FRIENDS OF INDONESIA

Background

Fr. Panteleimon was born into a devout Roman Catholic family on the island of Timor. After graduating from High School, he entered the Roman Catholic Seminary of the Diocese of Kupang, the capital city of West Timor Province (East Timor is separate country now). Here, in this Seminary, was the starting point of his search and his introduction to the Orthodox faith. In the faculty of Philosophy/Theology, he received many lessons on General Church History, which emphasized Medieval Church History. When he began to study the Theology of the Sacraments (Initiations), the late Fr. Dr. Agus Buka, a secular priest, cited many of the teachings of the Eastern Fathers -- Athanasius, Basil the Great, and John Chrysostom. It is the term “Eastern Church” that became “the key that opened the Orthodox World.” After this, he worked hard to learn more about this Eastern (Orthodox) Church.

Discovering Orthodoxy

During all this time, the future Fr. Panteleimon lived in a monastery. When he left the monastery due to health problems in the year 2000, he worked in a private company. In the workplace, he came to know an Orthodox sympathizer, Mr. Benedict Kaha, who had a lot of articles on the Orthodox Church in Indonesia. During this time, he read the article for the 1996 Seminar in Hilton Hotel Jakarta, written by Daniel Byantoro. This written material strengthened his desire to know more about Orthodox Tradition, Liturgy and Theology.

In the beginning of the year 2000, the future Fr. Panteleimon found the address of the Orthodox Church in Singaraja City, the island of Bali. This church was started by Fr. Daniel, but was entrusted to Fr. Stephanos Boik Nino, who is at present no longer with Fr. Daniel. He contacted Fr. Stephanos Boik Nino, who happened to be Timorese, like the future Fr. Panteleimon himself. Fr. Stephanos was very happy to welcome him, and urged him to make a stronger effort to search for the Orthodox faith. Fr. Stephanos was a former Roman Catholic priest who converted to Orthodoxy under the hand of Fr. Daniel, and who for awhile was entrusted by Fr. Daniel to be youth director in the Holy Trinity Church in Solo, before he was ordained and sent to Bali to care for the mission there. Phone communication and correspondence between the future Fr. Panteleimon and Fr. Stephanos Boik Nino went on smoothly. The future Fr. Panteleimon received a lot of Orthodox written materials from Fr Stephanos. At last, in the beginning of March, 2003, he traveled two nights by ship from Kupang in Timor Island, to Singaraja city, Bali, in order to experience the life of the Orthodox Community. For one year he learned Orthodoxy in the Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Community in Singaraja City, Bali Island. During this period, finally, he decided to become a member of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, on April 10th, 2004, he was chrismated by Fr. Stephanos in the chapel in Singaraja City. He heard a lot of disheartening information on the situation of the Orthodox Church in Indonesia because of the ecclesiastical political upheaval, but all this information did not deter him from his determination to keep the zeal for Orthodoxy that he had struggled for.

On May 17, 2004, the future Fr. Panteleimon returned to Timor Island. This was the same island where Fr. Daniel had almost been murdered by the local people during an evangelistic visit in December, 2000. Now, for the first time, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Fr. Stephanos at the house of Mr. Ronald Fernandez, a Roman Catholic sympathizer to Orthodoxy.

After this first Liturgy, the future Fr. Panteleimon made an effort to open an Orthodox community in the city of Kupang, but there were many obstacles and challenges. The local people and his own family members accused him of teaching heresy, and he was reported to the police and had to escape for his life. After this, he decided to move to the island of Java, traveling several days by ship and bus.

Calling

In January, 2005, the future Fr. Panteleimon arrived in Surabaya City and went directly to the place of Fr. Yohanes, whom Fr. Daniel had, with the help of Bishop Maximos, invited to the United States along with three other students while Fr. Daniel was still a student in the States. Fr. Yohanes told all sorts of stories and events about the Indonesian Orthodox Church as an orientation for Fr. Panteleimon’s future ministry. This same Fr. Yohanes is now no longer with Fr. Daniel. But, for the next few weeks, the future Fr. Panteleimon helped Fr. Yohanes in his ministry in Surabaya City.

He was appointed by Fr. Yohanes to revive the community in Krian city, which for quite awhile had been without a minister. In the middle of the 1970s, when Fr. Daniel was beginning his conversion to Christianity as a charismatic Christian young man, he opened the area for the gospel. The village had no Christians at that time. Fr. Daniel started preaching the Gospel there. Slowly, a group of people came to the Lord. When Fr. Daniel left for Korea, no one took care of the people there, and they joined Pentecostal Church. On the return of Fr. Daniel as an Orthodox priest, some of these people joined Fr. Daniel again. The people here were entrusted to Fr. Yohanes after his ordination upon his return from the USA, but due to some difficulties, Fr. Yohanes had been unable to continue this ministry. That was the reason that the future Fr. Panteleimon was asked to revive the community in this area. This same community is now served by Fr. Irenaios, who came from within the community and was ordained by Archbishop Hilarion. It was here in Krian City that the future Fr. Panteleimon met Grandpa Mi’un and Mr. Marno, members of the community, and Mr. Tom, a member of the community in the neighboring city of Surabaya. They discussed with him the latest developments in the Indonesian Orthodox Church. He was then introduced to the newly ordained Fr. Irenaios. Through his acquintance with Fr. Irenaios, he was then introduced to Fr. Alexios in Solo. Fr. Alexios informed Fr. Daniel, who was at that time in the States, and Fr. Daniel asked him whether the young man was eligible for the priesthood. After some time, Fr. Irenaios took the future Fr. Panteleimon to St. Thomas in Jakarta, where the newly ordained Fr. Gregory was a pastor. In Jakarta, the future Fr. Panteleimon met the David and Christian Adiningrat family, benefactors of the community.

It was in the beginning of March, 2005, that the future Fr. Panteleimon came to Jakarta. He worked in the company of the Adiningrat’s family while he assisted Fr. Gregory as the Church cleaning-service man. In the meantime, from the USA, Fr. Daniel made a telephone call to him, asking several questions about his background and his calling. When Fr. Daniel returned to Indonesia in November, 2005, he became better acquainted with the future Fr. Panteleimon and requested that the Archbishop ordain the young man, who had already indicated his willingness to be ordained. On March 23, 2006, at the second visit of Archbishop Hilarion to Indonesia, the young man who is now known as Fr. Panteleimon was ordained in Holy Trinity Church in Solo. With the departure of Fr. Gregory to his native island in Manado to start the mission there, Fr. Panteleimon now pastors St. Thomas Church in Jakarta.