@ JCEAO OFFICE
On Nov 19 Fr. Nicolas left for Spain to attend the Provincial Congregation in Loyola on Nov 26 – Dec 3, the meeting of EAO major superiors on Dec 4-5, and the joint meeting of South Asia and EAO provincials on Dec 6. He uses the occasion to visit members of the East Timor Mission. In Portugal, Fr. Jose Martins is having a health checkup and Fr. Joao Felgueiras is in convalescence. Fr Joaquim Sarmento is in Spain doing tertianship. Fr. Nicolas will be back on 19 Dec.
@ INTERNATIONAL WORKS (AIR, EAPI, EAO Tertianship)
Arrupe International Residence (AIR)
Ateneo campus minister Fr. Bobby Buenconsejo and Ms Tinnah dela Rosa, director of the CLC Formation Institute, conducted a workshop on how to prepare a recollection last Oct 31 – Nov 1.
On Oct 27 the Ateneo Guidance Office conducted two seminars, one on study skills for new arrivals this year and one on interpersonal relationships for those who have stayed longer.
Members of the community renewed their vows at the end of Nov 9-11 Triduum. Fr. Manoling Francisco gave the points, relating God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience respectively.
Horrendous traffic did not spoil the night for 34 Arrupeans who watched The Nutcracker at Manila’s ALIW Theater last Nov 25. Internationally renowned prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde danced the lead role. It was a cultural treat for many who have never watched a ballet before.
Adrian, Arrupean from MAS, went home to attend the funeral of his father, Ulric Augustus Danker, age 70, who died on Nov 26. The cremation is on Dec 2.
East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI)
Calendar of Modules. Deepening Theological Themes (DTT). From Dec 1-9, Fr. Ted Gonzalez, together with Ms. Rose Filart-Scott and Ms. Cynthia Gavino, will conduct the final modules for this course on “Substance and Sexual Abuse” and “Family Ministries”.
Exploring Pastoral Strategies (EPS). The final module for this group of participants on “Doing Inculturated Liturgies” will be given by Fr. Raul Pura, CM & Sr. Martha Gamolo, DC from Dec 5-9.
After two-day integration sessions by all participants, the course “Vatican II and the Churches of Asia and the Pacific: Looking Back and Moving Forward” will officially end on Dec 14 with a Eucharistic celebration and graduation ceremony presided over by the Director.
Other News. The next forthcoming EAPI course will be Pastoral Leadership in a Post-Vatican II Church from Jan 5 – Apr 5, 2006. To date, we are expecting around 60 participants from all over Asia and the Pacific. The new EAPI brochure for 2006-07 is already out for mailing and has also been uploaded to our website: http://eapi.admu.edu.ph. In it, the information and details about EAPI course offerings for school year 2006-07 are indicated. The three courses set for April to June 2006 are already finalized. The dates are as follows: 1) Pastoral Management Seminar-Workshop—Apr 18 – May 13, 2006; 2) Spiritual Direction Seminar-Workshop—May 23 – June 17, 2006; and 3) Media and Pastoral Ministry Workshop—May 23 – June 23, 2006. For further details, kindly visit the EAPI website: http://eapi.admu.edu.ph.
@ ASSISTANCY COMMON PROJECT
East Asian Theological Encounter Program (EATEP)
Fr. John J. Shea (NYK), who is now in Bangkok, is the key person to start the East Asian Theological Encounter Program (EATEP), which aims to host together 10-15 Jesuits for 4-6 weeks to dialogue, discuss, exchange and deepen their theological views. For openers, EATEP’s context will be Buddhism, partly because of its enormous importance in East Asia, but also because predominantly Buddhist Thailand has occupied a prominent place in Asia in terms of its economic, political and cultural development. Fr. Shea is now preparing for the launching of the program in Aug 2006 with its first Tutor in the person of Fr. Michael Amalados from de Nobili Research Center, Chennai, India. For more information, please contact Fr. Martin Suhartono.
@ ASSISTANCY COMMON AREAS (Cambodia, East Timor, Myanmar)
Cambodia
After the visit of Fr. Nicolas last June 2005, an ad-hoc provisional school committee was created, headed by Fr. Ashley. The committee was tasked to write a proposal for a model high school in Kompong Thom for the Battambang Prefecture. The members included Indon, Ingun, Greg, Ashley, Olivier (MEP), Fran (Maryknoll), Sokeng and Ponhacka, Sushil and Manoj. Last Nov, the committee had its final meeting. However, setting up a model high school will have to wait until conditions become more viable. Fr. Nicolas has urged the team to look for an alternative school model to help and support the education efforts in Cambodia. He has also received some recommendations on how the Jesuits can be involved in education.
