As a Jesuit and international chaplain of Pax Romana, I was edified and uplifted in spirit with the blessing of two fellow Jesuits for the conclusion of our centenary celebration on 23 July: first, from Fr Douglas Marcouiller SJ, Vicarius ad Tempus of the Society of Jesus, and second, the personally signed letter of Pope Francis. I was grateful to the kind assistance of Fr Fratern Masawe SJ, the General Assistant of Father General for Pan Africa and Madagascar.
Certainly many of us feel so blessed to have invested our energies in the accompaniment of young people in Pax Romana, an international lay Catholic movement established in 1921. I first began as a national chaplain in Malaysia and then the Asia Pacific chaplain accompanying Catholic tertiary students. Pax Romana actually comprises two movements, the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS), and the International Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA).
The blessing of Fr Marcouiller served as a timely reminder for me that my ministry is about actualising the four UAPs by helping the national, regional and global student leadership to be rooted in “spirituality of action”, to be “agents of change” for a hope-filled future, journeying with the poor, the outcasts, and the wounded Earth so that the youth of today and tomorrow can attain the IMCS strategic vision of a peaceful, just, inclusive, and green world that is our common home.
The Pope was very personable and empathetic when he addressed the young students: “Dear young friends, at this stage of your lives, you have much energy and a plethora of opportunities and choices before you. Yet, while you have many wishes and interests that you want to explore, not all of you live in environments that easily facilitate the pursuit of your dreams or that help you to grow in faith. Support one another in the life of faith and the pursuit of virtues. In a world of widespread inequality, may you be mindful too of your fellow students and peers in so many parts of the world whose dreams are shattered by war, injustice, and political, economic and ecological crises. Keep them in your prayers and support them by works of practical solidarity.”
As a fellow Jesuit companion, Pope Francis’ appreciation speaks volumes to me and (I am sure) my fellow Jesuit chaplains worldwide. The Pope, addressing Pax Romana leaders, noted how our “vital apostolate encourages young people to take the lead in striving for a more just social order within their countries” and recognised how we have “maintained [our] spirituality of action and fulfilled [our] mission of addressing the spiritual and material needs of young people in tertiary educational institutions throughout the world.”
“I am likewise appreciative of the contribution you have made within the Church,” the Pope said, “and for the notable fruits that have been borne in nurturing leaders and supporting the faithful in promoting Catholic social teaching in the Americas, Africa and Asia.”
Pope Francis entreated our young members to live out the values of the IMCS Strategic Plan (2021-2026), namely “Respect and Integrity, Trust and Solidarity, Diversity and Inclusivity, Transparency and Accountability” so our “service to the liberating message of the Gospel will be effective and will bear lasting fruit.”
Finally, the Pope called to mind the theme for World Youth Day 2023: “Mary arose and went with haste” and urged the students leaders “to ‘arise’ like Mary, and work for the change you want to experience within your communities.”
These double blessings at the climax of the year-long Pax Romana celebration heightened my sense of deep gratitude to God for creating a hope-filled future with young people. They provided the much needed boost for “growing” Pax Romana in the next 100 years into a polyhedral-countercultural* movement that embraces the interstices, pluralities, and vulnerabilities of our “glocalized” world.
Jojo M Fung SJ is a Malaysian Jesuit priest teaching at the Loyola School of Theology in Manila, Philippines. He was appointed as an international chaplain of Pax Romana by the Dicastery of Laity, Family and Youth on 22 July 2020.
* Polyhedral is derived from the geometric image of a polyhedron, which Pope Francis envisages (EG §236; QA §§29-32; FT§§145, 190, 215) of a Church that embraces totality and particularity in relation to the principle that “the whole is greater than the part” (EG §§234-237). A polyhedral movement is considered countercultural in a world that excludes rather than embraces the spiritualties and religiocultural wisdom of the indigenous peoples (LS §146), the other faiths, (LS §201) and the natural sciences (LS §62, §199).