My Journey in the Catholic Church in Bali by Doreen Agnes

Doreen and the BICC's choir on Dec 12, 2008 Tuka Seminary Concert
at Kuta Church

In 1991 I came to live in Bali. I went to the Church in Kuta a very small building. The mass was in Indonesia and nobody even said good morning. I went for a while but found it to be boring not knowing the language very well at the time. One Christmas Eve I went to mass and the police were checking everyone out for bombs. As I left them a man spoke to me, at the time I didn’t realize he was the parish priest until I saw him celebrate the mass. I found out there was an English mass on Sunday evening so decided that it would be good for me to go. Fr. Hady always spoke to me so I felt I was beginning to belong.

My friend Margaret used to meet me in Church as she was always running late, but one night she was early so as she wanted to smoke we went to the back so she could have a cigarette. Fr. Deni came through and he stopped and spoke to us told us he had been in Ireland and when asked his name, he said Fr. Deni so we all sang a few lines of Danny Boy. This was the start of an ongoing friendship. He gave me the name of the orphanage in Dalung. I started visiting the Panti Asuhan Sidhiastu Tuka with my friends. I used to take some of the kids to the beach and my home for lunch. My friends who are non-Catholic still support them.

Fr. Terry Burke, MMH, founder of the BICC
currently lives in Kuching Serawak.

One night Fr. Deni told me he was going to the Seminary and Fr. Terry would be taking his place. Fr. Terry formed a group called Bali International Catholic Chaplaincy or BICC. As the Church di not pay him for his services when we held a meeting it was decided to give out envelopes to collect help for his living expenses. While I was in Australia I was nominated as a welcome, I was very hesitant at first at first as I am a very shy person but as time I went on it became much easier for me.

I joined Father Terry’s Bible Study Group and also attended his meditation mass. I was thinking of ways to raise money for the Seminary, so I thought the choir from BICC and the Seminarians could put on a concert. I attended meditation mass and after I stayed to invite the choir to participated, they said first we will practice handed me a hymn book so I just sang along with them then we spoke a little about the concert eventually they agreed to do this and this is how I joined the choir. I have a very happy association with them. The kids call me Mama, Grannie, etc.

Now to my involvement with the Seminarians I would go up to Sidhiastu Orphanage and the Tuka Seminary. One Tuesday I was going to see Fr. Deni and he asked when I was getting there and I wondered what the hurry I soon discovered he had the boys who were going onto the Major Seminary without their normal teacher as they were in the Upper Preparation Class. He just took me to the classroom with no preparation to talk to them in English. Wow, as I have a strong Scottish accent it was very hard at first, but after a couple of sessions they began to understand. I spoke to them every Saturday until they left the Seminary here in Bali. I raise money for the Seminary in different ways and it feels my life with a reason not just staying home vegetating. Sr. Tin, RVM at the Seminary and I are good friends but unfortunately she is going to Kupang in the of July.

Fr. Deni Mary, rector of Tuka Seminary
with his Seminarians.

I am still welcoming people to St. Francis Xavier and still sing in the choir so at long I feel I am where God wants me to be. I was lost for a long time; my life seemed empty, because after being a reader, Eucharistic minister, leading a prayer group, etc. in Australia had nothing spiritual in my life. Now, I have friends with whom I pray, friends whom I respect. So, life is good. 
-- Doreen Agnes: currently lives in Sidakarya-Denpasar