Mission in Indonesia 1926

Precisely on the feast of the annunciation of Mary on March 25th, 1926, Mother M. Philomena, the general superior of the Congregation, received a request from the superior of the Carmelite order in the Netherlands, Father J.M. Cyprian Verbeek, O.Carm. This request mentioned that Father Elias Wouters O.Carm, who worked in the parish in Probolinggo, really needed some sisters who had the spirit of sacrifice to handle the mission work.



With enthusiasm and an open heart, Mother Philomena accepted this request following the example of Mary who was also ready to accept good news.

The first seven missionary sisters  were sent to Indonesian  

Then Mother Philomena sent the first seven sisters to Indonesia. They were Sr. Oda van der Post, Sr. Arnolda Berensen, Sr. Rosaria Platt, Sr. Marie Bernardetta van Luijk, Sr. Agnesia Hegman, Sr. Emiliana Nieuwsteeg and Sr. Vincenta Hulshof. They departed on the ship “P.C. Hooft” and they arrived in Batavia, now Jakarta on October 1st, 1926. From Batavia they continued their journey to Surabaya, Malang and finally they arrived in Probolinggo on October 11th, 1926.

Full of joy and with deep gratitude, the seven sisters went to the church and were blessed with holy water. In his speech Bishop Clemens van der Pas expressed his hope that the mission in Probolinggo which would be started by the sisters under the protection and blessing of God could grow and develop not only in Probolinggo, but across the whole of East Java. (Cf. the history of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady in Indonesia from 1926 to 2001 p. 5)

Initial growth of congregation

Under the leadership of Mother Oda, the first superior, the missionary sisters soon began to fulfil the purpose of their presence. Slowly but with a clear plan and encouraged by the spirit of sacrifice, they began to carry out the school and boarding house. On August 1st, 1928 the boarding house for the Javanese girls was opened in Probolinggo.

Furthermore, the growth of new communities in East Java grew rapidly. The Dutch missionary sisters adapted themselves quickly, especially to the extremely hot weather. They lived very simply and integrated with the local culture and customs well; for example, the way to bathe, to eat, and to communicate in the Indonesian language, etc.

The simple way of life and the steadfastness of the missionary sisters in the face of many difficulties in their daily living, nurtured their life and vocations, with the result that many girls were interested in becoming a sister of Our Lady (SPM). This situation gave new hope that the ministry which had been started by the missionary sisters could be continued.

Difficult times between the years 1942–1949

As of April 29th, 1942 all schools in Probolinggo were prohibited from using the Dutch language and even forced to close. This situation also occurred in several other cities. A few weeks later the sisters were not allowed to continue teaching in the classroom, even though the school used Javanese and the Malay/Indonesian language. Furthermore, the Japanese occupied our schools for offices and residences.

In 1943 all the Dutch sisters lived in the camp. All convents were empty, except the convent in Probolinggo, because there were five Indonesian sisters with four young novices and 29 children. These five young sisters saved the convent in Probolinggo. Due to the uncertain situation, the novices were allowed to return to their family for the time being.

In September 1945 after Indonesia's independence and the Japanese surrender, the sisters returned to Probolinggo. Even though Indonesia had declared its independence on August 17th, 1945, the situation only returned to normal in 1947. All the sisters were able to return to their communities and the schools could be opened again.

In a very difficult situation, in 1948 Sr. Theophila the superior general, and Sr. Theresiana the general assistant from Amersfoort visited Probolinggo.

As a result of this visit, in 1948 five sisters from Amersfoort were sent to Indonesia and some sisters were again sent annually.

In April 1959 there was a government law forbidding Dutch missionary sisters to teach in the classroom. On July 1st, 1959 twenty sisters were released from their work, but they were still allowed to teach religion.

From 1926 until today there were sixty-nine sisters from the Netherlands as missionary sisters in Indonesia. Three sisters died in Japanese camps and they were buried in Ambarawa and Semarang. Eight sisters were buried in Malang and Probolinggo, and forty-eight sisters died in the Netherlands.

The seeds that they sowed with love, sacrifice and devotion along with their love for Indonesia, are now growing and developing.