“The attitude we need to develop is to move away from Jesuit triumphalism, thinking that with our resources, our ingenuity, and our capacities we can solve the problems of the world. We cannot.”
With these words, Fr Manoling Francisco SJ opened his presentation on lessons in partnership and collaboration at a webinar hosted by the Jesuit community of Arrupe International Residence (AIR) in Manila.
Fr Francisco, who teaches theology at the Loyola School of Theology at the Ateneo de Manila University and heads the non-profit, Tanging Yaman Foundation, was invited to share his experience in mobilising relief efforts for communities affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent typhoons that devastated northern Philippines. Fr Francisco was able to bring together government, businesses, civil society, church, and peoples of various faiths to address the needs of those hardest hit.
To date, Tanging Yaman, an organisation with only four full time staff and two casual workers, has distributed more than a thousand tonnes of dried fish, rice, vegetables, legumes, and crops; raised more than P20 million (US$400,000); and helped rice farmers increase their income by as much as 46 per cent. All these Fr Francisco says was possible because of collaboration and the trust that people have placed in them.
Collaboration is in fact reflected in the foundation’s motto: “A little from many becomes much”, like the five loaves and two fish presented to the Lord, which he turned into abundance to feed the multitude.
“We are a tiny player in the world stage,” said Fr Francisco, recognising that the needs of the world are immense and there is not one person or one organisation who can do everything. “The invitation is to collaborate with those who are moved by the Spirit and driven by the Spirit to humanise the lives of people who are most affected by the pandemic and typhoons,” he said.
Networking and collaboration was also key to the disaster response of the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines. Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo took the time to address the AIR community through a recorded message. “If there is anything this pandemic has taught us,” she said, “it is that the greater the challenge, the greater the imperative for us to contribute, to be involved and to extend our reach to help. No effort is too small, every step inches us closer to our collective goal.”
She pointed out the role of the church in guiding and illuminating the path of the faithful for others to follow. “The church has been most effective when she finds ways to connect with the people, when she stands with the rest of the flock, with empathy, fearlessness, and compassionate resolve,” she told the participants of the webinar.
Our role as collaborators was also underscored by Fr Tony Moreno SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific. He recalled the words of Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ that true collaboration and networking requires conversion.
“If we are the type of person who wants to control things, who thinks we do it best when we do it ourselves, that we look for collaborators rather than being collaborators ourselves, then there is really some amount of conversion that is needed,” he said.
At the heart of collaboration, after all, is the missio Dei. “Because of the centrality of the mission everything else takes a backseat – our pride, our desire to control, to want things to go our way,” said Fr Moreno.
AIR’s Prefect of Human Formation, Fr Ted Gonzales SJ, summed it up well. “Who we are, is ‘blessed’, and we can be a blessing to people,” he said. “Call it ‘magis’, ‘for the greater glory of God’, or ‘excellence’, but we are called to be our best.”