A “strange” incident occurred at the San Damiano Convent, the Generalate of the OSF Sisters of Sibolga, North Sumatra, Indonesia, at the end of November 2025.
Laverna Hill rises directly in front of the convent. When heavy rainfall brought by Tropical Storm Senyar swept through three major provinces in Sumatra at the end of November, the hill was struck by flash floods.
A surge of landslide debris rushed downhill and wiped out buildings located below it. Local officials reported that a month’s worth of rainfall fell in just one day. The landslide hit the front section of the San Damiano Convent belonging to the Franciscan Sisters of Sibolga.
The religious order, based in Sibolga City in the Diocese of Sibolga, is commonly called OSF Sibolga to distinguish it from OSF Semarang, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity in Central Java.
It was an “unfortunate” day as Tropical Storm Senyar battered the Sibolga area with flash floods and landslides, striking both the OSF Sibolga Generalate and the San Damiano Convent. Laverna Hill, which also serves as the convent’s clean water source, suddenly collapsed.
What struck the sisters, as Sr. Sesilia Sie OSF told LiCAS News in early December, was that the landslide only “grazed” part of the convent’s vehicle garage.
The main convent building appeared to be virtually “untouched” despite the force of the debris that rushed down from above.
Archbishop Kornelius Sipayung OFMCap of Medan visited the San Damiano Convent. In his visual documentation, he showed the scale of the landslide and the wide area it affected.
What he described as “strangely miraculous” was that the OSF Sibolga Generalate and the San Damiano Convent seemed “unscathed” even though Laverna Hill loomed directly above it.
Upon closer inspection, the archbishop noted an enormous tree trunk in front of the convent that had redirected the flow of debris, preventing it from crashing into and destroying the building.
“In the midst of disaster and suffering, God shows His power and providence. The hill in front of the OSF San Damiano Convent suddenly collapsed, rushing swiftly toward the convent. Yet a miracle occurred — the landslide stopped right at the convent gate, as though God Himself held it back,” wrote Archbishop Sipayung OFMCap.
“At the same time, the sisters did not cease praying, repeating the Rosary with deep faith and surrender. This simple yet powerful prayer became their breath of hope,” he said.
“This event is a sign that in the darkness and urgency of danger, God remains present, guarding and guiding. Faith becomes a stronghold, and His love becomes the protection for those who believe,” the prelate said.
