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Crosiers and the Asmat“Prudently and lovingly, through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of another religion, and in witness of Christian faith and life, acknowledge, preserve, and promote the spiritual and moral goods found among these people, as well as the values of their society and culture.” Under the direction of Bishop Alphonse Sowada, OSC, pastoral work among the Asmat people has operated according to the spirit and documents of the Second Vatican Council. The missionary work has included close dialogue between the Gospel and the local culture. Traditional stories and myths, as told by Asmat elders, were written down by the missioners in order to discover the deeper religious values of the Asmat people. Liturgies were adapted to incorporate important aspects of the Asmat culture. Pastoral workers in the Diocese of Agats-Asmat study Anthropology as an integral part of their formation, along with Theology and Philosophy. The Crosiers continue to promote respect for the Asmat culture, and dialogue between the social sciences and pastoral theology. Although traditionally food gatherers and hunters with little sense of planning, it is essential that the Asmat gain leadership and organizational skills in order to deal with outside influences currently threatening their environmental and cultural survival. Hopeful signs of the result of education and formation efforts include Asmat participation in the Diocesan Pastoral Council, women’s gatherings, and the formation of the Asmat Traditional Deliberative Institution, a network of sub-groups of Asmat who gather to mediate inter-community conflicts and solve social and environmental problems. The Institution recently successfully ousted an illegal fish cannery that was in its initial phase of construction. A current threat to village and church life is the harvesting of “gaharu” or eagle-wood. This aromatic wood is in demand from foreigners for use in making perfumes and incense. It has, however, always been taboo for the Asmat to cut or harvest eagle-wood. For the past 3 years foreign merchants based out of Jakarta have been enticing Asmat people to harvest the wood for them in exchange for such things as rice and boom boxes. The merchants then sell the wood for $1000/kilo. Soaring rates of prostitution and AIDS have accompanied these merchant middlemen to Papua. In addition to the challenges presented by the eagle-wood industry, the secession movement in is high gear. Since the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998, and the events in East Timor leading to independence, the Papuan people have been actively promoting self-determination. The hope is that progress can be made through dialogue and other peaceful means. However, Papua is much richer than Timor in resources, such as gold, copper, zinc, oil and wood, so the struggle for independence may come at even greater cost. Currently there are 22 Crosiers in the Indonesian community, 17 are Indonesians (including 5 preparing for final vows and ordination). Twenty-eight others are in various stages of formation for Crosier life. The Minnesota Crosiers plan to continue to walk with the Asmat people as ministers of justice, peace and truth for another 5 – 10 years. They have developed a Mission Fund that will assure support for the native Crosier community in the years ahead. For further information, or to donate to this fund, call Fr. Ed Greiwe, OSC, at (651) 486-7456 or the Mission Office (320) 251-1100. In order to consolidate and expand upon the efforts of the Crosiers to retain and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Asmat people, the American Museum of Asmat Art was opened in St. Paul in 1995. Please visit the museum! For more information about our diocesan direct connections and on-going global relationship with the Croiser Fathers and Brothers and the people of Papua...
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