YB Mangunwijaya’s devotion is timeless. Even though his body passed away 25 years ago, his thoughts and work still inspire today, including the younger generation. This figure, who is familiarly called Father Mangun, became a Catholic priest who did real work outside the church altar to help the poor.
Efforts to continue the spiritual spirit of Father Mangun were carried out by Bentara Budaya together with the Committee to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Death of Father Mangun at Bentara Budaya Jakarta, South Palmerah, Jakarta, Saturday (18/5/2024), in a discussion that is packaged lightly with fun chat. The conversation was initiated by the Chancellor of the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) 2019-2023 Komaruddin Hidayat, Chairman of the Basic Education Dynamics Foundation, Father CB Mulyatno Pr, and cultural actor Inaya Wahid.
Dozens of Generation Z youths, ranging from students to university students, came to seek inspiration from Romo Mangun’s three triggers. One student asked if there are still figures like Romo Mangun at present that they can encounter. They feel that there are no current figures who can match the stature of Romo Mangun.
The key word inherited by Father Mangun is solidarity. Life moves from the heart as a process of interpreting solidarity.
According to Inaya, it is natural that young people today do not encounter figures like Romo Mangun. This is because many of them are trapped in internet algorithms, while figures who work in the community are actually less popular in the virtual world.
“Today, there are still many figures who dedicate their lives to the community, but they may not appear because they do not sell content. Today, those who appear in our algorithm are the opposite of them,” said Inaya.
The youngest daughter of the fourth President of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid or Gus Dur, exemplifies that there are still many community figures fighting in society. For example, women who fight by weaving to survive after their farmland is evicted for investment purposes, religious figures who come down from their pulpit to be more meaningful to the community, and so on.
The same goes for the younger generation of Z who are fighting through social movements, both directly and in the virtual world, to monitor government policies. This meeting, according to Inaya, is a platform to remind us of the essence of Romo Mangun’s struggles that are still relevant to this day.
“We never ask ourselves, ‘Can I not be inspired by Father Mangun?’ We always demand that others become figures, but don’t throw that demand at ourselves,” he said.
Father Mulyatno revealed that Father Mangun refused to be praised excessively, and did not even want to be called a hero or national figure. Its services are always based on the values of love and humanity.
Also read: Father Mangunwijaya, Defender of the Small People
He recounted that around 1997, during the inauguration ceremony of Mangunan School in DI Yogyakarta by a representative of the Ministry of Education, Father Mangun invited street children from the railway tracks to eat together in a restaurant. After the event, Father Mangun finished the remaining food of the children in front of the minister’s representative.
In addition, during another meeting with Gus Dur and some other figures, Father Mangun combined all the leftover warm tea and drank it till the very last drop. Father Mangun did this solely to remind everyone that blessings should not be wasted.
“The key word passed down by Father Mangun is solidarity. Life moves from the heart as a process of interpreting solidarity. “Then, regarding the school, yes, all of our life activities are in the community, not the school building,” said Mulyatno.
According to Komaruddin Hidayat, who is a prominent figure in Pondok Pesantren Pabelan, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Father Mangun is not only a figure for Catholics. His exemplary leadership has become a respected and inspirational figure for followers of other religions.
“Romo Mangun fully devotes himself to God, which is poured out for humanity and embodied for the nation in the context of Indonesian identity. His manifestation is not only in various writings but also in actions,” said Komaruddin.
Also read: 25 Years of the Death of Father Mangun, a Priest Who Worked Outside the Altar
Throughout his life, Romo Mangun consistently and courageously defended the marginalized and disadvantaged people. Romo Mangun’s works also appear in various forms, ranging from architecture, literature-culture, social-political, education, to social movements. His defense of the weak was carried out through various efforts such as seminars, lectures, sermons, article writing, and books.
In addition to being a Catholic priest, Father Mangun is also known as an activist, architect, and writer. During the New Order era, the man born on May 6, 1929, accompanied the community on the banks of the Code River in Yogyakarta and advocated for victims of evictions resulting from the construction of the Kedungombo Dam in Central Java. Father Mangun passed away on February 10, 1999.
