From my Jubilee Year 2025 visit to St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Central Jakarta, I realized that I am personally connected to this church in more ways than one. First, from its very name, we see that the church is dedicated to St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the largest religious order in the Catholic Church. As I have shared in an earlier blog post, Ignatius was also the name given to me at my Confirmation sacrament. Beyond this shared patron saint, the church is located on Jalan Malang (Malang Street), which has also become the official parish name, Jalan Malang Parish. This carries a special meaning for me, as I was born in Malang, a city in East Java after which this street was named. While I have not written much about my hometown here, I plan to share more about Malang and the Province of East Java in the future. For now, let us take a closer look at St. Ignatius Loyola Church of Jalan Malang Parish.
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| The church features a distinctive origami-inspired design with striking sharp corners |
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| In front of the church stands a statue of St. Ignatius Loyola, its patron saint |
Situated in the Menteng district of Central Jakarta, the church was once part of Menteng Parish, which I have explored in a previous post. Menteng itself is notable as the first planned residential area of Batavia (now Jakarta), designed and built during the Dutch colonial era between 1910 and 1918. Known as a “garden city” with its tree-lined streets and small parks, Menteng later became an elite neighborhood after Indonesia’s independence. Many national figures resided here, including Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, the nation’s first President and Vice President. The second President, Soeharto, also once lived in the area. Interestingly, former U.S. President Barack Obama spent part of his childhood here, living with his family and attending local schools. Today, Menteng is home to many heritage sites and preserved colonial buildings, including the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola itself. The church stands at the intersection of Jalan Malang and Jalan Latuharhari, which explains why some publications may list either street name as its address.
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| Established in 1949, Jalan Malang Parish was formed as a new parish separated from Menteng Parish |
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The Jalan Malang Parish, among the oldest in the Archdiocese, is home to around 4,600 members
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Founded in 1949, Jalan Malang Parish is one of the oldest parishes in the Archdiocese of Jakarta. It was established after being separated from Menteng Parish in order to better serve the growing Catholic community in Menteng and its surrounding areas. Since the parish did not yet have its own church building, Masses were initially celebrated in the homes of several Catholic families in the neighborhood. Later on, the community also used the hall of St. Ignatius Catholic School, and eventually, in the 1950s, shared this site with the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus Mary Joseph (JMJ), a religious order founded in 1822 in the Netherlands by Fr. Mathias Wolff, S.J. As time went on, the parish managed to acquire additional plots of land around the site, and by 1969 the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola was finally consecrated. The church was named after St. Ignatius Loyola in connection with the Jesuit priests who served the parish in its early decades. Although it is now administered by diocesan priests, the name has been retained, with St. Ignatius remaining an important patron for the parish community.
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| Behind the crucifix, the vibrant blue and yellow glass blocks create both airflow and a striking visual focus |
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| The stained vents brighten the interior, while the sound of nearby railway occasionally makes its presence felt |
The architecture of this church immediately draws attention with its origami-like roof, a series of sharp folds and angled corners that rise and flow toward the altar, almost as if guiding one’s gaze and steps to the sacred center. At the front and back, prominent colorful ventilation holes break the solid form of the structure, serving not only as striking visual accents but also as practical channels to release the tropical heat. Stepping inside, the warm wooden interior wraps the space in a sense of serenity, softening the geometric sharpness of the exterior. Passing through the Porta Sancta, the very first impression was not only visual but sensory—the church carried a subtle, pleasant fragrance, as if welcoming visitors with a calm and gentle embrace. Just past one of the sharp corners near the confessional stands a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, quietly greeting the faithful.
Outside in the courtyard, a larger statue of the same saint faces the church, as if guiding people to enter with open hearts. Together, these two figures create a gentle dialogue: one inviting us in, the other reminding us to go forth renewed in spirit. There were several moments inside the church when the calm was suddenly interrupted by the piercing siren of a railway crossing, warning that the barrier was closing for an approaching commuter train. Moments later, the rumble of the train itself followed, loud and unmissable. I soon realized this wasn’t a rare disturbance but a regular rhythm of the place, as the church sits right beside a busy commuter line leading to the Manggarai transit station. While I wasn’t there during a mass to see how the congregation would react, I can only imagine that the faithful have long grown accustomed to it, carrying on with their prayers undeterred.
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| A glimpse into the heart of the parish, where pastoral care is carried out under the watchful eyes of the saint |
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The Mary Immaculate Grotto adds another personal connection for me with this church
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At the corner of the lush courtyard, the Marian Grotto can be found, and here I immediately noticed another personal connection. Named the Mary Immaculate Grotto, it was consecrated in 1990 as a contribution from the parishioners. The title Mary Immaculate happens to be the same name as my own local parish community back in my church, making me feel instantly at home. Adding to this sense of familiarity, the very patron of this parish is St. Ignatius of Loyola—the same saint whose name I received at my Confirmation. Seeing his statues both inside and outside the church felt like a quiet reminder of that milestone in my own faith journey.
It was as if these details, from the grotto, the patron saint, and even the parish’s name on Jalan Malang, named after my hometown, were woven together to gently affirm that my visit here was not merely by chance. In the end, what I brought home was more than an impression of striking architecture or a serene wooden interior. I left with a sense of being connected—across places, across communities, and across the moments of my own spiritual path.
Paroki Jalan Malang
Gereja Santo Ignatius Loyola
Location Jalan Malang No 22, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Jakarta
Weekly Mass Schedule
Saturday, 05.00 PM
Sunday, 07.00 AM, 09.00 AM, 05.00 PM
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