With hearts full of gratitude, two members of Christian Life Community (CLC) Singapore, together with our interim Ecclesiastical Assistant, Fr Francis Lim SJ, participated in the CLC Asia Pacific Assembly, held in Tokyo from 20 to 23 February. Gathered at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center (NYC), we were deeply moved to stand together with over 40 companions from more than 10 national communities across our region—Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), and Singapore. What a gift it was to have Fr José de Pablo SJ, our World Vice-Ecclesiastical Assistant (EA), to journey alongside us throughout the assembly.
Our theme, “Walking Together as Companions of Hope” (Luke 24:13-35), invited us to reflect deeply on the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Just as their hearts burned within them as Jesus spoke on the way, we too listened and shared the fruits of the 18th CLC World Assembly in Amiens (2023), discerning together how the Lord is calling us forward in mission across the Asia Pacific region. We were constantly reminded that Christ Himself walked with us—present in our conversations, our silences, our prayers, and our dreams.
We began by introducing ourselves through symbols that represented the journey of our national communities since our last assembly in Korea in 2019. For CLC Singapore, we shared the image of a boat with Jesus at the helm, carrying us through calm and storm alike. This symbol captures our commitment to our CLC vocation, seeking always to live the Ignatian way—attentive, discerning, and faithful, despite the inevitable ups and downs. We are learning daily to place our trust in the Lord who guides us.
On the second day, Fr José led us back to the key insights from Amiens 2023, reaffirming our identity as One World Christian Community, living Ignatian Spirituality as laypeople, and embracing our shared mission on the many apostolic frontiers: Integral Ecology, Poverty and Globalisation, Youth, Family, and Spiritual Ministries. He urged us to deepen our collaboration, remembering Christ’s call to “put out into the deep” (Luke 5:1-11)—even when the waters are rough. Today, we face strong currents of populism and polarisation, forces that fracture societies, families, and even our own hearts. Fr José reminded us that hope is not mere optimism, nor is it just “looking on the bright side”. Hope takes root in the quiet work of our hands and the enduring labour of love. It requires us to listen deeply, to create silence amidst the noise, and to allow God’s Spirit to lead us into new dreams and commitments.
Through small group sharing, we opened our hearts to name the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of our national communities. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we listened to one another with reverence. While there is joy in the fruits of Ignatian Spirituality in our communities, we also share similar challenges: sharing our CLC identity, sustaining leadership formation, confronting the ageing of our communities, serving with limited resources, and addressing the impact of clericalism. Yet in naming these, we felt the Spirit moving among us, widening our vision and preparing us to discern together where Christ is inviting us next.
One of the most profound moments was our Empathy Walk. In the cold of a Tokyo morning, we paired off, then formed a larger group later on, entering into deep conversations about the desires stirring within us as we discerned what we were being called to as CLC in Asia Pacific. Step by step, in the sacred space of listening and sharing, we experienced what the disciples did: “Were not our hearts burning within us?” This spirit of communion and encounter stayed with us throughout the assembly.
From these rich conversations, three key priorities emerged as calls for our shared journey ahead:
- Accompanying the youth in their spiritual growth by creating safe, welcoming spaces for deep sharing and listening. In particular, our Animating Team will take the lead in preparing for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul with formation opportunities for young people.
- Supporting CLC identity and leadership formation by providing shared resources and online workshops, strengthening the foundation of our communities.
- Deepening collaboration across the Asia Pacific region, offering online gatherings where national working groups can share their mission experiences and the fruits of their work on various apostolic frontiers.
To carry this mission forward, five members were elected to serve on our Animating Team, tasked with fostering connection, collaboration, and cooperation across our region. We also took time to express our deep gratitude to the outgoing team, who had accompanied us faithfully since 2019 and helped sustain our unity, even amid the isolation of the pandemic years.
We concluded our assembly with a profoundly moving Mass at St Ignatius Church in Tokyo, offering our thanksgiving to the Lord as one body, breaking bread together. With special joy, we witnessed four CLC members from Japan making their temporary commitment and one member making a permanent commitment to CLC—a beautiful testament to our shared vocation.
Our deepest thanks go to CLC Japan for their warm hospitality and careful preparation of this assembly. We are also especially grateful for the generous presence of more than 10 Jesuit Ecclesiastical Assistants, who walked with us throughout these days. And from the bottom of our hearts, we thank Fr Francis for accompanying us from Singapore and supporting us with such kindness and wisdom.
As we return to our daily lives, we carry with us the light of this shared journey—knowing we are companions of hope, walking together in Christ, listening for His voice, and ready to serve where He calls.
Calvin Tam is on the leadership team of Christian Life Community (CLC) Singapore. He has represented CLC Singapore in many World and Asia Pacific CLC assemblies.