Development Officers of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific are meeting this week, from March 11 to 14, in Manila. A key thrust of the meeting is to help align JCAP units’ development work to the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) of the Society of Jesus.
“It’s not just about fundraising and resource mobilisation… It’s about inviting people to undertake a shared mission”, said JCAP President Fr Tony Moreno SJ.
Spiritual conversations are an important part of the activity.
In small groups, participants shared their consolations, desolations and insights from Fr General Arturo Sosa’s message on the UAPs vis-à-vis their work in development.
“As a lay person, I felt [the UAPs] were like a roadmap that we could use”, shared Julie Sanders of the Australian Province.
“It’s a call to how we can deepen our mission”, added Fr Bee Ruankool SJ of Thailand Region.
The UAPs entail a personal, communal and institutional conversion.
Along these lines, Fr Jorge Serrano SJ, Assistant Treasurer for Development Resources at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, gave an inspiring message about discernment.
“We need to discern what is behind every activity”, he said.
“We can make a beautiful plan, but without conversion, it will only be for the sake of our name. Ignatius always said in everything you do, ask yourself what is the reason for doing it.”
Fr Serrano likened the Development Officers to rowers who help power the boat towards its destination.
“We need to align with the apostolic plans of the Province and the priorities of the Conference. For that we need to be people with strong spirituality”, he told the Development Officers.
The gathering is also an opportunity to thank Fr Herb Schneider SJ, who served as Coordinator of JCAP Development Officers from 2009 to 2018.
With the help of Venture for Fundraising, the rest of the week will be spent learning about strategic planning and fundraising to determine the strategic priorities for the next three years.
“It’s moving beyond hand-holding with our mission partners”, said Fr Moreno, “to learning how we can strategically share in the undertaking of the Missio Dei”.
