poland
Frt. Bertolomeus Yato, SVD — COL, Colombia
Frt. Yulianus Yosafat, SVD — NEB, Netherlands-Belgium
As Flores continues to recover and thousands of families face the difficult task of rebuilding their lives, the witness of these missionaries remains particularly poignant.
On a day when the earth trembled beneath their feet, their vocation remained firm.
The earthquake damaged buildings, homes and infrastructure. It disrupted celebrations and displaced communities. But it could not shake the commitment of these 27 missionaries who stood together and said “yes” to a lifetime of service.
Their “Forever” became a testimony that faith can endure uncertainty, that vocation can withstand adversity, and that missionary commitment can remain unshaken even when the ground itself moves.
