Death of a Superior General: Fr Peter-Hans Kolvenbach SJ
Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach SJ who was Superior General of the Society of Jesus from 1983 to 2008, passed away on November 26 in Beirut, Lebanon. He was 87 years old.
Three images from General Congregation 36
It has been almost a fortnight since General Congregation 36 finished on November 12 and three images remain with me.
Responding to ecological challenges in Asia Pacific
Drought and flooding are the two most significant ecological challenges in Asia Pacific, according to participants in the first Reconciling with Creation Reflection Workshop. According to the workshop report released in October, drought was foremost in the minds of the participants, named by 11 people from eight countries. Flooding was a close second, named by 10 participants from six countries. But these are just two of the host of ecological challeng
Defining and refining Ignatian leadership
Like old friends catching up after some time apart, 32 Jesuits and two laypersons reconnected for the third module of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific’s Leadership Development Programme (LDP). This module held from November 13 to 19 built on the earlier modules on understanding one’s leadership style, strategic planning and team building.
One foot in the air
One foot on the ground, another in the air – always on a journey to serve God. This is an image Fr Ross Jones SJ, President of Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview in Sydney, Australia uses to show what it means for students and teachers in a Jesuit school to be contemplatives-in-action.
Directing greater energies to the poor and the peripheries
When Pope Francis visited the Philippines in January 2015, his message to the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus was clear: to go to the poor and the peripheries. It shone a light on what then Fr General Adolfo Nicolás had asked of the whole Society when he convoked General Congregation 36 in December 2014, which was to reflect prayerfully on what more the Eternal King is calling the Jesuits to do.
Affirming engagements with Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines
An important area of concern for the Philippine Jesuits is the continuing poverty and marginalisation of indigenous peoples, the largest concentration of which can be found in Mindanao, southern Philippines. The island is home to 18 indigenous tribes whose lives and cultures are threatened by pervasive military conflicts between government and rebel groups, and the degradation of their natural environment.
The ordeal of a foreign spouse in Japan
Anastasia* is from Latin America. A few years ago, she married a Japanese man in her country and in April 2015, they took their toddler son to Japan to visit his grandparents. While they were in Japan, they took their son for a general medical check-up and found out that he had a heart problem. They went to the United States and Latin America for second and third opinions, but could not decide on the best treatment for their son.
General Congregation 36 concludes
The 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus concluded on November 12 with a Mass of Thanksgiving at St Ignatius Church, a parish run by the Society of Jesus in Rome.
Global collaboration for global challenges
Collaboration in the Society of Jesus can be understood in different ways. Often it refers to collaboration with others, with companions, with collaborators or—in general—with those with whom the Jesuits share their responsibility in mission. But in other instances, the Jesuits speak of the necessary collaboration between their own organisations and governance structures in order to respond to global issues that cannot be addressed at the local level. In this latter case, the reference is to interprovincial cooperation (GC 31, D.48) and international collaboration (GC 33, D.1).