The Jesuit Conference Asia Pacific (JCAP) continues to seek venues to strengthen reflection, and network through participation in formation programmes, and institutional and province reviews.  In Asia Pacific, there are continuous challenges of social and environmental injustice, limited basic education for the poor, and the needed revision of values in a culture of consumerism.  

Some Provinces and Regions have environmental agendas, while others have yet to explore the ecological dimension of the mission.  The current scope of experiences and connectivity is already very broad, yet emphasis is given to depth of internalisation, communication, and listening to the signs of the times with compassion, as it is always the poor who suffer first and gravest.  

The publication of “Healing a Broken World” with the letter of Father General sustains the direction and support for ecological work.  A global report was prepared, at the request of Father General to know what the Conferences did last year.

The effort is to support Provinces and Regions to deepen and communicate learnings from ongoing ecological initiatives, and to encourage others to begin their consideration of ecology as part of the mission.  Many Superiors are finding occasions within existing formation and structures to undertake a reflection workshop to internalise “Healing a Broken World” and “Our Environmental Way of Proceeding”.

In 2013, we will focus on eight areas.

1. We seek occasions to meet and listen with Father Provincials to develop capacity on how to accompany institutions and Father Greens in their ecology work.  Initially, we seek opportunities to explore possible engagements with Japan and Korea, if seen appropriate.
2. There is a sustained partnership with Basic and Secondary Education Secretary Fr Chris Gleeson SJ, along with Jenny Hickey and Tarcisius Sarkim.  The ongoing discussion on sustainability and curriculum review seeks to broaden opportunities and strengthen the proposed sustainability officer training course and programme in the region.
3. An implementation model for Flights for Forests is proposed to present operating strategies, implementation activities, and framework for linking initiatives to budget and results.  This also provides stakeholders with a view on how the project will be managed and scaled up, taking into account the various partnerships, technical, financial, management information systems, and communication requirements.  The nursery program of Fr Gabby Lamug-Nañawa SJ at Banteay Prieb in Cambodia can be a learning site while seeking other sites for funding.
4. Transformative courses for Jesuit scholastics and young professionals and leaders in Asia Pacific will be offered through the JCIM-Asia Pacific Contextual Theology for Engagement Programme and the Asia Leaders Programme (ALP) of the UN-mandated University for Peace, a dual campus Master of Arts programme in peace building.  Father Pedro Walpole SJ is an invited professor for a three-unit course in the ALP that integrates human development in resource management and is offered every summer in Mindanao, Philippines.  The course is a requirement for Asian students enrolled in the master’s degree program and is also open to scholastics at the Arrupe International Residence and Loyola House of Studies as a credit elective course.
5. A weekend reflection workshop will be conducted with Fr Renato Repole SJ for Arrupe International Residence scholastics for greater integration of Jesuit mission and ecology to formation.  Fr Greg Soetomo SJ has a similar plan to engage scholastics in Indonesia.
6. Engagements will be sustained with the scholastics and brothers in Asia Pacific through support for their efforts in the World Day for Water campaign on March 22.  This initiative is linked through the GIAN-Ecology 2013 Water for All agenda and Ecojesuit.
7. Collaboration on disaster risk reduction and adaptation will be pursued.  There is an expressed interest from the East Asian Pastoral Institute and Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan to have an introductory course on disaster risk reduction (DRR) management and adaptation.  Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific is open to transitioning some of their commitments and integrating DRR elements in their work programme, with assistance from the Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC).  There are possibilities in opening a broader Asian initiative to include Jesuit interests, where expressed.
8. ESSC continues to provide technical support to research initiatives on resource management, such as with Fr Gabby Lamug-Nañawa on further understanding the dynamics of the Tonle Sap catchment and with Fr Fernando Azpiroz SJ in seeking partnership with a local community and parish in Yunnan through community resource mapping.

 To read the full article in EcoJesuit, click here.  

For more information about what the Jesuits in Asia Pacific are doing to reconcile with creation, go to https://jcapsj.org/what-we-do/ecology.