Biography of Father Sandjaja DP

BIOGRAPHY OF FATHER SANDJAJA DP WHO IS FATHER SANDJAJA DP?

A name usually represents a meaning, it could be a hope or a memory. When the Spiritualism Orientation Year of the Archdiocesan of Semarang took the name of “Wisma Sanjaya”, it really did carrying a memorable meaning and hope. The name of Wisma Sanjaya was chosen in memory of the late Father Sandjaja, DP. He is a diocesan priest from the second generation of the Archdiocesan of Semarang. Father Sandjaja was especially known by the catholic community in Indonesia mostly by those in Java, as a martyr. A martyr is a catholic who is assassinated because of his/her devotion and faith to God. The name of Sandjaja are also very often being used by education institution or catholic foundation within the Archdiocesan of Semarang area. For example, the Foundation of Sanjaya, Sanjaya Junior High School etc. In order for the seminarians to get to know who Father Sandjaja is, the second part of this article narrate the life story of Father Sandjaja, DP.

BIRTHPLACE AND THE FAMILY OF FR. SANDJAJA, DP Father Sandjaja, DP was born in a village called Sedan, Muntilan on 20th May 1914. Sedan village is located 2 km to the north of the priests' resident complex in Muntilan. His childhood name is Richardus Kardis. Mr. Willem Kromo Sendjaja is the father of Father Sandjaja DP and his mother's name is Richarda Kasiyah. Father Sandjaja, DP is the oldest child in the family. Their second child is named Yohanes Redjo Pawito Sendjaja, their third is Caesilia Marselin and their youngest child is Catharina Birinah. Caesilia Marselin went to the Sister of Franciscanes abbey right after she graduated from SGA. Her name then changed to Sister Monica. She passed away later on in an accident.

THE JOURNEY OF THE VOCATION

Since childhood, the outstanding intellectual of Father Sandjaja had already been known. He often won competition and given nickname “the little walking dictionary”. His outstanding intellectual was also balanced with his faithful, diligent and humble life style. Therefore it did not take him too long to realize God's vocation to work in His vineyard, as a priest. After graduated form HIS and MULO, the young Sandjaja was admitted to the Minor Seminary in 1933 which at that time was located in Jogjakarta (now it has been used for the High Institution of Catholic Philosophy, near Code River). On 1937, Richardus Kardis entered the Major Seminary. It was simply because he wanted to be a diocesan priest. He had four classmates and it was a very special thing when he entered the seminary since he was the very first diocesan priest from Central Java. At that time, even the name of “diocesan” had not existed just yet. It was Jagardan priest or Wereld priest (Dutch) which means priest who does not live in the convent but they live among regular community. Without any significant difficulties in preparing his ordination, on 13th January 1943, Father Sandjaja was ordinated as a priest in Muntilan. Bishop A. Soegijapranata SJ was presenting the ordination.

A DIOCESAN PRIEST WHO HAD ALWAYS BEEN READY TO FULFILL THE DIOCESAN NEED

After being ordinated, Father Sandjaja was surprised of the necessity for a priest in Muntilan, his own hometown. So, he was promoted to be the Parish Priest in Muntilan. Usually, a new-ordinated priest must learn first as an assistant priest and usually they would not be located in their own hometown. But it was the war era, in Central Java and all over Indonesia were very short of priests. It turned out Father Sandjaja did not disappoint anyone as a Pastoral Priest. During the was, everything was a mess and to coordinate the Diocesan staff could not very well done. So was the Major Seminary, which at that time was located at the Sindunegaran (to the north of Tugu Station, Jogjakarta) needed a lecturer for Church History subject. Therefore, Father Sandjaja besides being a Parish Priest, he also taught at the Seminary. Father Sandjaja did a wonderful job as a lecturer. Then the next assignment followed, he then assigned to teach Moral subject which he unsurprisingly did very well. He did not stop there, besides being the Parish Priest of Muntilan and a lecturer at the Major Seminary of Jogjakarta, Father Sandjaja was also trusted to work for the Pastoral of Magelang. It was due to the assassination of the residents of Magelang Pastoral on 1st March 1945. Five Dutch priests, one Dutch seminarian, one native seminarian and one native bruder. On 21st July 1948, the Minor Seminary of Ganjuran, Jogjakarta moved to Muntilan, residing in a house owned by the FIC brothers. At this institution, a prefecture mentor and lecturer was needed to teach a few subjects and Father Sandjaja was given the assignment and he then was released from his responsibility as the Head of Parish Priest in Muntilan. In Minor Seminary, Father Sandjaja became the prefecture and taught Bible Study, History and Geography. Father Sandjaja was very up to it.

