Hundreds of students and faculty members of Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) enthusiastically celebrated Christmas on the third floor of the E building. On that occasion, students were also pushed to always remember God in making any decision.
The Christmas celebration was hosted by the Catholic Student Association and Christian Student Association, with music and chanting performances being featured at the event.
The event, held on December 29th, 2023, was opened by Romo Yohanes through his words of advice, with several Christian students and faculty members attending the event. The event symbolically began after a Christmas candle-lighting ceremony conducted by Dr. Kusni Ingsih, M.M., the Vice Chancellor III of Student Affairs.
Agnes Sukma Kinanti, the Head of the Committee, stated that the Christmas event was mainly hosted by both the Catholic Student Association and the Christian Student Association. Annually, those two religious organizations handle the event accordingly. Then, Agnes further added the theme of the event was ‘Christmas of Joy,” meaning that Christmas could generally bring a feeling of joy to mankind.
“The theme of this event, ‘Christmas of Joy,” holds a special meaning. We want the academic community attending this event to be able to deeply understand the true meaning of Christmas,” she uttered.
During her greetings, Dr. Kusni Ingsih, M.M., encouraged students to keep upholding the religious harmony. On that occasion, she also wished the whole academic community a merry Christmas.
“Religious harmony is the culmination of every religion, as religions in general teach us to essentially do good deeds,” she explained in her greeting.
Teaching Students to Always Remember God
The Christmas celebration took place from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with a mass activity marking the beginning of the event. Moreover, various Christmas songs were chanted by the whole academic community. In addition to students, various Christian faculty members also voice their chanting and fuel this Christmas with enthusiasm.
Romo Yohanes Gunawan, in the mass, encouraged students to always remember God in making every decision. As stated by Romo Yohanes Gunawan in front of the audience, students had to be able to convey the message of peace to everyone in Indonesia.
