Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ with Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission Australia, during his visit in 2024 | Photo by David McMahon
In his fifth apostolic visit to the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP), Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ will be visiting Jesuit communities and works in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia from 12 July to 3 August.
The visit begins in Kuching, Malaysia, where Father General will arrive on Sunday, 12 July, to join the assembly of major superiors. During his stay, he will meet with the Archbishop of Kuching, Most Rev Simon Peter Poh Hoon Seng, on Tuesday. He will also hold a dialogue with the school community of St Joseph’s Private School and, on Thursday, preside at a public Mass at St Joseph’s Cathedral, followed by dinner and a dialogue session with partners in the cathedral hall.
From Kuching, Father General will travel to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 18 July. He will meet with Most Rev Julian Leow Beng Kim, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, at St Francis Xavier Church and engage in dialogue with young people. He will later preside and preach at Mass, followed by dinner and a conversation with parishioners. The following day, he will visit PERCH, a convalescence home in Batu Arang that serves refugees and asylum seekers.
The next leg of the journey takes Father General to Thailand, beginning with Chiang Mai, where he will join the Thai Region’s assembly at Seven Fountains Spirituality Center from 21 to 22 July. During this time, he will celebrate Mass and meet with scholastics, brothers, and young priests, as well as with the Bishop of Chiang Mai, Most Rev Peter Suphot Roeksujarit. He will also have an informal dialogue with Catholic students.
On 23 July, Father General will continue to Chiang Rai to visit Xavier Learning Community and meet its students and staff. His visit will include a courtesy call on Most Rev Joseph Vuthilert Haelom, Bishop of Chiang Rai, a visit to the Golden Triangle, and the celebration of the Eucharist for the Feast of St Ignatius.
After Chiang Rai, Father General will proceed to Bangkok, where he will preside and preach at a Mass for the Feast of St Ignatius with alumni, benefactors, and friends. He will also meet with Catholic students, benefactors, and friends before joining the Jesuit community for dinner at Xavier Hall. The following day, he will meet with Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific and visit Most Rev Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, Archbishop of Bangkok.
The final part of Father General’s apostolic visit will take place in Indonesia. On 29 July, he will concelebrate at an ordination Mass in Yogyakarta, followed by meetings with formators, scholastics, and novices at Kolsani. The following day, he will participate in the World Union of Jesuit Alumni gathering.
On 31 July, Father General will travel to Girisonta to lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Emmaus Wellness House. He will also meet with the formation teams of the novitiate and tertianship programme before presiding and preaching at the Mass for the Feast of St Ignatius. That evening, he will stay at the Provincial Curia in Semarang.
While in Semarang, Father General will visit PIKA, a vocational high school, and Kanisius School in Bandungan. On 2 August, he will fly to Jakarta, where he will visit the Tunnel of Fraternity, which connects Jakarta Cathedral and Istiqlal Mosque, Southeast Asia’s largest mosque, and meet with Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta.
Before returning to Rome on 3 August, Father General will make his final stops at Canisius College, a secondary school for boys, and Hermanum College, the scholastic formation house, bringing his apostolic visit to JCAP to a close.
