The Church in Indonesia

Bishop Maksimus Regus of Labuan Bajo inaugurated the St. Joseph Teong Toda station and blessed the Mary Queen of Peace grotto on October 30, 2026. The new station serves as a ministry unit within the St. Klaus Werang Parish.

The Eucharist included RD Yuvensius Rugi, RD Charles Suwendi, and RD Yohanes Fakundo Selman. Local government officials, members of the DPRD, and community leaders attended the event.

Local community leaders and RD Servulus Juanda welcomed the bishop with a traditional ceremony. This reception included Muslim community members. Students from local schools participated in the liturgy through choir and dance.

Parishioners of Holy Family Apouwo in Piyaiye concluded the Month of the Rosary with a Liturgy of the Word on Friday, October 31, 2026. The event began with communal Rosary prayers led by Deacon Theodorus B. Iyai, the parish person in charge.

During his homily, Deacon Iyai stated that love must be the center of prayer and the observance of God's law. He said that sincere prayer should produce tangible results in life, such as patience, humility, generosity, and sensitivity toward others. He noted that the Rosary should not be limited to spoken words but must be expressed through concrete actions.

Deacon Iyai encouraged the faithful to imitate the Virgin Mary by letting their devotion transform into acts of love within their families, local communities, and the wider parish. As part of the service, the deacon burned papers containing the prayer intentions collected from the parishioners.

Two students from SMAS Seminari Lalian placed in the top five of the 2026 Belu Open chess tournament held from October 23 to 25 at SDI Tanah Merah I.

Petrus J. Atok finished in second place in the SMA/sederajat category with 13 points. He tied in points with Alexander Manek Luan from SMAK Surya, but the tiebreak calculation placed Atok in second place. Petrus Man Dalio finished in fourth place with 12 points.

The tournament was organized by the Pengurus Kabupaten Persatuan Catur Seluruh Indonesia (Percasi) Belu and included 32 participants. Seminari Lalian sent Petrus J. Atok, Petrus Man Dalio, Julito J. Nahak, and Petrus Eli Funan to the competition, accompanied by Fr. Rivaldo Atamukin.

Eight parishes from the Paniai Deanery gathered at Kristus Jaya Komopa Parish for the opening of the Karya Misi Kepausan Indonesia (KMKI) event on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

At 17.00 WIT, Father Yosef Setiadi led the opening Mass. Following the liturgy, each parish introduced itself and performed chants.

The event is intended to strengthen brotherhood and cooperation among the participating parishes. Participants are expected to complete the full series of activities to bring experiences back to their respective parishes.

The Diocese of Atambua, the Belu Regional Government, and various indigenous communities are developing a strategic collaboration to address social, pastoral, and ecological challenges. This effort follows a series of panel discussions held in Kewar, Bauho, Lasiolat, Mandeu, Naitimu, and Lidak.

The discussions brought together indigenous leaders, community members, youth, women, cultural observers, academics, and various stakeholders. Participants proposed revitalizing the role of indigenous institutions to serve as partners for the government and the Church to support community development.

The collaboration seeks to address poverty, family problems, land conflicts, shifting cultural values, and environmental degradation. According to the Diocese of Atambua, the participants identified the Ema Belu spirit, a collective awareness of identity and shared responsibility, as a social asset to help the community manage these changes while preserving cultural heritage.

Frans Seran, the priest of Santo Laurensius Wemasa, opened a journalism training session for students of SMKN Kobalima on 27 October 2026. The training took place at the parish to improve student literacy, communication, and writing skills.

The session included 24 students and 14 teachers. Yudel Neno, the head of Komsos Keuskupan Atambua, served as the instructor. He taught the participants the definition of news, the 5W + 1H principle, and the inverted pyramid structure for news writing.

Natalia Nahak, the head of SMKN Kobalima, attended the event to support the training. Father Seran expressed appreciation to Komsos Keuskupan Atambua for providing the instruction to the participants.