About 12,000 Catholics gathered in Jakarta to mark 50 years of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Indonesia, with Church leaders calling for stronger youth participation and a faith that bears fruit in service, justice and peace.
The Golden Jubilee 2026 celebration was held Oct. 10 at Indonesia Arena in the Gelora Bung Karno complex under the theme “The Holy Spirit, the Fire of Evangelization.”
Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta presided over the Eucharist, which was concelebrated by more than 100 priests. Archbishop Walter Erbì, apostolic nuncio to Indonesia and ASEAN, was also among the Church leaders who attended.
The celebration gave thanks for five decades of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal while reaffirming its commitment to evangelization, the faith formation of young people and service to poor, vulnerable, marginalized and excluded communities and persons with disabilities.
Bishop Fransiskus Tuaman Sasfo Sinaga of Sibolga in North Sumatra, episcopal adviser to the National Service Body of the Indonesian Catholic Charismatic Renewal, urged the movement to give young Catholics a greater role in the life and mission of the Church.
“Young people must not be spectators, absolutely not. Young people must be players, young people must be actors, recipients of the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Sinaga said during a press conference at the event.
He said youth participation contributes to spiritual growth and character formation and can shape how young Catholics live within their families, professions and wider communities.
The bishop stressed the need for sustained formation that allows young people to develop their potential, discover their vocation and participate in ministry according to their gifts.
From prayer groups to a national movement
Father Yustinus Hilman Pujiatmoko, moderator of the National Service Body of the Indonesian Catholic Charismatic Renewal within the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, said the global movement emerged from the spiritual experience of university students during a retreat in 1967.
In Indonesia, the movement began developing through a prayer group in Jakarta in 1976.
Figures presented during the jubilee celebration showed that it has since grown to 734 prayer groups across the country, engaged in faith formation, spiritual accompaniment, fellowship and social outreach.
Father Pujiatmoko said accompanying young people has become increasingly important amid social change and technological development.
“Given the current situation in our nation and society, young people can sometimes be drawn toward places that are not necessarily good for them. This is a challenge for us: to help them have an experience of faith,” he said.
Bonaventura Feduoti Wisanggeni, youth coordinator of the movement’s national service body, said participation in Catholic communities also helps young people develop values they carry beyond Church activities.
“The values they learn do not remain within the Church, but are also carried into the workplace, professional life, and society,” Bonaventura said.
Angeline Vania, 29, a Catholic from Surabaya who moved to Jakarta for university studies, said joining a Catholic Charismatic Renewal community strengthened her faith and helped her mature personally.
“Through that process, I learned to keep moving forward and to find reasons to be grateful for the little things in life, without comparing myself with people out there who may seem far more accomplished,” she said.
Faith expressed through service
The movement has also expanded its social outreach over the years.
Budi Sutedjo, coordinator of the Indonesian National Service Body of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, said its work includes an annual outreach program held in connection with World Day of the Sick and support for parents raising children with autism.
The movement has also conducted eye examinations and distributed free eyeglasses for nine years, with thousands of volunteers involved across Indonesia.
The programs are intended to reach the sick, families requiring additional support and communities with limited access to health care.
Cardinal Suharyo urged members of the movement to ensure that five decades of spiritual renewal also produce change in society.
He said the fruits of renewal should not remain at the personal level but should grow within families, communities, parishes, dioceses and the wider Catholic Church in Indonesia.
The cardinal stressed that the jubilee should not become an occasion for complacency but a starting point for continued renewal.
Drawing on the experience of St. Paul, Cardinal Suharyo said evangelization is not simply the result of human enthusiasm or ability but is rooted in God’s calling and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Renewed faith, he said, should help build stronger families and communities and encourage Catholics to promote justice, peace and the common good.
‘Gateway to a new mission’
Archbishop Erbì conveyed the greetings and blessing of Pope Leo XIV to Catholics celebrating the movement’s anniversary.
The nuncio told the gathering that Pope Leo prays for the faithful and loves them with the affection of a father. Catholics were also invited to pray for the pope as he leads the universal Church.
Bishop Adrianus Sunarko, secretary-general of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, urged Catholics to see the movement’s 50th anniversary not as the end of a journey but as the beginning of a renewed mission.
Referring to Article 12 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, Bishop Sunarko said the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given through God’s grace and are intended for ministry and the building up of the Church.
He said spiritual experiences must result in concrete changes in daily life and should be reflected in conversion, fidelity, humility and love for others.
“Golden Jubilee is a gateway to a new mission,” Bishop Sunarko emphasized.
He urged the faithful to place Christ at the center of their lives and the Eucharist at the heart of Christian life.
Quoting St. Francis of Assisi, he added: “Let us begin again, for up to now we have done nothing.”
The jubilee program included praise and worship, discussions, an enculturated Rosary incorporating Indonesia’s cultural diversity, Eucharistic adoration and the thanksgiving Mass.
Church leaders said the movement’s next chapter should be measured not simply by its growth but by whether renewed faith leads Catholics toward deeper service, stronger communities and greater concern for people on society’s margins.
