Rev. Fr Adi Indra has a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, so is well qualified to serve as Chair of the Council of Priests (COP). However, it is the principles of synodality and the traditional decision-making practices of his home country that he will draw from when serving in his new roles as Chair of the COP; Supervising Priest at Rushworth; and Assistant Priest at Shepparton and Dookie.
When he first heard Pope Francis talk about ‘synodality’, Fr Adi says the concept was already familiar. “I grew up in a parish in Indonesia which was very synodal, although we knew this way of being and journeying together as ‘Musyawarah-Mufakat’, a traditional Indonesian way of consensus building and decision making,” said Fr Adi.
‘Musyawarah‐Mufakat’, translates roughly to ‘consultation, deliberation and consensus.’ It is used across Indonesia, from small village meetings to the national parliament. The principles of 'Musyawarah-Mufakat' promote active listening and provide an equal opportunity for all stakeholders to have their points of view heard by all. 'Musyawarah-Mufakat' emphasises an individual’s obligation to the whole community and focuses on a shared common value of harmony and the good of the whole — decisions are not formed by a majority vote.
Indonesia is the biggest Muslim country in the world. So, it might seem surprising to people who are unfamiliar with the country to learn that such principles are embedded in Indonesian culture.
“Perhaps in some cultures, the idea of active listening or allowing everyone the time and space to be heard is a new idea, but in the parish I was raised in, it is normal, because 'Musyawarah‐Mufakat’ is part of our culture. My Dad and my uncle, who are very much involved in parish and community life, serve knowing they are working for the good of the whole, to help the priest in his mission, which is ultimately for the good of the whole,” says Fr Adi. “I think a lot of Asian cultures share these values of the common good outweighing individuality.”
Relating this to the Council of Priests, Fr Adi says, “The Canon stipulates that the Council of Priests is an advisory body which helps the Bishop to fulfil his mission by informing his decision making. According to Canon Law, the Bishop is free to act as he sees fit, with or without regard to the advice of the Council of Priests. Of course, in today’s world, it would be seriously imprudent to disregard their advice.”
In the Diocese of Sandhurst, there are less than forty priests actively serving in parishes, so Bishop Shane, keen to include as many priests as possible, chose to appoint every priest with an appointment as a member of the Council of Priests. “Priests serving in parishes have their finger on the pulse of parish life and they are a great resource for the Bishop,” said Adi. “We can easily fit all of our active priests in one meeting room and have healthy discussions in which everyone can participate.”
Fr Adi aims to make active listening an everyday cultural practice of the Sandhurst Presbyterate. “The Council of Priests provides a safe place for us to not only be heard, but to listen to the experiences of each other, a practice we can then try to embed in our parish life, in our Diocese and our Church. It is a sign of a healthy community when people can freely express an opinion and know it will be heard without judgement — we need to develop a culture around that.”
“As a fraternity of priests, sharing our challenges and celebrating our successes is good for us as people and, in turn, good for our parishes,” says Fr Adi, stating that the COP provides an opportunity not only for the Bishop to garner an understanding of what is happening in parishes, but for priests to learn from each other and enhance their ministry.
“The COP also reminds us that we are one — sometimes we can be so invested in our parish that we forget we are one as Church. With synodality as our lens, we can remind ourselves of our purpose as one Body of Christ and we can ask ourselves how we can contribute to that Body,” says Fr Adi.
Fr Adi is not all serious about his appointment as Chair of the Council of Priests. “I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of giants; it just proves that God has a sense of humour,” he laughs. “I am grateful for the confidence Bishop Shane and the Consultors have in me, they are very trusting,” says Fr Adi, who believes it is no coincidence that his next appointment as Assistant Priest will be in Shepparton where he can again learn from Fr Joe Taylor VG, former Chair of the COP. “It’s a full circle moment; my placement as a seminarian was at St Brendan’s with Fr Joe Taylor. I look at the way I conduct myself in ministry today, a lot of it is what I picked up from Fr Joe.”
Although Fr Adi is very much looking forward to being back in Shepparton and learning more from the diverse community, he will dearly miss the well-known warmth of the people of Wodonga who embraced him as their own.
