For SVD student Antonius Kristanto ‘Krisna’ Papalesa, from Indonesia, the daily activities of life in Dorish Maru College, Melbourne, are immersing him in the local culture and preparing him for a life of mission.

Krisna was born in 1995 and spent most of his life in Jakarta with his parents, three brothers and four sisters.

“I joined the SVD in 2015 after I finished my senior year of high school in St Mary Immaculate Conception Lalian, Atambua, Timor, and took my first vows on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2017,” he says.

After completing his novitiate at St Joseph Nenuk in Atambua, he continued to study philosophy for four years in Ledalero, Indonesia before coming to Australia to complete his Theology studies and formation.

First though, Krisna has been studying English with English Language Studies for Pastoral Ministry (ELSPM), in preparation for his studies at Yarra Theological Union/University of Divinity.

“At ELSMP I have studied many kinds of issues for pastoral ministry such as globalisation, human trafficking and culture,” he says.

Life at Dorish Maru College, the SVD formation house in Melbourne is busy and active, Krisna says, from joining seminars at Janssen Spiritiuality Centre in Boronia, to cleaning the house every Saturday and cooking on Friday or Sunday, as well as celebrating Mass together with the Dorish Maru community.

“Those activities help me to understand the culture, language and my pastoral ministry,” he says.

“Moreover, it helps me to be a good SVD missionary in the future.”