Sanata Dharma University (SDU) offered three batches of workshop on student Ignatian accompaniment on May 16, 23 and 30. The workshop participants, coming from all twenty-five SDU departments, learned how to carry out the accompaniment in the spirit of care for person (cura personalis) in a challenging and broken world. As faculty members, they creatively designed the accompaniment through their respective study subject (classroom) management.
In January 2009 the major superiors decided that a working group be set up that will develop better cooperation among the nine Asian schools for philosophy and theology.
The Beijing Center now opens an 8-week summer Mandarin program, ChinaVoice. It offers four different levels of Chinese for beginning students to those at advanced level. During the program there will be one independent excursion to one of 15 cities in China, 4 guided field trips and 7-8 individual tours in Beijing.
Sanata Dharma Jesuit University at Yogyakarta celebrated its 53th anniversary on December 20. This well respected university now offers 25 undergraduate study programs and four graduate programs. Strongest among these programs are pharmacy, English teaching and literature, psychology, elementary teacher education, and information technology. The university serves 9,028 students with 791 students enjoying scholarships. This year, 1,983 fresh students began their study and 2,343 students graduated from the university.
The Jesuits, together with three other religious orders, have opened a language school in a poor district of Tokyo, where many foreign workers live. The aim is not only to teach Japanese but also to empower children and their parents, many of whom face discrimination in public spaces. Read the article by Fr Ando Isamu (JPN) here: http://www.kiwi-us.com/~selasj/jsc/english/bulletin/no146/iss146_1.html (Source: SJS Headlines, November 2008)
Last October 16, a special celebration was held at University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) to mark the 10th anniversary of The Beijing Center (TBC) which is located on the campus of the university. Fr Ron Anton, the founder and director, described how the Center has evolved from the original nine students to the present 125 students.
Fr Ken Hezel (l) and Mr Mabuchi (r)
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in East Asia and Oceania (AJCU-EAO) held its 2008 General Assembly last August 26-28 at the Grand Cikarang Hotel, Jababeka Raya, Cikarang Industrial Estate in Indonesia. Members from the Philippines, Korea, Japan and, of course, the host schools from Indonesia came together for the annual meeting.
The school had only a few boys (and no girls) when it started in 1952 at an old bombarded Japanese Communication Centre in Chuuk State; but for its 2007-2008 academic year, it had 142 girls and boys, among the best students of Micronesia. Under the remarkable leadership of the school’s Director, Fr Arthur Leger, the school community had long prepared for and looked forward to important events which took place in and around the school’s new chapel Maria della Strada.
The National Secretaries of education of EAO met in Taisei Gakuen, Fukuoka from May 30 until June 2, hosted by Fr Lee Sung-il, the Chairman of the Committee for High School Apostolate of Japanese Province. The group consisted of Fr Stephen Chow (CHN), Fr Gerry Healy (ASL), Fr Heru Hendarto (IDO), Fr.