“Community in the Society of Jesus takes its origin from the will of the Father joining us into one; it is constituted by the active, personal, united striving of all members to fulfill the divine will and is ordered to a life that is apostolic in many ways.” (Constitutions of The Society of Jesus, Complimentary Norms 314,1)
It was in this spirit of being called by the Father, unworthy as we are, that 36 Jesuit Local Superiors (or future Local Superiors!) from every province, region, and mission of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, except for the Pakistan Mission, JCAP’s newest unit, gathered at Seven Fountains Jesuit Retreat Centre in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 21- 26 September. We came together to learn, pray, listen, and discern how best we can, who have been called to exercise this burden of authority, carry out this mission. We were guided by Fathers José Magadia SJ, Tony Moreno SJ, and Greg Soetomo SJ and cared for by the Jesuits and staff of the retreat centre.
The diversity of age, years as a Jesuit, ministries, and lived contexts of the Jesuits present allowed for a depth of sharing that many of us had never experienced. For example, there was a Jesuit from Myanmar who shared what it was like to be on mission in a war-torn country with fighter jets flying across his parish church multiple times daily, to Jesuit Local Superiors who have community members living up to 400 km apart, just to name a couple of the diversities present within the Asia Pacific Conference.
In an age marked by division and uncertainty, the gathering served as a reminder of the Jesuit ideal of being “contemplatives in action,” not only as individuals but also as a community. We were reminded of the first Jesuits in Venice who discerned as a community, practising spiritual conversations and discernment in common, to hear how God was calling them to be Jesuits. In turn, it is the primary role of a Local Superior today to engage the community in spiritual conversation and communal discernment, to hear God’s invitation for us to be community—responding to God’s mission.
To have a community that is able to come together to discern God’s mission freely calls for the Local Superior to actively care for his members—both cura personalis and cura apostolica. To that end, we reflected on what it means to be a leader, how to care for our communities and ourselves, how to work with challenging Jesuits and communities, the support mechanisms for Local Superiors, and to be mindful of professional standards and the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Besides formal input from the facilitators and sharing in small groups, we read excerpts from the Constitutions and its Complementary Norms, Spiritual Exercises, documents from General Congregations, De Statu Societatis Iesu 2023, and the Society of Jesus’s Instruction for Administration and Finances.
A healthy community prays and has fun together. For the latter, we spent half a day visiting a celadon ceramic factory and a silk factory, where we witnessed craftspeople painting intricate designs on ceramic pots and homeware and the weaving and colouring of silk. To cap our day out, we had a sumptuous khantoke dinner accompanied by traditional Lanna dance performances in a traditional Kalae home.
A traditional Kalae home, known for its wood craftmanship and architecture, is elevated off the ground on a single level platform. Each space has its own roof structure, and the spaces are connected by verandas and terraces. In the centre of the home, the heart, is a space where the family gathers. Like a Jesuit community, with many apostolica with its own roof structure, our vows and love for each other connect, us leading us to the heart of the community where we continually discern God’s mission, always mindful that we are all lifted on the one platform—“the will of the Father joining us into one; it is constituted by the active, personal, united striving of all members to fulfill the divine will and is ordered to a life that is apostolic in many ways”.
Fr Ramesh Richards SJ from the Australian Province is currently the Rector of The Cardoner Network, the Province’s young adult ministry. He has a wide range of chaplaincy experiences in high school, university, hospital and prison settings. He is particularly interested in helping young adults develop their friendship with Jesus Christ through the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. He believes it is through this particular friendship, one is able to appreciate one’s place in the world, and respond to its needs.