Shaping Minds and Missionaries
Shaping Minds and Missionaries:
The Work of the SVD Ruteng Province
From the green mountains of Flores Island to the classrooms and chapels of young people dreaming of a brighter future, the Society of the Divine Word continues its mission in Indonesia through the vibrant ministry of the SVD Ruteng Province. Rooted in more than a century of evangelization, education, and prophetic dialogue, this province today stands as a powerful witness to faith in action.
A Mission That Took Root
The Catholic mission in the Manggarai region of Indonesia began in 1912 with the Society of Jesus. Just one year later, in 1913, the mission was entrusted to the Society of the Divine Word. The early years were marked by simple but historic steps of faith, including the first Catholic baptism in Pitak on December 11, 1914 by Fr. Wilhelmus Van Bekkum, SVD. Ruteng soon became the central hub of missionary activity in the region, officially designated as the main station in 1920.
Through the following decades, SVD missionaries opened new mission stations and established elementary schools, recognizing education as a powerful tool for evangelization. As the Church continued to grow, the area was elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate in 1951, with Fr. Van Bekkum serving as its first Apostolic Vicar. In 1961, Ruteng became a diocese, again with Bishop Van Bekkum as its first shepherd.
The mission continued to flourish. In 1963, the Manggarai region was formally organized within the SVD, and in 1978 it became the SVD Ruteng Province under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. Today, the province’s headquarters is located in Ruteng, Manggarai, on Flores Island, Indonesia.
Serving Three Dioceses Today
The SVD Ruteng Province now serves in three dioceses—Ruteng and Labuan Bajo on Flores Island, and Weetebula on the island of Sumba—with a total of 102 SVD members. While parish ministry remains important, the province’s apostolate extends far beyond parish walls into education, family life, social justice, communications, and youth formation.
SVD missionaries of Ruteng are currently engaged in nine parishes, but their presence is also deeply felt in schools, boarding houses, formation houses, and outreach programs that support families and young people. Their ministries include mission animation, Bible apostolate, communications, and the SVD’s commitment to Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC).
Discerned Priorities in Ministry
Each year, the SVD Ruteng Province prayerfully discerns a particular focus for its ministry. In recent years, the province has emphasized JPIC, education, and mission animation as annual priorities. Alongside these rotating focuses, youth ministry and family pastoral care remain constant concerns.
Like many mission territories today, the province faces real challenges. Financial constraints affect the ability to renovate or expand school buildings and boarding facilities. At the same time, missionaries confront cultural challenges among today’s youth, including the effects of rapid technological growth and individualism.
Education at the Heart of the Mission
Education remains one of the strongest and most life-giving apostolates of the SVD Ruteng Province. As the number of parishes entrusted to SVD care has gradually decreased, education has become an even more central expression of the province’s mission.
Today, the province oversees four schools—two junior high schools and two senior high schools—serving approximately 1,400 students in Labuan Bajo and 500 students in Sumba. To make education accessible to students from rural areas, SVD missionaries also provide boarding houses for both boys and girls. Boys are cared for by SVD priests and brothers, while Holy Spirit and Passionist Sisters accompany the girls.
These boarding programs offer more than a place to live. They provide daily accompaniment, faith formation, and character development, helping young people grow into responsible adults rooted in faith and service.
Forming Future Missionaries
The SVD Ruteng Province also plays a key role in the formation of future missionaries through the Sang Sabda Kuwu Novitiate, where second-year novices complete an essential stage of their religious formation. Their first-year novitiate takes place in Nenuk under the care of the SVD Timor Province. Currently, there are 69 novices in Nenuk and 50 novices in Kuwu—young men who feel called to bring the Gospel to the world as SVD missionaries. In Kuwu, they are accompanied by a dedicated formation team of six confreres, including a rector, spiritual director, novice master, and three other formators. These young men come from diverse backgrounds but share a common desire to serve God’s mission beyond borders.
A Mission of Prophetic Dialogue
From its earliest days, the SVD Ruteng Province has emphasized missionary life rooted in cultural sensitivity, language learning, and interreligious dialogue. Every missionary sent into the region undergoes cultural and language immersion to better serve the local people and to foster mutual respect and understanding among different religious traditions.
The province remains committed to this vision of “prophetic dialogue,” especially through education and pastoral accompaniment. While ongoing formation through further studies and training is strongly encouraged for missionaries, financial limitations continue to be a barrier.
A Personal Word of Gratitude
The Vice Provincial for the Ruteng Province, Fr. Agustinus Susanto Naba, SVD, is currently studying English at Divine Word College in the United States. He says the global nature of the Society of the Divine Word became deeply personal through this experience. “I am grateful and proud to have had the opportunity to study English at Divine Word College,” he shared. “I believe English is an important language in the SVD. Studying at Divine Word College has been very helpful in my mission work in Ruteng.”
He credits his time in the United States as an essential preparation for his missionary service and remains deeply thankful for the support and formation he received. His journey reflects the global heart of the SVD—where formation in one part of the world strengthens mission in another.
A Call to the Next Generation
Looking toward the future, the SVD Ruteng Province continues to invite young men to consider the call to missionary life. Prospective missionaries are encouraged to prepare themselves with knowledge, skills, and personal talents, while remaining faithful to their commitment to serve. A special openness to prophetic dialogue, education, and accompaniment of young people and the elderly is essential for those who feel drawn to this mission.
More than a century after the first baptisms in Manggarai, the story of the SVD Ruteng Province is still being written—through classrooms filled with eager students, through villages served with compassion, and through young men courageously discerning a life of mission. It is a story of faith planted long ago and still bearing abundant fruit today.
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