Fr. General has appointed the President of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, Fr. Mark Raper, Major Superior of the Mission of Myanmar, for a term of three years. Fr. General entrusts Fr. Mark with the specific mission of planning and implementing apostolic and governance arrangements for Myanmar, in addition to the other concerns of a major superior. Fr. Mark assumed office January 24.
Until now, the Regional Superior of Thailand has also been “ex officio” the Major Superior of the Myanmar Mission. Fr Paul Pollock has held this role for the past five years. In its July 2010 meeting in Seoul, the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) decided to “re-think and re-structure” the governance arrangements of the Jesuit Mission of Myanmar in view of the rapid growth and new challenges facing the Mission. As a result of this decision, various consultations were held and several governance options were presented to Fr. General.
The Myanmar Mission comprises 41 Jesuits, 34 of whom are indigenous to Myanmar and currently in formation. The Society in Myanmar has a candidates program, a novitiate and two educational institutions in addition to a social services program and a variety of services in support of the local church.