The second Asia Pacific Theological Encounter Programme (APTEP) will be held from April 10 to May 8, 2012. Conducted by the Indonesian Jesuits, the one-month programme on “Dialogue with Muslims” was first held in 2011. It was born from the positive successful immersion programme conducted in 2009 with 18 Indonesian Jesuit scholastics living in an Islamic boarding school (pesantren) for two weeks.
The APTEP programme is one of the responses of the Jesuits within the Conference of Asia Pacific to the challenge “to plunge ourselves more deeply into that dialogue with religions that may show us that the Holy Spirit is at work all over the world that God loves.” (GC 35 decree 2-24) and “to strengthen and support those Jesuits and collaborators actively involved in the fourfold dialogue recommended by the Church to listen carefully to all, and to build bridges linking individuals and communities of good will” (GC 35 decree 3-22).
APTEP is to be conducted every year in Indonesia because of the country’s great diversity of religion, ethnicity, race, culture and language. Indonesia is also home to the world’s largest Muslim population. The programme provides scholastics with an environment in which to get together and reflect on the matters relating to developing a contextual theology. This is done more on the practical level of dialoguing, discussing, exchanging and deepening views, rather than on the theoretical level of gathering information.
The programme is based in the Ignatius House of Studies, Yogyakarta and is credited and integrated into each Faculty’s curriculum, with credits given by the Graduate Programme of Sanata Dharma University. The content is considered as open to Asian Theological issues, with the focus on Islam as it is lived in a particular context like that of Indonesia. In this matter, Islam is seen from different angles as it faces problems of life, modernity, cultures, social developments, etc. The programme is thus considered as integral, and not purely theological.
The programme includes discussions with Muslim professors and non-Muslim professors dealing with Islam as well as contextual theology, like Fr Thomas Michel SJ (IDO), Fr Dan Madigan SJ (ASL), Fr Aloysius Mowe SJ (MAS), Fr Herman Roborgh SJ (ASL), Fr Albert Alejo SJ (PHI), Fr Bernard Kieser SJ (IDO), Fr Franz Magnis-Suseno SJ (IDO). To complement the classroom sessions and discussions, the scholastics also have live-in engagement with Muslim students in a pesantren. In 2011, participants engaged with Muslims student for six days in the pesantren in Jombang, East Java.
The programme has been well received by participants.
“Abdul Kadir Riyadi, one of the speakers during our stay in the Pesantren in Jombang said that if you want to study Islam especially how it is lived and practised, you come to Indonesia. And I feel that APTEP simply facilitated the claim of the speaker as I truly experienced how Muslims live the faith – I have seen their faith and how they truly live the faith. My experiences at the pesantren were really a great impact into my disposition towards my Muslim brothers and sisters. That was truly my religious experience,” said a participant in the 2011 programme held from January 5 to February 3, 2011.
Another participant said: “The APTEP offered a comprehensive study of Islam. This, as well as living with them for a week, paved me an objective way of looking at the Muslims and their religion. The biases that I had with them in the past were corrected. Though the said learning is also coupled with lots of questions, I am still happy that at the same time I am seeing myself now guided in my quest for the answers. My directions is pointed towards reading more about them as well as an open disposition to experience more their ways here in my home Island Mindanao.”
APTEP Programme Director Fr Heru Prakosa SJ said that applications for the 2012 programme are now open.
“Based on our experience, we are ready to assist 10 to 15 participants,” said Fr Heru.
The programme is open to both Jesuit scholastics and non-Jesuit seminarians from various Theological Institutes. Those who have completed at least one year of theological studies are preferred.
For more information on APTEP in 2012, contact Fr Heru Prakosa SJ at hprakosa@jesuits.net.