East Timor
In mid-November, the Mission had two visitors: Fr. Arturo Martin (JPN), who attended the meeting of the board of trustees of the future Jesuit school, and Fr. Danny Huang, the provincial of Philippines Province, who met with the Filipino Jesuits working in Dili and Railaco.
Networking with the Parish School of Railaco. Mr. Thomas Ora (the Wall Journal/JP advisor of St. Joseph’s College) began the Wall Journal Training for the teachers and students of Nossa Senhora de Fatima School to which St. Joseph’s College regularly deliver books. This is the beginning of our networks in helping the school/s in the rural areas. In the future, the networks will be extended in many aspects of education, such as curriculum, extracurricular program, library, Students’ Council, etc.
Moreover, our Students’ Council organized a ‘Wall Journal Competition’ for Senior High Schools in the inner city of Dili for the purpose of promoting sanitation, health, and green environment. This competition was also attended by the students of Railaco. The Students’ Council of St. Joseph’s also organized a class competition by mobilizing all the students to grow flowers by using recycling plastic bottles as pots.
Myanmar
Fr. Irsan, the Socius to the Novice Master, is preparing himself for tertianship in Australia in Jan 2006, while Fr. Wardi, Father Master, will undergo a health check and will attend some meetings in December and January. In their absence, the novices will be entrusted to Fr. Beda, who will move temporarily from Sampran, Thailand to Taunggyi Novitiate.
@ PROVINCE/REGION (Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia-Singapore, Micronesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam)
Australia
After his 30-day retreat under the tertianship program in Kandy, Sri Lanka, Fr. Edward Dooley, enjoys the time preparing the spiritual exercises for a particular situation/place. In December, when other tertians go to India, Indonesia, Hong Kong and other parts of Sri Lanka for various ministries, Edward is happy to have the opportunity to go to Hazaribag, a mission of Australian Province, which he knew only from the stories of the missionaries. “I will visit and be involved in the Dalit Centres which Tony Ryan, Peter Doherty and Tony Herbert are associated with. I am looking very much forward to visiting the work A.T. Thomas was involved with prior to his martyrdom in the late 1990’s. I spent time with A.T. at Arrupe House, Philippines. I will arrive in Hazaribag on the 3rd December, in time for the Jubilee celebrations of Ignatius, Xavier and Favre.”
Indonesia
To celebrate the 25 years of Jesuit Refugee Service, and the closure of the JRS Office in Mollucas Islands at the end of 2005, the JRS Indonesia is launching a book and a documentary film focusing on women and children of Buru Island. This Island became notorious as the political prison of the communist party members during Suharto’s time.
Discussion about the book is held in Yogyakarta on Dec 2. The resource persons are Sisilia and Melkior, representatives of the indigenous of Buru Island, Sutikna, JRS staff, and Maria Hartiningsih, a journalist. Another book discussion will also be held in Jakarta on Dec 9 with Sisilia and Melkior, Fr. Bambang Alfred Sipayung of JRS, Dr. Gadis Arivia, and Fr. I.Wibowo Wibisono as resource persons. The Moderator of the meeting is Ignatius Haryanto.
The Advocacy team of JRS Indonesia makes a presentation tour from Dec 5 to 8 to the UNO office in Jakarta and other human rights groups. The team is led by Fr. Bambang Alfred Sipayung and Els Coolen, the Advocacy Manager JRS Indonesia.
Philippines
The feast of St. Francis Xavier, Dec 3, marks the opening of the Jubilee Year 2006. The celebration, takes place in Xavier School, San Juan, at the Angelo King Multi-Purpose Center. Fr. William Abbott presides the mass and Fr. Johnny Go gives the sermon. The JesCom presents the materials, tarpaulins and videos to be distributed to the Jesuits for the purpose of celebrating the Jubilee Year. Another program in the year 2006 is a province retreat, offered for the members of the province.
@ LOYOLA 2005
Fr. Danny Huang, Philippine Province Provincial was elected as one of the members of the Steering Committee. Fr. Nicolas was named as one of the three members in charge of drafting the recommendations to be submitted to Father General. Fr. Louis Gendron, Provincial of China, was entrusted to comment on the Chinese apostolic preference.