“From Five to 325: A Legacy of Faithfulness in Boundless Service”
Happy Anniversary!
95 Years of the FCJM Congregation in Indonesia
June 4, 1930 – June 4, 2025
Today is a day of gratitude and remembrance for the FCJM Sisters in the Indonesian Province. On June 4, 1930, five missionary sisters from the Netherlands arrived in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra. Their arrival marked the beginning of a sacred mission, planting the presence of the FCJM Congregation in Indonesian soil.
We give heartfelt thanks to these pioneering sisters:
- Sr. M. Bernarde Vollmer FCJM
- Sr. M. Guidona Sasse FCJM
- Sr. M. Girvinia Verwey FCJM
- Sr. M. Magdala Leliveld FCJM
- Sr. M. Tarcissa Nugter FCJM
These five missionaries were warmly welcomed by the local people and community. With a spirit of dedication, they began their ministry in education, collaborating with the Sisters of Van Dongen, priests, and local leaders. Although they faced many challenges—adapting to the climate, language, food, and unfamiliar surroundings—their missionary zeal burned brightly. The number of students in the schools they served steadily increased.
After their arrival, the FCJM Sisters in the Netherlands continued to provide care and support. With loving concern, they sent more sisters, stage by stage, according to the needs of the mission. These sisters carried and shared the spirit of our Foundress, Mother Clara Pfänder, becoming living witnesses of her charism. In time, young women from Indonesia were moved to join them in this journey of religious life.
They faced many hardships, but their love was greater than any challenge. The goodness they sowed has borne abundant fruit for the Church, the Congregation, and society. This is reflected in the enduring FCJM banner they raised—one that continues to stand firm 95 years later.
Today, the Indonesian Province gives thanks for the journey so far. Growth is evident: in vocations, in the expansion of mission territories, in the diversity of apostolic works, and in the ability to respond to the needs of the times. Though the Province has matured, support from the Dutch Region remains strong and deeply felt.
The Province also stands firm thanks to the continued support of the international FCJM community. Sisters from various countries and regions, especially the United States, Germany, France, and mission areas like Romania, Malawi (Africa), Brazil, and Suriname, remain close in spirit and collaboration.
The Indonesian Sisters have received much assistance in their development: spiritual life, leadership, formation, and mission resources. Indeed, the growth of FCJM Indonesia is the fruit of a collective effort across the international FCJM family.
The bond of sisterhood within the Congregation is clearly visible, even across continents. Sisters serve together in different missions: in education in Malawi (with Indonesian and German sisters), in social ministries (with Indonesian Junior Sisters in Germany), and in international leadership at the Generalate in Rome. Indonesian Sisters also benefit from opportunities for language and pastoral development in the United States and the Netherlands.
We express our sincere gratitude to all FCJM Sisters in every region, to the Church, to the faithful, and to all communities who have walked with us. From the five courageous missionaries, the FCJM family in Indonesia has now grown to 325 members.
“In this 95-year journey, we give thanks to all who have become living witnesses of the Gospel. May the spirit of love, service, and prayer continue to burn brightly into eternity.”
Written by Sr. M. Angela Siallagan FCJM
Translated by Paska Soriani Sitinjak