Help to build a parish church in Compang
The island nation of Indonesia, with its population of 272 million, is the most populous Muslim nation in the world. Other religious affiliations include Christianity, professed by at least 12% of the population. Of these, 3% are Catholic (10 million people), mainly living on the island of Flores.
The parish of Compang, in the west of Flores, was established in 2017 and today has a population of over 7,800 Catholic faithful, their numbers growing annually. This is a very lively parish. Holy Mass is well attended, and the people genuinely strive to live their faith in everyday life as well.
An important challenge the parish is facing, however, is the lack of a parish church. At present, Holy Mass and adoration take place in a hall that is far too small, especially for the well-attended Sunday Masses, and which is lacking in many ways as a house of God.
The faithful are longing for a proper church and have already started gathering stone and wood and collecting money in order to fulfil their dream. But most of them are small farmers with meager incomes, which makes it nearly impossible for them to save up the funds needed for a new church on their own.
Father Florianus Suyanto, their parish priest, has therefore turned to us. We do not want to let them down and have promised $42,000 towards the construction of this long-awaited parish church. Will you help us?
