When Lisa Wong of Wah Yan College Kowloon in Hong Kong met fellow teachers from Jesuit and Ignatian schools in Asia Pacific, she realised that she was not alone in the challenges she faces as a teacher in today’s classroom. In fact, the 35 Ignatian educators – Jesuits and lay – who gathered for a workshop at Seven Fountains Retreat Centre in Chiang Mai, Thailand found that they had a lot more in common regardless of country and context.
“We learnt that we are not alone in facing challenges of teaching Ignatian values in an ever-changing world,” said Wong.
Matt Smith of St Ignatius Riverview in Australia shared a similar thought: “I was especially struck by the shared experience of educating students in the Ignatian tradition. It was a wonderful opportunity to share ideas”.
The one-week workshop held from September 24 to 30 served as an introductory or refresher course on the history of Jesuit education, its basic characteristics and its goals as summed up in the 4 Cs: Competence, Conscience, Compassion and Commitment. Fr Chris Gleeson SJ, Fr Stephen Chow SJ and Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific Education Secretary Fr Johnny Go SJ led the discussions.
“We examined the Foundation and Principles of Jesuit education through our regional prism, which illustrated our shared concerns and joys. We clearly have more in common than different,” reflected Gus Masters of St Ignatius Riverview. “I am looking forward to ensuring that our momentum is not lost as we return to our busy roles. It is nice to know that we all have friendships and collegiality across so many contexts.”
Marisse Paraoan of Sacred Heart School (Ateneo de Cebu) in the Philippines shared, “It was a very nurturing experience especially for an Ignatian formator like me. I hope that other Jesuit educators can have the same reflective journey”.
The workshop consisted of the usual talks but what made the experience truly powerful for the participants was the small group sharing of experiences that happened across countries, so they got a chance to learn about the contexts of Jesuit education in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, the Philippines and Taiwan.
The plenary discussions were multilingual. The participants were able to speak freely in Khmer, Cantonese and Nihongo with the help of participants who acted as interpreters.
The team from Sacred Heart School (Ateneo de Cebu) in the Philippines also facilitated activities that helped the group bond quickly, and by the time the workshop ended, another network of educators had been strengthened.
Fr Joseph Haw SJ, President of Ateneo de Iloilo – Sta Maria Catholic School in the Philippines, summed up their experience best.
“Learning with educators from different parts of Asia Pacific made me appreciate more the universality of the mission of the Society of Jesus in educating our youth and the unique contribution of our lay collaborators in fulfilling this mission,” he said. “Many of the participants in this conference were not Christians/Catholics, yet their desire of leading their students to discover a reality beyond themselves is already a glimpse of God who ‘works and labours’”.