From the Bishop’s House                                    September 5th



R.I.P. Cliff Brathwaite
The sudden death of Cliff Brathwaite reminds of us of this line from the Scriptures: You do not know the day nor the hour. A good person who emitted harmony and joy to his environment, his work place at the Belief, Culture and Communication Service and in the parish of the Holy Family was taken from our midst. His legacy is that we should keep emitting harmony and joy. That way his spirit can truly live on in the diocese and in the parish. He is now on the path of a new future. We know very little of this path but we have faith in everything that Jezus told us and therefore strongly believe that it is a good future. May Cliff rest in peace. We offer our condolences to his family, friends, acquaintances and coworkers.



Maria Chapel at Batavia
Our biggest wish to have a Maria Chapel at Batavia has come true. Contractor Soemanta finished construction on the chapel on August 27th. We had planned on dedicating the chapel during the pilgrimage on August 28th. But heavy rainfall had made it impossible to reach the Maria Chapel which is located between the palm trees. A shell path has to be laid out. We hope that the dedication can take place during the next pilgrimage. Special thanks to my niece, Annie de Bekker, who financed the entire project to show her gratitude to Maria who stands by her all the time. She has also put her faith in Petrus Donders.


The cathedral organ
Our cathedral had a special organ which was designed specifically for the cathedral by Van Maarschalkerweerd. The organ was disassembled and an inventory was made of all the parts that needed to be replaced or repaired. The organ is seen as an important part of our historical heritage. It is expected that the organ will soon be restored to its former glory. We are thankful to those who know the true value of this organ and therefore spare no effort to have it repaired.


Extra meeting of the Council of Priests
Recently there was an extra meeting of the Council of Priests. The meeting was held to advise bishops on the policy concerning the division of pastoral areas and their parishes. The meeting was also aimed at determining which pastors are responsible for which areas. The arrival of Reverend Alfons Baak, pastoral worker Pius Kohler, the longer stay of Father Martin Noordermeer, the establishment of the Blue Sisters, the appointment of Reverend Esteban Kross to parish vicar of the SS Petrus and Paulus and the help of deacons-elect and parish assistants compel us to make important decisions regarding the operations of the diocese. The borders of the pastoral areas will be adjusted in order to have a clear view. Current border lines are illogical as they cross the middle of a street. In other words half of the street belongs to parish A while the other half belongs to parish B. But all of the residents from that street go to parish C because it is closer to their home. After the opening of the Cathedral, the new border lines will be revealed.