Dampak Jejak Sejarah Terhadap Kehidupan Sosio Religius di Wilayah Utara Kabupaten Ende

Abstract

Developmental gaps between social groups are often attributed to economic life. However, the phenomenon occurring in the Ende Regency region shows that disparities also exist in spiritual and religious life between groups of the faithful in the northern and southern regions. The Catholic Church life in the southern region appears more advanced, characterized by higher levels of church participation, more extensive devotional practices, and a greater number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Qualitative research—relying on documentation studies and interviews—proves that the disparity in the life of faith is influenced by several factors that serve as vehicles for faith education. Specifically, the development of educational institutions in Ende Regency began in the south, while in the northern region, educational development only started several decades later. Furthermore, the center of church mission services was initially located in the densely populated southern region; the larger but less populated northern region was served by only one mission center with a limited number of priests and catechists. This advantage as a hub was further supported by economic and political centers in the south, as well as transportation routes to the north that remained underdeveloped until the 1990s.