Hello, I am Etwino. I am a Claretian missionary and a priest. I made my first religious profession in 2013 and my perpetual profession on 24 October 2019. I was ordained as a priest on 18 December 2021. I belong to the independent delegation of Indonesia-Timor Leste. These two beautiful countries are in southeast Asia.
After two years of living my missionary experience as a young Priest in Indonesia, I received another appointment from my superiors to continue my formation as a missionary. I was sent to Rome to study the theology of spirituality. This was a surprise to me. I didn’t think about coming to Rome and continuing my studies. I just wanted to live out my missionary vocation together with the community and people in the parish where I was sent before. But as missionaries, we must also be ready to accept things that are outside our plans. In this sense, I accepted this appointment also as a way of living my missionary life. I am grateful to my superiors, and my congregation for granting me this occasion to continue my life as a Claretian missionary in this way.
Now I am in the second semester of my study at the Gregorian University in Rome. I thank God for the experience of study in these two semesters above all the first semester which I found very challenging. It is not easy to adapt to new situations, the language that we use every day, the classes, and the new culture. I thank God because with His providence these situations help me to be more mature as a person. The challenges also helped me to learn to be more faithful and aware of the presence of others. I am very grateful that during the first months in this place, I was helped by so many people so that I did not feel alone and could keep going. I’m also grateful to so many people who support me and always pray for me.
As a Claretian undergoing a study of spirituality including Ignatian spirituality which offers me the opportunity to find sources that have also touched Fr. Claret’s heart. He admired and imitated St. Ignatius of Loyola and was very attached to the spiritual exercises. St. Ignatius Loyola thus became one of the co-patrons of the Claretian Congregation. Despite my limited understanding of the language, I was able to gradually discover things that were useful for my personal growth, intellectually, spiritually, as well as humanly. The experience of living in the curia community and other experiences in Rome also helped shape me in my journey as a Claretian missionary. I did not ask for this mission, but it is a gift. I can only be grateful for this blessing and hope that little by little I find the best way to be dedicated to this study. Through the experience of studying in Rome, I will be able to carry out my missionary service better and hopefully, there will be good things that I can bring back home as a gift to the local congregation as well as a gift to the people I will meet in the future. Happy Easter!
Rome (Italy)
April 2024
