By: Fr. Victor Bunanig, SVD
Fr. Victor Bunanig, SVD has been a missionary in Indonesia for almost thirty two years now.
Island of flowers
Flores is an island in the central Indonesian Archipelago. Its area is 14,000 sq. km. with a population of about 1,500,000. The island has the name “Palau Bunga”: island of Flowers. Beyond this literary nickname the isle is a land of Sylvan and volcanic mountains. Above all Flores id “Flowers” of the faith, 80% Catholic. In Church administration Flores is divided into three Dioceses. After seventy five (75) years of evangelization, it now sends Priest and Brothers and Sisters as Missionaries all over Indonesia and abroad.
Earthquake
On December 12, 1992 at 05,.29, Floreneses (Flores-folk) shuddered and yelled out: “Kami ada” (We are present, the island’s traditional shriek during an earthquake) Flores folklore tells us there is a great –Being propping the earth underneath. The great Beings gets wrongs information that the land on the surface is no longer inhabited. He lets go His hold on the earth. It quakes. So the people yell: Kami ada!” to tell the Being this land is inhabited.
Devastated
At that moment Flores trembled in terrifying convulsions for what seemed an everlasting moment. In less than a minute decades of material achievements were devastated. Almost two-thirds of the island was in a shambles. Following the big shock tsunami waves more than seven meters high surged hundreds of meters in land laying everything waste in their wake.
A National Concern
The earthquake was declared a National Catastrophe. All of Indonesia and many other symphonizing Nations came to our aid most generously. In human suffering there seems to be much more than meets the eye. The tragedy cooled much of the bigotry up to now experienced by the Christian of Flores from the Muslim majority.
We Shall Rise Anew
By an accident of Nature the little known island of Flores was in worldwide focus. The ruined island became a land inflowing with material goods from all over the world. But what caught my attention most was the woman who rose up and prayed: “we, the Florenses people, are proud to have suffered this calamity. We grieved but are not depressed. We are dispossessed but are not beaten. We are set back but do not back out. We shall rise anew. Maranatha! The Lord comes! Faith against Fate.