A new Eastern Indonesian Province of the Order of Carmelites has been established, separating from the Province of Indonesia. The Province of Indonesia is currently the largest province in the Order, having been established by the Dutch Province in 1923. Even with the establishment of the new province it will remain the largest province in the Order.
The new province will be under the patronage of St Titus Brandsma. It came into existence on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, 25 March 2025. The General Council of the Order named Marselinus Barus, O.Carm., as the first prior provincial. They also named Dominikus Dinong, O.Carm., Ferdinandus Tay, O.Carm., Aloysius Roja, O.Carm., and Innosensius Inno, O.Carm., as the members of the first provincial council. The first Provincial Chapter will be held within the year.
Fr Marselinus, the new provincial, reflected on the new reality saying, “As a new province, of course, we Indonesian Carmelites, especially Eastern Indonesian Carmelites, are very happy with the establishment of a new province considering the large area of Indonesian territory. With this new province, it is hoped that the work of the Carmelites in eastern Indonesia will grow. My hope is that the Eastern Indonesian Province of the Carmelite Order will continue to build fraternity and cooperation with the mother province and with other provinces around the world."
The new province will consist of 117 solemnly professed friars and 65 simply professed friars. The area of the new province covers the ecclesial provinces of Makasar, Ende, Kupang and Merauke.
The process of becoming a province officially began during the Provincial Chapter of 2009. The provincial council and the commissary council were tasked with studying the possibility of the Eastern Indonesian Commissariat becoming a General Commissariat by 2025. However, taking into consideration new growth in the commissariat, the Provincial Chapter in 2022 voted in favour of the erection of a new province in Eastern Indonesia. For 10 days in August 2023, the prior general, Míċeál O’Neill, and the general councillor for Asia, Australia, and Oceania, Robert Puthussery, conducted a canonical visitation of the Eastern Indonesian Commissariat.
The new province will have four canonically erected houses and three formation houses.
Photo: Fr Míċeál O’Neill, Prior General, signs the decree establishing the new Province.
More photos below.
