SCJ of the Month
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Fr. Robertus Sutopo, scj |
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Father Robertus Sutopo is an Indonesian. He was born on February 12, 1969 in Yogyakarta in Central Java. Like many of our SCJ confreres from Indonesia, he has a Moslem background; his father was a Moslem. When he was a little boy, he used to be an altar boy in a small chapel not too far from his house. Since at that time there were not too many priests in that area, and the parish priest visited their chapel very seldom, the wish to become a priest became very strong. After finishing his studies in a technical high school, in order to find a job, he had to transfer to Palembang in the south of Sumatra. While working in a furniture factory, he met some SCJ priests who invited him to their place, where he could learn more about the religious life and congregation. It was the time when he took his final decision to follow Christ as a priest of the Sacred Heart. Supported financially by his Moslem brother he entered the formation program of the Congregation. On July 20, 1990 he made his First Profession after which he went back to Yogyakarta to study Philosophy and Theology. On November 27, 1997 he was ordained as a priest and assigned in one of the parishes in the Diocese of Palembang. In July 2000 he joined the international SCJ Mission in the Philippines. At the moment he is assigned in San Isidro Labrador Parish in Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur. |