Volcano destroys Indonesia Catholic convent, killing religious sister

Members of a rescue team search for victims at Klatanlo village in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Nov. 4, 2024, after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted overnight. / Credit: RNOLD WELIANTO/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

A volcanic eruption destroyed a monastery in Indonesia on Sunday, leaving at least 10 people dead, including a Catholic sister.

Just minutes before midnight on Sunday, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the Island of Flores erupted, spewing ash 6,500 feet high and destroying local villages, causing residents to evacuate. Locals did not receive alarms or warnings of the eruption, according to a report by Asia News.

Sister Nikolin Padjo, head of a local monastery in Boru, Wulanggitang, died in the eruption, according to a report by Union of Catholic Asian News. Padjo was a Missionary Servant of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) and lived in the Hokeng Sisters Monastery. Another sister reportedly went missing as the sisters fled amid the volcanic ash, according to the Associated Press.

The San Domingo Minor Seminary in Hokeng, less than four miles from the crater in the Wulanggitang district, was also damaged, and at least 14 people living in the seminary were injured. An entire family was also among those whose lives were claimed by the volcano, according to Asia News.

About 70% of the 2 million residents of Flores are Catholic. The island has more than 2,700 Catholic churches. Flores is home to St. Peter Major Seminary, which is considered to be the world’s largest Catholic seminary with the highest enrollment. Indonesia has about 8.3 million Catholics, making up 3% of the nation’s population.

Nine bodies have been identified, and one victim remains undiscovered amid the debris according to the National Disaster Management Agency. The local search and rescue team is collecting data on the number of residents who are evacuating. The volcano damaged residences within a radius of about four miles from the mountain, while ash rain fell within the area. 

The local response team is concerned about potential lava floods. Similar floods killed many after a volcano in Indonesia in May. Indonesia has been plagued by volcanic eruptions given its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a path along the Pacific Ocean of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters.

The East Flores Regency Government has designated an emergency response status for the area until Dec. 31. At least 10,000 people spanning six villages in the Wulanggitang district and four in the Ile Bura district were affected by the eruption, according to the Associated Press.

Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million people, is made up of more than 17,000 islands. In all, the country has 120 active volcanoes. Mount Lewotobi has erupted dozens of times in the past few weeks and has erupted 43 times since late October, according to Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. The ministry raised the warning level from Level III to Level IV on Sunday, according to Muhammad Wafid, head of the Geological Agency.

“Based on the results of visual and instrumental monitoring, there is an increase in volcanic activity in G. Male Lewotobi is quite significant,” he said in a Nov. 4 press release. Wafid also warned the public of potential lava and rain floods.

Catholic groups such as the Society of Divine Word’s Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission and Caritas Indonesia are reportedly working to help victims on the island. Caritas Indonesia is coordinating with local Caritas group Caritas Larantuka and Caritas Maumere to distribute aid and survey the need.