A group of young indigenous people from the mountains of Hsinchu in Taiwan recently took the initiative to share their customs and traditions with Indonesian, Filipino and Vietnamese domestic care workers working in their country.
A group of prominent legal, human rights and social services organisations has urged Australia’s Attorneys-Generals to increase the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12.
A new programme designed to foster understanding of Indigenous Peoples and their culture among Christian religious and laity was formally launched in April in the Philippines. The first Asia Pacific Contextual Theology Program for Engagement Project (ACOTEP) was held from April 6 to 20 in Bukidnon, after a pilot run in Bendum and Zamboanguita, Bukidnon last year.
Jesuit Social Services (JSS) recently organised the opening and blessing of the Atitjere Church, a project it co-facilitated in the Sandover region of Australia’s Northern Territory. JSS’ involvement in the project stems back to 2012, when its Central Australian team was invited to visit the Atitjere community, 215 kilometres from Alice Springs at the foot of Mount Palmer.
The recent Jesuit Companions in Indigenous Ministry meeting in Myanmar provided its participants with fresh opportunities to reflect on their own contexts. There are 135 ethnic communities in Myanmar, who constitute one third of the country’s population of 56 million. The largest minority groups are the Shan (9%), the Karen (7%), and the rest combined constitute less than 5 % of the population.
When the Philippine’s newest freeport was established seven years ago in Casiguran, Aurora province, a large-scale protest among the affected residents and various groups erupted. The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO) aimed to transform more than 12,000 hectares of Casiguran land into a commercial, industrial, agro-industrial, and tourist hub to usher development throughout the province.
From Australia has come a new online book, The Francis Effect: Living the Joy of the Gospel, which offers insights from Catholic leaders in the country on the challenges and inspiration needed to fully live the joy of the Gospel in varied ministries. Jointly published by Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious Australia, The Francis Effect is an opportunity to engage with Evangelii Gaudium in an active and practical way.
Redfern Jarjum College, a Jesuit primary school for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, was officially opened on April 13, with a number of dignitaries giving the school and its students their blessing.
This year, 167 children, many from ethnic minority tribes in the hills of northern Thailand, will get help with their education costs from the Seven Fountains Scholarship Programme.
Forty years after the Jesuits re-established their mission among indigenous people at Balgo, Australian Provincial Fr Steve Curtin SJ says the Jesuits’ commitment to Indigenous ministry remains strong. A letter was sent out to the Province in February to mark the anniversary, and to encourage people to continue to deepen their engagement with indigenous people.