Are there lessons to be learnt from a silver jubilee? In a typically Jesuit fashion, Fr Renato Repole SJ, Rector of the Arrupe International Residence (AIR), looked back on the recently concluded celebratory activities spread out over the last seven months, and asked himself, “What have we learned and gained from the whole experience? What did it mean for us at Arrupe?”
First, it was an opportunity to be thankful to God for what the House has rendered to the Society of Jesus in Asia Pacific and beyond. This House has provided an international, multi-cultural formation setting where scholastics from many countries, with different backgrounds and temperaments, learn to work with each other. This enabled the scholastics to gain a more universal perspective of the Society’s mission rather than just a concern for their own provinces and regions.
Second, we can also be thankful for the number of graduates Arrupe has produced in its 25 years, most of who now hold key positions in their areas.
Third, in the course of the preparations for this Jubilee celebration, we realised how important it is to give of ourselves completely, to manifest the magis in our various tasks. The celebration provided an opportunity to showcase and discover the talents of the scholastics, from decorating and t-shirt and souvenir-programme designing to acting and producing a skit to composing a Jubilee hymn, and more.
It must be said, however, that despite the general success or fruitfulness of many of our activities, we could have reaped more if all had given the same dedication and selflessness that many showed. Still, there was a general show of generosity and cooperation among the members.
One of the areas we had to struggle with and thus apply rules of discernment was matching the planned activities with the resources that were available to us. In the end, constraints pushed us to choose the more important activities and, happily, we managed to realise our plans without any major difficulty. Again, thanks to the cooperative effort and the generosity of the members.
An idea that we would have liked to realise was a reunion of former Arrupeans, at least a good number of them. Various reasons prevented this from happening but, at least, we had a good response in terms of the sharing of experiences, which we were able to compile in the souvenir booklet. We are hoping, though, that in the Golden Jubilee in 2040, a real “homecoming” can be realised.
Finally, the Silver Jubilee of AIR made us realize how important the role of a formation house is in the life of Jesuits. Truly, it acts as a mother, a nourishing mother who nurtures her children through the years. With all her shortcomings and limitations, Arrupe house has nonetheless been a testimony of God’s loving care through the formators, collaborators and benefactors that have become part of its history and legacy. We look forward to the future with hope.
Arrupe International Residence celebrated its Silver Jubilee from July 13, 2015 to February 6, 2016. Read about the 25th anniversary celebration here.
Related stories: Reflections by and stories of past and present members of the AIR community
Diversity was something we celebrated by Philippine Jesuit Provincial Fr Tony Moreno SJ, who was a member of AIR’s first community
Formators and formation at AIR by JCAP Formation Delegate Fr Norris Seenivasan, one of AIR’s early residents
Warmly welcomed halfway across the world by Fr Ignatius Tambudzai SJ of the Zimbabwe-Mozambique Jesuit Province
Expanding horizons in formation by Myanmarese Scholastic Pius Than Naing Lin SJ, one of the newest members of the AIR community
He knew where his heart was, the story of Sch Richie Fernando SJ, one of AIR’s martyrs
Photo caption: The current Arrupe International Residence community