Great Tidings coming from Java-The Spirit of Sendang Sono

Java is usually described by many as a historically rich hub of spiritual devotion along with diversity. Christians in rural Java may not deck their halls with boughs of holly or hang up their stockings for Father Christmas. yet like various other religions in Java, Christianity along with its celebrations have been finely repackaged in a local form like no various other.

Tucked a 30-minute drive coming from the massive Buddhist monument Borobudur, within the borders of the Royal Jogjakarta Sultanate, is usually a prayer garden the Javanese Catholics of Kulon Progo proudly call home; Gua Maria Sendang Sono.

Dubbed “Lourdes in Yogyakarta”, Sendang Sono features stations of the cross (prayer altars depicting the passion of the Christ), a grotto for lighting candles in prayers to Mother Mary, several al fresco chapels along using a holy spring whose water is usually believed to have healing properties.

Sendang Sono was founded in 1904 when a local Javanese farmer, Barnabas Sarikromo, converted to Catholicism along with got baptised on Pentecost day. Before which, Sarikromo suffered a mysterious disease which plagued his legs with foul-smelling wounds. In meditation, Sarikromo was inspired to travel to Muntilan where he met Dutch priest Frans van Lith. The priest nursed Sarikromo back to health along with introduced him to the Catholic faith.

Since Sarikromo was healed, he passionately told fellow villagers of “the healing power of Jesus Christ” along with assembled them for prayers along with Eucharist celebrations. By December 1904, 173 locals were baptised inside the spring (“sendang”) by the sono trees (Pterocarpusindicus). which event marked the start of the spread of Catholicism in Yogyakarta along with Central Java.

Sendang Sono

Later inside the 1929, Austrian priest Fr J. B. Prennthaler blessed the opening of the sacred grotto devoted to Mary. The 180-cm tall teakwood statue of Mary inside the Sendang Sono grotto was imported coming from Denmark, manually carried by 30 men on foot across the Menoreh hills.

The current look of Sendang Sono was designed by Fr Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya (“Romo Mangun”). The architecture follows the natural contours of the local hills along with display a fine blend between Javanese along with classical European styles.

yet far before Catholicism spread in Kulon Progo, Sendang Sono has long been a sacred place in various other contexts. In previous centuries, Sendang Sono used to be the resting place of Buddhist monks who travelled by foot coming from Borobudur to Mendut. Prior to the introduction of Mary, locals adherents to the indigenous Kejawen faith previously believed which the sono trees were haunted by the spirit couple Dewi Lantamsari along with Den Bagus Samijo.

“We appreciate culture as the self-expression of the local people. Before Catholicism was introduced, people here already had their own symbols of salvation. So when we encourage locals to revisit those traditional symbolisms as we discuss Catholic ideas, we become more deeply rooted,” said Fr Wahadi coming from the Promasan parish, of which Sendang Sono is usually part.

Becoming deeply rooted inside the local culture also means which agricultural affairs have long been an important part of the Promasan parish.“Ever since the parish was established, the Fathers in Promasan have had great concern for community development,” said Fr Wahadi.

The parish’s initiatives since the 1950s have included the introduction of clove in local plantations, loaning cattle to local farmers on an alternate basis, along with establishing a credit union offering soft loans to local enterprises. The parish also runs two local primary schools which are tuned into the local agriculturally-centred culture.

Asked why the church takes such great measures in developing the local agriculture along with education, Fr Wahadi said, “Locals here deserve to be empowered. The infrastructure is usually quite basic, the streets get puddled when which rains, along with transportation is usually scarce. Agricultural patterns here are also subject to the weather – the land is usually dry due to lack of irrigation. Socioeconomically speaking, which is usually a tough place to live compared to urban Yogyakarta.”

As the generations pass, the youth of Kulon Progo are showing signs of progress thanks to the work of the Catholic church. Many have travelled to Yogyakarta city along with beyond to pursue higher education, along with become successful professionals along with businesspeople. On the downside, many leave for Great to lead modern lives elsewhere instead of coming back to develop the village coming from which they come.

yet when they do come home for a visit – for instance at Christmas time – there seems to be a sense of pride in what young people coming from rural Kulon Progo can achieve. The holiday season then becomes an opportunity for the youth – along with various other locals who may not be as young – to reconnect to their roots.

Sendang Sono

Christmas along with various other Christian celebrations at Sendang Sono have been celebrated with hymns accompanied by the gamelan, gospel wayang performances, jathilan, along with even Catholic versions of salawat (prayer greetings to mark the seven daily Liturgy of the Hours, influenced by Islamic greetings to Muhammad during the several daily prayer times).

A Nativity wayang production was last held in 2012, performed by head puppeteer Fr Krijo who is usually both an ordained priest along using a royal abdidalem inside the Yogyakarta Keraton. Unfortunately there have been no such plans yet just for which year, along with Fr Wahadi predicts which such productions of the Javanese performing arts will become scarcer inside the future.

“Looks like we’ll simply celebrate Christmas with the regular church liturgy which year,” said Fr Wahadi. Additionally, the local parish plans to do some charity work such as building houses, aiding medical care, or distributing basic foodstuffs for the congregation members in need.

which said, Fr Wahadi mentioned a Catholic salawat performed in Sendang Sono just the night before I met him. While the schedules of such performances are rarely published along with hard to predict, there is usually still a chance to see them if you happen to visit on a lucky day.

An inn managed by the local parish is usually available for visitors to Sendang Sono in exchange for voluntary donations. By staying at which inn, you can enjoy the clear star-studded night skies of Kulon Progo, wake up to the serene surroundings of the Menoreh hills, along with celebrate the early morning Eucharist at 6:30 AM.

Many Catholics find Sendang Sono a great place to draw closer to God along with strengthen their faith. along with for non-Catholics like myself, I’ve found which to be a beautiful place to find inner peace along with reflect on the things I’m thankful for in life. To me, which sounds like a great place to be which Christmas.