One of the most challenging pilgrimage visits I undertook during this Jubilee Year was my journey to a couple of Catholic churches in Bekasi, West Java. This bustling city, located east of Jakarta and part of the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area, is home to many commuters who travel daily to the capital. I had planned to visit Bekasi as part of my Jubilee pilgrimage to churches in the Bekasi Deanery. For the trip, I chose to take the KRL Commuter Line—boarding the Tangerang Line from Kalideres Station near my home, transiting at Duri Station, and continuing on the Cikarang Line to Bekasi Timur Station.
What I underestimated, however, was the massive crowd heading to Bekasi during that holiday weekend. Even as I waited at Kalideres Station, the platform was already filled with passengers, while dark clouds began to gather above. More than once, I thought about canceling the trip, but after a short prayer I resolved to continue and boarded the packed train from Tangerang. The situation worsened at Duri, one of the main transit hubs, where I found no available seats again and ended up standing for nearly an hour and a half until Bekasi. By the time I arrived, I was relieved the exhausting train ride was over—only to find another challenge waiting. As I began walking from the station toward the church, light rain started to fall.
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| Bekasi Parish is a large parish and the most populous in the Archdiocese of Jakarta |
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| Known as Terminal Church, this modest Joglo style church can host up to 1,500 people |
Since I didn’t bring an umbrella, I hurried to Bekasi Parish, which is located almost one kilometer from the train station. Along the way, I passed the busy Bekasi Terminal, the city’s main public transportation hub. Because of its location behind the terminal, and the fact that many parishioners reach it from there, the church is sometimes nicknamed “Gereja Terminal” or the “Terminal Church.” But don’t let this modest nickname or its simple architecture fool you. Bekasi Parish, with its 27,000 parishioners, is the largest parish by number of parishioners in the Archdiocese of Jakarta. Over the years, as the largest parish in the city, it has even given rise to several new parishes across the Bekasi area, a testament to the city’s rapid growth and vibrant Catholic community.
The origins of Bekasi Parish can be traced back to the 1950s, when Adrianus Djajasepoetra, S.J., then Archbishop of Jakarta, included Bekasi within the archdiocese’s jurisdiction, recognizing the city’s growing role as one of Jakarta’s commuter towns. By the 1960s, Strada Budi Luhur Catholic School was established here, and soon after, regular Masses began to be celebrated on the school grounds. With the introduction of new residential areas across Bekasi, the Catholic community steadily grew, and in 1979, the Bekasi stasi was officially elevated to the status of a full parish.
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| The church entrance with the Porta Sancta, adorned with stained glass of the four Evangelists |
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| The sanctuary was renovated in 2011, complemented by stained glass of the Risen Christ above |
A few years later, after a new church building was planned and constructed as a proper place of worship for the Bekasi Parish, in 1987 the Church of Saint Arnold Janssen was completed and consecrated by Mgr. Leo Soekoto, S.J., then the Archbishop of Jakarta. Designed by PT. Griyantara Architects, the main church building adopted the traditional Javanese Joglo style, symbolizing harmony between local culture and Catholic faith, with current capacity of 1,500 people. The funding and construction of this church outside Jakarta was made possible through the tireless fundraising and collective efforts of parishioners, most of whom came from low- to middle-income backgrounds—a testament to their remarkable dedication.
As a large parish established in Bekasi, it naturally played a pivotal role in the archdiocese, serving as a spiritual and organizational center for the Catholic faithful in the rapidly growing city. The church later underwent a major renovation, completed in 2011, and was consecrated by the current Archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo. This renewal responded to the increasing number of parishioners and the need for modernized facilities, while still preserving the distinctive character of the building. The re-consecration not only marked a new chapter in the life of this massive parish but also reaffirmed its role as a cornerstone of Catholic life in Bekasi. In fact, the growth nurtured here eventually became the foundation for the establishment of several new parishes across the Bekasi area.
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| Stained glass depiction of St. Arnold Janssen, flanked by St. Anna and St. Joachim, the parents of St. Mary |
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| Since its establishment in 1979, Bekasi Parish has been served by priests from the Society of the Divine Word |
The church is named after Saint Arnold Janssen (1837–1909) as the patron of this church, a German-Dutch Catholic priest, missionary, and founder of the Society of the Divine Word (Latin: Societas Verbi Divini), commonly known as the Divine Word Missionaries or Verbites (SVD). Priests from this congregation have been serving the parish since its establishment in 1979. Born into a Catholic family on 5 November 1837 in Goch, Rhineland, near the Dutch border, Janssen was an excellent student. He completed his studies at the Catholic Augustinianum High School in Gaesdonck, studied philosophy at the Academy of Münster, and later continued at the University of Bonn. Afterward, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Münster and assigned as a high school teacher in Bocholt, where he taught physics and catechism.
In 1875, amidst the Kulturkampf—a church-state conflict that led to the expulsion of many religious groups and closure of seminaries in Germany—he founded the SVD congregation in Steyl, the Netherlands. The society received papal approval from Pope Leo XIII in 1878. Arnold Janssen was canonized on 5 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II. Today, the Society of the Divine Word is one of the largest missionary congregations in the Catholic Church, with more than 6,000 members serving in over 70 countries worldwide, including Indonesia. On one side of the church interior, there is a beautiful stained glass window depicting St. Arnold Janssen, with his famous quote at the bottom: “Whether anything at all will come from this house, only God knows.” This reflects his humility and trust in divine providence when he founded the Society of the Divine Word in Steyl.
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Built to replace the parish’s older Marian Grotto, this Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima continues to be a place of prayer
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| The Stations of the Cross stand in the parish garden, inviting the faithful to pause and reflect in prayers |
There are actually two Marian grottos in this church: an older one located at the back, and a newer one called the Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima situated on the side, next to the Stations of the Cross. A small chapel is also found in this area, while the Adoration Room is located in the parish presbytery. Both grottos, especially the Fatima grotto, have become popular prayer spots for parishioners, who often come to light candles and seek Mary’s intercession.
Due to the challenging circumstances in reaching this church, my visit to Bekasi Parish has become one of the most memorable during this Jubilee Year. I still remember arriving at the church, welcomed by the greeter, and even asking her to let me sit outside for a while just to catch my breath. Finally, when I entered through the Porta Sancta, it was a moment of deep relief and gratitude — thankful for being able to reach and enter the church at last.
As Saint Arnold Janssen once said at the inauguration of the Mission House in Steyl: “Whether anything will come of it is known only to God. But we express our thanks to the Giver of all good things for having helped with this beginning.” These humble words capture not only his trust in divine providence but also the spirit I carried in my own journey to this parish. What began as a tiring and challenging path became one of the most memorable visits of this Jubilee Year—a reminder that every beginning, no matter how small, rests in God’s hands.
Paroki Bekasi
Gereja Santo Arnoldus Janssen
Location Jalan Lapangan Serbaguna RT.002/RW.009, Margahayu, East Bekasi, Bekasi, West Java
Weekly Mass Schedule
Saturday, 05.00 PM
Sunday, 06.00 AM, 08.30 AM, 05.00 PM
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