By FX Juli Pramana
INDONESIA – The Missionaries of the Holy Family marked 100 years of missionary service in Indonesia with a call to renew their commitment to families and young people, highlighting both gratitude for the past and responsibility for the future.
Nearly 1,500 faithful gathered on Feb 24 at St Paul Kleco Parish Church in Solo City, Central Java Province, for a thanksgiving Eucharist commemorating the centennial of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Family (MSF – Missionariorum a Sacra Familia). The celebration coincided with the birthday of MSF founder Father Jean Berthier.
The congregation first arrived in Kalimantan in 1926 and expanded to Semarang in 1932. On Feb 27, 2026, MSF marked exactly one century of continuous service in Indonesia.
Presiding over the celebration was Bishop Aloysius Sutrisnaatmaka, MSF, of the Diocese of Palangka Raya. Concelebrants included Archbishop Yustinus Harjosusanto, MSF, of the Archdiocese of Samarinda; Fr. FX Sugiyana, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Semarang; and Fr. Yohanes Risdiyanto, MSF, provincial superior of MSF Java Province.
Religious leaders, priests, sisters, brothers, seminarians, MSF Associates, and lay faithful from parishes across the Archdiocese of Semarang and the Archdiocese of Jakarta attended the Mass, reflecting the congregation’s wide pastoral presence.
Today, MSF serves in 17 parishes within the Archdiocese of Semarang alone, alongside ministries in other dioceses. Over the decades, the congregation has been active in faith formation, family pastoral care, vocation promotion, and priestly accompaniment. Three MSF priests originating from the Archdiocese of Semarang have also become bishops in Indonesia.
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