Greeting Brothers and Sisters in the City and Remote Villages

A sense of solidarity colors Christmas celebrations in Pontianak city, West Kalimantan. People from various backgrounds share their happiness in remote areas.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

The congregation at Pontianak Good Shepherd Parish, West Kalimantan, made a Christmas tree with a hydroponic theme. The Christmas tree was finished decorating on Thursday (22/12/2022).

Christmas celebrations in Pontianak bring a lot of social impacts. Some people raise aid for underprivileged families, while students and teachers greet pedicab drivers and janitors. There are also those who choose to share with their "brothers" in remote villages.

To celebrate Christmas, donations in the form of basic needs were gathered in the hall of the Gembala Baik Parochial Church in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday (14/12/2022). Groceries were wrapped in packages that contain several types of staple goods.

Each neighborhood leader will later distribute the packages to the underprivileged in their neighborhood. Before that, each neighborhood had proposed a number of families that needed to be assisted.

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“Through this assistance, we want to share our happiness with our brothers and sisters from underprivileged families. The aid was collected through an announcement at the church," said Andreas Eko A of the Socio-Economic Development (PSE) section of the Pontianak Gembala Baik Parochial Church.

Approaching Christmas and Easter, people always collect aid for underprivileged families. "The theme is people helping people," said the pastor of the Gembala Baik Parochial Church of Pontianak Archdiocese, RP Leonard Paskalis Nojo OFM Cap.

Raising social assistance is also often carried out when there is a natural disaster in the area. Several years ago, when a number of areas in West Kalimantan were hit by natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, people collected donations. "This sharpens sensitivity in compassion,” he said.

We want to share our happiness with our brothers and sisters from underprivileged families.

Such actions were carried out by the students of Bruder junior high school in Pontianak in celebrating Christmas. In the city they helped the elderly in nursing homes, street sweepers, security guards, office boys, pedicab drivers and retired teachers.

The arrival of the students and teachers who distributed the donations was greeted with warm smiles by the beneficiaries. They merged into brotherhood, transcending the barriers of social background and beliefs.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

Food assistance from the people of Pontianak Good Shepherd Parish, West Kalimantan, Wednesday (14/12/2022). The assistance will be distributed to pre-prosperous families..

Border areas

Not only in cities, their social activities were also carried out in remote areas. Last December, students and teachers of Bruder junior school in Pontianak greeted their brothers and sisters around the school and those living on the Indonesia-Malaysia border in Kuala Dua, Sanggau regency. Kuala Dua is 197 kilometers from Pontianak, the capital city of West Kalimantan.

The head of SMP Bruder junior high school in Pontianak, Br Edesius MTB, said students and teachers also collected donations of basic necessities, stationery and cash and distributed them in male and female dormitories in Kuala Dua.

The dormitories in Kuala Dua accommodate students from remote areas on the border who are studying at the Catholic junior high school in Kuala Dua. They really need help.

“Students at the border come from remote villages that are difficult to reach. They live in dormitories near the school. Their parents struggle to send their children to school,” said Br. Edesius.

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The activities at the border were also carried out by students from Suster elementary school in Pontianak. They distributed donations to residents in Kuala Dua, Sanggau Regency. Unlike Bruder junior high school, which focused on dormitories, donations from Suster elementary school will be given to villagers in the Kuala Dua parish.

Head of Suster elementary school, Sr. Yoanitha SFIC, said the foundation and the sisters would distribute the assistance on Dec. 28 when they would carry out a social service at the village of the Kuala Dua parish. The donations come from students of Suster elementary school in Pontianak in the form of basic necessities and stationery.

"We will distribute the basic necessities that have been collected to those who still need them, so they can be happy and rejoice together in celebrating Christmas," Sr. Yoanitha said.

In addition to distributing basic necessities, the sisters will celebrate Christmas there together. The Sisters will cook and share food during the visit.

DOKUMENTASI SMP BRUDER PONTIANAK

Student and teacher at SMP Brother Pontianak, West Kalimantan, distribute aid to those around them in early December 2022.

Solidarity

According to Pastor Leonard, the various social activities are a form of compassion for those in need. Not all who donate basic necessities are well-off people.

Sr. Yoanitha wants to instill a sense of solidarity in her students. Students are taught to understand that they do not live alone, but with a wider community even though they do not know each other personally. From visits to remote areas, students can meet people from various occupations and backgrounds.

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In this way, students are expected to understand that those they are helping are also their relatives. The opportunity to share is important for the development of their character in the future.

Thus, Christians, students and teachers in Pontianak greet their brothers and sisters from various backgrounds. They "walk together," sowing the joys of Christmas in the city and in remote villages.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.