Fr Charlie Burrows’ 50th Jubilee – Celebrations for Irish priest attract thousands of Muslims and Christians

Readers may remember I have written a few blog posts about the remarkable witness of Fr Charlie Burrows, an Irish missionary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate serving in Cilacap, Indonesia.

My very first post about Fr Burrows was after an RTE ‘Would you Believe’ programme in 2011, where I wrote that his work was ‘a concrete example of what a “church without walls” looks like’.

Fr Burrows also has written a number of guest posts for my blog over the years. Some examples include:

Fr Burrows on Christian Witness

Fr Burrows on Experiencing Jesus in Islam and Christianity

Fr Burrows on the sexual abuse crisis and seminary training

Fr Burrows on Muslim Guests at a Christian Wedding

Fr Burrows on Wonder

Last week, Muslims and Christians gathered to celebrate his Jubilee – the 50th anniversary of his priesthood. The celebrations lasted two days and attracted thousands.

The report by Mathias Hariyadi was produced for AsiaNews. You can read it in full here; there are excerpts below.

Muslims and Catholics together for the 50th anniversary of ‘Romo Carolus’s priesthood

Fr Charles Patrick Burrows, 76, an Irish missionary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, has been working in Cilacap district since 1973. …

The 76-year-old clergyman served for the past 46 years in Cilacap, southwestern Central Java province. Since 1973, when he arrived in Kampung Laut, he led several successful humanitarian projects, which earned him the recognition and the deep affection of the local population. In 1983, he became an Indonesian citizen and in 2012 he received the Ma’arif Award.

The missionary’s work brought considerable development to the area. Before his arrival, locals were employed mainly in fishing in marshy areas. Since then, their life has changed radically, and they are now rice producers.
The work of the Dublin-born priest did not stop at farming but also touched infrastructure (such as dams and roads), education, professional training, and local small and medium business development.

The priest’s fete last week began with a Mass in the chapel of the Omi minor seminary in Cilacap. Romo (Father) Carolus led the service with two confreres, Fr Tarcisius Eko Saktio, provincial superior of the order in Indonesia, and Fr Vincent Watun, involved in Yayasan Sosial Bina Sejahtera (YSBS), the foundation set up by the Irish missionary in the 1980s to eradicate poverty. Some 29 OMI priests came to Cilacap from all over Indonesia for the occasion.

In his homily, Fr Carolus urged those present to do good deeds and engage in humanitarian works for the benefit of others. “Entering paradise will be your main reward,” he said.

For YSBS member Trias Dwi Nugroho, the clergyman’s words not only reflect his deep faith, but also his encouragement to “Christians to put religious teachings into practice and not limit themselves to the sacramental aspects.” For him, “Being among people, talking to and working with people regardless of their ethnic and religious background are Fr Carolus’s natural qualities.”

Over the 46 years he spent in the mission in Cilacap district, the missionary worked with local authorities and ordinary people: fishermen, peasants, street vendors and anyone who needed practical help to improve their economic situation. For this reason, the fête’s organising committee included Catholics and Muslims. Likewise, many religious leaders were also present, including Gus Shoim, an important local cleric, who was the guest of honour on Friday evening.

… Read the rest of the story here , including a series of remarkable photographs at the bottom of the page.