LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — As dusk settled over the marina on Friday, the soft glow of a thousand candles illuminated a sea of solemn faces. In a powerful display of collective empathy, the local Catholic community gathered at the Waterfront Marina for a prayer vigil dedicated to the Spanish family at the center of a week-long maritime tragedy.
The ceremony, led by Father Hermen Sanusi, began with a communal Rosary at 5:30 p.m. local time. By 7 p.m., the poignant moment arrived as the wife and surviving family members of Fernando Martin Carreras—the missing Valencia CF coach—joined hundreds of parishioners, nuns, and priests to light candles in unison.
“The intention of this gathering is to provide moral and spiritual support to the family from Spain who are currently grieving,” Father Hermen explained to the assembled crowd. “All who are present here—the congregation, the monastic sisters, the priests—wish to affirm that we truly empathize and share in the sorrow of what they are experiencing now.”
The vigil served a dual purpose: offering solace to the bereaved family and expressing solidarity with the exhaustive search and rescue (SAR) operation. “This candlelight is a symbol of hope from all present, and especially from the family, that those still missing may be found,” Father Hermen said. He added that the prayers were also extended to the SAR teams, port authorities, and all personnel involved in the arduous search for the victims of the sunken KM Putri Sakinah.
The spiritual support comes as the massive physical search enters a critical phase. On its eighth day, the operation involves approximately 152 personnel from multiple agencies, including the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), local SAR posts, and the port authority, utilizing 17 primary assets. The focus remains on sweeping the ocean surface and scouring nearby land areas deemed potentially significant.
The KM Putri Sakinah, a tourist vessel, sank in the waters off Padar Island in Komodo National Park on December 26. While the coach’s wife and youngest child survived, and one daughter has been recovered deceased, the fate of Mr. Carreras and his two sons remains unknown.
Standing at the water’s edge where the search vessels depart daily, the vigil transformed the marina into a sanctuary of shared humanity. “We have hope that they can be found,” Father Hermen said, his voice echoing the community’s silent prayer. “Through our collective prayers, and especially the prayers to the Virgin Mary, we also express our love and solidarity with the family, to show them they are not alone.”
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