Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta has reiterated the importance of compassion as a cornerstone of the Catholic Church’s mission, urging parishes across the Jakarta Archdiocese to actively support its social solidarity program, Berkat Santo Yusup (BKSY), or Saint Joseph’s Blessings.
Speaking during a recent gathering at the Catholic University of Atma Jaya, Cardinal Suharyo addressed church-goers and activists from 32 parishes.
The event marked the 11th anniversary of BKSY, a program designed to provide financial aid to marginalized members of the community during times of illness or bereavement.
“BKSY is not an insurance scheme,” clarified BKSY’s top chief, Mr. Kaduhu, a former banker. “It is Jakarta Archdiocese’s main social solidarity program to foster the spirit of compassion with the unluckiest people in our society during their illness and their unhappy time as one member of the family is dead.”
For an annual contribution of IDR 80,000 (USD $6), members receive IDR 100,000 (USD $7) per day when hospitalized and their families are granted IDR 10 million (USD $667) upon their death.
“Such financial aid program is indeed a big money for any family with dead loss as funeral ceremony is also very costly,” explained Th. Wiryawan, BKSY’s financial manager.
‘Walking the Talk’
Cardinal Suharyo emphasized the program as a practical embodiment of the Church’s pastoral mission, encapsulated in its tagline: “Faith, Fraternity, Compassion.” He highlighted the significance of translating the concept of compassion into action.
“At the present day, the word ‘compassion’ has been becoming very popular in every heart of church-goers. But if we are advised to ‘walk the talking,’ it is not always easy to boost the morale of our congregation to be compassionate with others,” the cardinal said.
Citing the Gospel story of St. Mary visiting St. Elizabeth, he added, “We are advised to induce ourselves with the best practices that BKSY’s team has successfully practiced the spirit of social solidarity — our Christian compassion with others through this humanitarian initiative.”
Addressing Challenges
Despite its success, BKSY faces challenges, including a financial gap between contributions and expenses. Over 11 years, the program has spent IDR 26.3 billion, but its income remains insufficient.
“For this reason, we strongly advise our parochial activists across the Archdiocese of Jakarta to support this noble mission, urging our church-goers to join this initiative,” said Mr. Kaduhu.
The cardinal also expressed concern about limited support from priests in promoting the program.
“It seems to me that despite publicly advocacy has been repeatedly done, I am expected to send my strong message to each parish priest to convey this spirit of compassion on the ground,” he said.
A National Initiative
BKSY’s model has also been adopted outside Jakarta, including by Father Joseph Kristanto at Maria Assumpta Parish Church in Klaten Regency, Central Java.
“As a local priest, I have conveyed this noble scheme to my church-goers and their response was very positive,” Father Kristanto told LiCAS.News.
The cardinal’s call to action underscores the Church’s commitment to ensuring that compassion becomes a lived reality for its members.
“This is indeed our best practice’s inspirational insight of how to implement compassion with others into force in our daily life,” Cardinal Suharyo said.
