Albertus Soegijapranata

Albertus Soegijapranata was an influential Catholic leader and nationalist in Indonesia. He was the first native Indonesian bishop and known for his pro-nationalistic stance, often expressed as "100% Catholic 100% Indonesian". He was born in Surakarta, Dutch East Indies, to a Muslim courtier and his wife. He converted to Catholicism at the age of 14 and joined the Jesuit order in 1920. He studied philosophy and theology in the Netherlands and was ordained as a priest in 1931. He returned to Indonesia and served as a parish priest in Yogyakarta and Bintaran, where he promoted Catholic education and social welfare among the native community. He was appointed as the vicar apostolic of Semarang in 1940 and consecrated as a bishop by the apostolic delegate Petrus Willekens. He faced many challenges during the Japanese occupation and the Indonesian national revolution, as he defended the rights and interests of the Catholic Church and the Indonesian people. He supported the independence movement and advocated for international recognition of Indonesia's sovereignty. He also worked to establish a native clergy and to foster ecumenical dialogue with other Christian denominations and religions. He was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1961, when Semarang became an archdiocese. He died in 1963 in the Netherlands, where he had gone for medical treatment. He was buried in his hometown of Semarang, where he is revered as a national hero and a model of faith and patriotism.