The province-level choir festival, "Pesparani," was held in the diocese of Ambonia in Eastern Indonesia.
This event aimed to foster outstanding fraternity, harmony, and internal cooperation among religious believers.
Bishop Seno Ngutra of Amboina said that the choir festival would help the people who take part to become devoted Christians who uphold the values of tolerance and forgiveness.
"You are authentic Catholics who defend sportsmanship, a feeling and value of justice, tolerance, and the willingness to forgive one another," Bishop Ngutra said.
"When each of you returns to your region—the regency or city you represent—people will remark, 'This is the genuine contingent,'" the prelate said, adding that there is no deception, anxiety, wrath, or pestering.
"There is abundant joy and mutual forgiveness," he added.
The Pesta Paduan Suara Gerejani (PESPARANI) or the Ecclesiastical Choir Festival, is a cultural and artistic event for the Catholic community in Indonesia. It includes choir performances and competitions, responses to Psalms, and readings from the Bible.
The goal is to help Catholics understand, appreciate, and use the liturgy better.
Pesparani is a religious practice that focuses on, appreciates, and encourages the growth of cultural arts from a Catholic point of view as a way to worship and praise God.
Besides, the popular event helps the Indonesian government create national stability by preserving the country’s culture and bringing unity.
The organizing committee said Pesparani is not only a chance for Catholics to contribute to social and cultural development but also to become more devout, live their religion, and fear God more.
From September 24 to 30, Catholics and non-Catholics from 11 regions and cities in the province of Maluku participated in the competition.
The competition theme was "Creating True Brotherhood for a Superior Indonesia."
There are many contests in Pesparani, including children's choir, Gregorian youth choir, Catholic youth choir, mixed female adult choir, Gregorian male adult choir, mixed adult choir, and singing children's psalms, among others.
The Ambonia diocese, which includes the city of Tual, where the event took place, was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Amboina and elevated to the Diocese of Amboina on January 3, 1961.
As of 2020, it serves 115,650 Catholics (3.8% of the total population of 3,058,640) in 54 parishes with 99 priests (77 diocesans, 19 religious) and 220 lay religious (27 brothers, 193 nuns). -Kasmir Nema
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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