BANDUNG, Indonesia (UCAN) -- Being Christian in a Sundanese Muslim-dominant society means maintaining a low profile while striving to be the best in one's respective professions, says Holy Cross Father Yohanes Sunyata, head of Bandung diocese's Lay Apostolate Commission.

The Muslim Sundanese are one of three principal ethnic groups on the island of Java.

"It does not mean that we give up in a difficult situation. It is just an art practiced by minority groups everywhere," he told UCA News.

"I assure our lay Catholics here that their moral and professional quality would tell people all about our Church," said the local priest who is provincial superior of the Holy Cross congregation in Java.

Father Sunyata said that despite difficulties due to the Church's foreign trademark, the prospect of Church development in the province is not too gloomy.

"Before 1964 nobody within the Church circle believed that the Church would baptize Sundanese. But when nearly 5,000 Sundanese in Cigugur village decided to be members of the Catholic Church in September 1964, Church officials realized that for God everything is possible," he noted.

He said his commission was getting lay Catholic professionals to share with the Sundanese how to be lay apostles through their respective professions.

Father Sunyata added that at periodic meetings lay Catholic professionals discuss current issues and study Church teachings and encyclicals.

Junus Situmorang, a member of the West Java provincial legislative council, told UCA News that though there are only two Catholics in the council (he and an air force colonel representing the armed forces faction), their influence resulted in the issuing of government permits for several Church buildings in the province.

Situmorang said personal approaches to other council members proved to be effective in fighting for Catholic causes.

"To my surprise, even members of the (Islamic) United Development Party (PPP) faction came to my support when I appealed to the provincial government to immediately issue the permits for several Church buildings because it is also an implementation of Pancasila state ideology," he said.

Former local Confucianists in Cirebon, in the eastern part of the province, he said, offered their former temple to the local Catholic Church.

"The temple is quite large to be turned into a church. Now it is the task of Pak Yulianto (a Catholic air force colonel) to handle the case, because he has replaced my position in the commission which, among other things, deals with religious affairs, while I fill the position at another commission," he added.

According to Situmorang, the defence and security minister, General L.Benny Moerdani, indirectly helped ease the task of the two Catholic councilors.

"When he came to Bandung last April at the invitation of the Catholic Union of University Students, Bandung chapter, to lecture on the national education system, I got an opportunity to talk with him about many problems faced by Catholics in the province. Not long after our talk, everything ran smoothly," Situmorang said.

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