Meeting of Major Superiors. 11-14 July 2005, Chuuk, Micronesia
The major superiors began arriving at the Chuuk airport on July 8. As a custom, young girls welcomed the guests with flower garlands. From July 11-14, the Major Superiors had their meeting at Xavier High School. It was a very memorable meeting, well prepared by the local team, under the direction of Fr. Kenneth Hezel, the Major Superior, and Fr. Arthur Leger, the director of the school. After the meeting, the majority of the Superiors stayed for two more days getting to know the activities of the local church, visiting a neighboring island, and attending an ordination of a local diocesan priest at the Cathedral of Chuuk.
Philippine Provincial Fr. Danny Huang missed the meeting due to the tense political situation in the capital of Manila. Many groups held several demonstrations, demanding for President Arroyo to resign. Fr. Bill Abbott, Socius, came as his representative.
It was apparently the last meeting for the present Provincial of Chinese Province, Fr. Beda Liu, and the Regional Superior of Taiwan Region, Fr. Alfonso Arcay. Both bid goodbye to their fellow Jesuits in that meeting. Fr. Beda Liu informed on the latest developments in the effort of restructuring Chinese Province Leadership, where there will be only one provincial for all to unite the units of Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong and Continental China.
The group welcomed Fr. Shogo Sumita, the new Provincial of Japan, taking the place of Fr. Koichi Matsumoto.
HIGHLIGHTS
Chain Appointments: A concept for sharing. When the appointment of someone for an important mission leaves a vacuum that cannot be filled in the Province or Region of the Appointee, someone from another Jesuit Unit, or even Assistancy, is appointed to fill the vacuum.
East Asian Theological Encounter Program (EATEP): A six-week program of study, encounters and immersion into the world of Teravada Buddhism, for students of Theology, Tertians or other interested Jesuits (to be opened to non-Jesuits too). Beginning in 2006, in Thailand.
Sending Young Jesuits to New Missions in the Assistancy: It is becoming very obvious that the Major Superiors are very willing to send men to the New Missions. One of them said that “if our younger Jesuits volunteer for such missions the task of sending and the long-term ministry on those missions would be much easier”. Something worth considering in the context of our apostolic vocation
Some decisions made by the major superiors:
- Travel outside the Provinces or Regions/Missions is consuming a fair amount of our limited resources. Major Superiors are exchanging with each other existing policies for reflection and discernment. The purpose is to maximize apostolically our financial resources in harmony with our commitment to poverty.
- The following recommendations on the apostolic care of Youth were approved. These were prepared by the Scholastics and Brothers at the end of their meeting in Seoul, and reformulated at the request of the Conference.
- that the youth ministry is designated as a key Jesuit apostolic response today,
- that provinces/regions start building this ministry locally and in a small scale, and
- that an e-team of scholastics be created to facilitate an Assistancy-wide collaboration.
Two important and expanding human and social problems that challenge our apostolic mission and have not found adequate response from us will be studied by the Social Action Secretariate for more effective response. These problems are the ongoing reality of Migration and the desolation of HIV/AIDS.
- The Major Superiors are sharing plans, programs and initiatives for the coming Jesuit Jubilee Year of the Three First Companions: Ignatius, Xavier and Peter Favre. During the month of August a summary of these initiatives will be prepared for the next issue of the Assistancy news.