DEVOTED UNTILL THE END

We certainly question why the Major Seminary and Minor Seminary kept on moving from one place to another and did not have permanent lecturers. It was all because of the political situation that was unstable and raged. On December 1946, the political situation was even more raging due to the Dutch government that had not admitted the independence of Indonesia that was proclaimed on 17th August 1945. It was even worse that the Dutch government was trying to keep on colonizing Indonesia. It created hatred to the Dutch and everything that was related to the Dutch. Therefore, the missionaries from the Netherlands were suspected also, even though there was no reason to do so since the church is universal. Besides the Dutch government themselves was sympathize against the catholic missionaries that were considered competing with the Zending, their own evangelism. The appearance of the missionaries in Muntilan and the return of the Minor Seminary to Muntilan also causing and recreating unpleasant feeling from those who were anti-Catholic. Under these circumstances, everyone felt that there was a big gap between certain people and the Catholics. This situation led to the end of the lives of Father Sandjaja and a Jesuit Seminarian named Bouwens. Sunday, 19th December 1948, the Dutch army were attacking Jogjakarta from Semarang. This attack was called the second “clash”. On 20th December 1948, the government's buildings were burned so that they would not be resided by the Dutch. In the very tensed situation on that day, around eight o'clock in the evening, a few persons invited the priests to meet. They invited the priests to discuss the safety of the missionary buildings and personnels. The Dean Priest of the seminary at that time was Father Van der Putten, Jesuit. He had a suspicion when seminarian Bouwens said that the meeting would be held in a place he knew well. The Dean Priest did not want to leave the seminarians because he was the one who responsible for their safety. Father Sandjaja decided to stand for the Dean Priest to attend the meeting. They were not satisfied and insisted that all the Dutch priests to attend the meeting. Seminarian Herman Bouwens went along with Father Sandjaja, representing the Dutch priests and so did bruder Kismadi. Father Sandjaja and seminarian Bouwens wore their robes while bruder Kismadi wore his regular clothes. It turned out that they were not brought into that place but they were brought to walk on a curvey path. They finally arrived in an unknown place. Then they told bruder Kismadi to go home. Right after he left, guarded by two personnels, two gunshots were heard. Those two gunshots took away the lives of Father Sandjaja and Seminarian Bouwens. They passed away and returned to their beloved God. In the seminary, the situation became very tensed amd fidgety. The next morning, the seminarians had to flee. That morning, Father Sandjaja and Seminarian Bouwens had not returned to the seminary. Mr. Willem, the father of Father Sandjaja was informed by his friend that last night there was a priest that was shot to death in Kembaran Village. Mr. Willem and three friends went to search around the farm behind the village. They found a pile of soil mixed with mud and there was a heel of white skin human showing out. After they dug the pile, the death naked body of Seminarian Bouwens was found. They continued to search and not too far from there, there was a small ditch underneath garbage and wet grass. Mr. Willem saw a left toe of a human and there was the dead body of his son, Father Sandjaja. Father Sandjaja's body was full of jab from a hot article and almost his whole body was full of bruises from beaten. There was a hole on his forehead and bullet trace on the nape of his neck. Seminarian Bouwens was also cruelly abused. His nose was plugged with a sharp wood, his face was full of blood and bruises. Both corpses were buried in the nearby graveyard in Kembaran Village. Then, on 5th August 1950, both corpses were moved from Kembaran Village graveyard to Catholic graveyard in Muntilan that is located in bruderan.

THE CATHOLICS PILGRIM TO THE CEMETERY AND PRAY TO GOD THROUGH FATHER SANDJAJA DP

When we ask the people who know Father Sandjaja and spend the last moments before he passed away, “Why was he killed ?”, then most of them will spontaneously answered, “because of faith motivation”. Because of the incident, the catholic people acknowledge Father Sandjaja as a martyr. The Catholic church at the High Diocesan of Semarang also put effort to find a way to obtain Rome's acknowledgment, but there are certain rules that sustained the process. Nonetheless, the Catholic in Indonesia already admitted that Father Sandjaja is a holy individual. There are a lot of Catholic people pray to God through Father Sandjaja and visit the cemetery. Lots of them felt that their prayers have been granted through the blessing of Father Sandjaja. His left belongings is considered to be reliquary. In the chapel of Wisma Sanjaya, there is a reliquary of Father Sandjaja which is a piece of cloth from his robe. It is an ordinary thing that the seminarians of Wisma Sanjaya take a pilgrimage to the cemetery to propose blessings so that the seminarians will be able to follow his footsteps, who is an older generation of ordination who live peacefully in heaven. Being humble, diligent and faithfully devoted to God and vocation are the important things to follow for the seminarians, priests and every catholic people. Let us hope.