The theologates of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) and the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA) have engaged in a collaborative project that seeks to enhance students’ theological formation for mission in the Asian context.
Asia is marked with great cultural diversity. “Conversations” has been described as “a theologico-cultural online Asian ‘coffee or tea room’” where students, faculty members, and alumni can share their theological reflections on select aspects of their respective Asian cultures. The programme is designed to engage students in critical reflection on various cultural contexts in light of the Gospel.
The initiative for the joint project was first raised by Fr Enrico C Eusebio SJ, President of the Loyola School of Theology based at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. In September Fr Eusebio participated in the Graduate Research Symposium organised by the Global Theology Initiative (GTI), a networking programme of the seven English-Speaking Theological Centers of the Society of Jesus.
“The GTI Symposium was quite a challenge to organise because the schools come from very diverse time zones,” he said. He proposed to Fr John Karuvelil SJ, Dean of the theologate in Pune, India, and to other Jesuit theologians from Pune, a similar theological exchange among those in Asia. “It would not just be easier to organise, but it would also be mutually enriching for us to reflect theologically on the richness and diversity of our respective Asian cultures.”
Encouraged by the receptiveness of the Indian Jesuits, Fr Eusebio presented a draft of the project to Fr Jeffrey Chang SJ, President and Dean of the Fu Jen Faculty of Theology of St Robert Bellarmine in Taipei, and Coordinator of the Network of Deans of Theological and Philosophical Centers of JCAP, who showed enthusiasm for the proposal.
“From there, we circulated the idea among the administrators of the theologates of both conferences until we reached a consensus that this theological exchange would be beneficial to our students in terms of the Asian contextualisation of their theological formation,” shared Fr Eusebio.
The first of these Conversations will be held on 1 December hosted by the Loyola School of Theology. Fr Rogel Anecito L Abais SJ, the school’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, will share his study on “Collective Identity in Suffering: The Relevance of the Exodus Narrative on the Filipino Search for Identity”. The session will focus on the narrative of Exodus 1-18, the Israelite experience of slavery, liberation, and struggle in the wilderness, and how this speaks to a modern Filipino society, and its search for identity.
Subsequent Conversations have been slated for 2022:
16 February – Graduate School of Theology, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
23 February – Jnana-Deepa Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Pune, India
2 March – Fu Jen Faculty of Theology of St Robert Bellarmine, Taipei, Taiwan
9 March – Wedabhakti Faculty of Theology and Faculty of Theology, Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
6 April – St Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Although participants will come primarily from the abovementioned theologates, including Vidyajyoti College of Theology, New Delhi, India, the Conversations are open to all, and will take place on the specified dates at 1:30pm India, 3pm Vietnam and Indonesia, 4pm Philippines and Taiwan, and 5pm Korea and Japan. Each session will run for an hour and a half.
Those who wish to participate in the Conversation on 1 December can view the poster for details on how to register.
