During the summer holidays, friends and families often spend time on excursions to strengthen their relationships. Similarly, our group, consisting of 17 scholastics and one brother from eight countries, is participating in Arrupe Month from 12 June to 12 July. The Arrupe Month serves as a period of reflection to deepen our Jesuit vocation and prepare ourselves for the priesthood. We relish the moments we spend with God, with ourselves, and with one another.
In the first week, we dedicated time to sharing our vocation stories, which enabled us not only to understand one another but also to enrich our vocation journey. For each vocation story, we reviewed God’s presence in our lives and his call for us in our own respective contexts. It helped strengthen our vocation and deepen our familiarity with the ways God works in our lives. Besides, we also had time to go rafting and hiking. Being with one another amidst nature was a joyful and meaningful experience to have in our vocation journey.
Both online and onsite, we had the privilege of listening to the vocation story of Fr Sunu Hardiyanta and learn about Affective Maturity through a presentation by Fr Jordan Orbe. Fr Tony Moreno imparted the dynamics of a “Formed Jesuit,” while Dr Gabriel Dy-Liacco engaged us in a discussion on safeguarding and formation. All these inputs helped us recall and reflect on key moments and movements in our lives, giving us a deeper awareness of the various aspects of our human formation and our own formation as Jesuits.
In the second week, we heard presentations on Jesuit priesthood from Fr Vinai in Thailand, Fr Nghia in Vietnam, and Fr Hrvoje Juko in Croatia. Then we met Fr Bobby Cena and Bishop Noel Pedregosa of the Diocese of Malaybalay. Reflecting on their sharing and knowledge enabled us to deepen our understanding of the priesthood in general and the Jesuit priesthood in particular. Though the Christian priesthood is to exercise a ministry of word and sacrament in the name of the Church and thus in persona Christi with both a cultic and a prophetic dimension, the way it is lived out in the Church has often emphasised one dimension more than the other. While a diocesan priest focuses more on the cultic or liturgical dimension, a Jesuit priest emphasises the prophetic or kerygmatic dimension in accordance with the charism of the Society of Jesus.
This third week, we are contemplating the mission. Fr Frank shared about Jesuit community life and Fr John Dardis from Rome discussed Ignatian Leadership. While leadership is necessary for accomplishing the mission, community is just as significant, as it serves not only as a means for carrying out the mission but also as an essential element of the mission itself for every Jesuit. From Fr Renzo De Luca and Fr Edward Quinnan, we learned about Man of Mission and Life in the Mission, and the importance of being available wherever the mission calls, whether it is in our own country or beyond. While generosity and discernment are required, self-care and collaboration are vital for a Jesuit to live his mission. These themes were covered in the presentations on Overcoming Adversities in Jesuit Life – Self-Care by Fr Lawrence Nam SJ, and Jesuit Mission Partners by Melissa and Roy Mendoza.
Besides listening and learning from our key speakers, we had precious time to be with different communities in Bukidnon. We were blessed to have stayed with the Jesuit community at the Jesuit Retreat House in Malaybalay and have its members preside over daily Mass for us. Through their homilies, they shared with us precious wisdom and knowledge from their rich pastoral experiences in the context of Bukidnon. We also had a chance to encounter the communities at their apostolates, where we visited and attended Sunday Masses. It was a precious chance for us to “smell the sheep,” as Pope Francis urges us to do. Exploring Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan, gave us valuable insights on the education apostolate of the Jesuits in Cagayan de Oro. All these encounters helped us to learn and live out the dimension of being with others in our Jesuit vocation, not only in theory but also in practice.
This Arrupe month has been a special grace for us to be with God and ourselves. The eight-day retreat in the last week is the perfect culmination of our experience of being with God and with ourselves. The retreat gives us the sacred space to review, consolidate, and integrate all the study, sharing, and exposure of the previous three weeks into deeper reflection and prayer. Just as a Jesuit desires to know Jesus more deeply, love him more dearly, and follow him more closely, we long and pray for a transformative love for the Spiritual Exercises as we deepen our understanding of the Jesuit priesthood and grow in our commitment to it.
