A dancing house. This is how many survivors of Typhoon Haiyan describe the substandard relocation houses that have been built. “If you shake them, they will move,” said one survivor. Four years after the disaster, building infrastructure that is able to withstand extreme weather conditions better remains a challenge in the Philippines.
Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada of Tokyo ordained three Jesuits to the priesthood on September 23. The new priests are Fr Aloysius Ōnishi Takao SJ, Fr Joseph Nguyễn Thanh Nhã SJ and Fr John Baptist Phan Ðức Ðịnh SJ. Fr Aloysius … Continued
Australian Jesuits Nico Lariosa, Alan Wong and Robert Morris were ordained deacons in Boston by Cardinal Sean O’Malley OFM Cap. The three Australians were among 12 Jesuits ordained at St Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill on September 3. Three of … Continued
Forty years after he first arrived in Micronesia as a regent, Indonesian Jesuit Fr Martinus Sumarno Darmosuwarno SJ still has strong memories of his two years there. “Since I was the only scholastic on the island, I learned to be … Continued
Barely two weeks after a new Jesuit priest was ordained in Singapore, the Malaysia-Singapore Jesuit Region marked another red letter day on September 1 as Leslie Joseph Bingkasan SJ was ordained priest in St Catherine’s Church, Inanam, Sabah, Malaysia.
Archbishop John Wong of Kota Kinabalu Diocese presided at the ordination Mass with 18 concelebrants, including eight Jesuits. Some 500 people, including Fr Bingkasan’s family, relatives and friends witnessed the occasion.
The Jesuits have joined other Church voices in the Philippines in decrying the summary killings in the fight against drugs in the country. In a statement issued on August 24, Philippine Provincial Fr Antonio Moreno SJ said, “We cannot fight … Continued
The Jesuits in Singapore-Malaysia celebrated the ordination of Fr Jerome Leon SJ on August 19 in the Church of St Ignatius in Singapore. Archbishop William Goh celebrated the Mass and presided over the ceremonies. He reminded the new priest to “depend on the Lord” in his priestly ministries, saying, “in your imperfections and inadequacy, this is where people will see the glory of God”.
Fr Leon entered the Society of Jesus in 2007 at the age of 40. “I am what you might call a late vocation,” he said, “but I am also a ‘young’ Catholic, as I was baptised only in 2004.”
“If you think climate change is bad, you’re not prepared to live in this world at all,” said Fr Pedro Walpole SJ in an interview recently, pointing out that climate change is but one of nine factors that can push the earth out of circulation. The other eight are ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, land-system change, biogeochemical flows, stratospheric ozone depletion, freshwater use, atmospheric aerosol loading and chemical pollution.
Two Australian Jesuits have composed a hymn about the first companions in Venice, an important image in the deliberations of General Congregation 36 and one that runs through Decree 1 (nn.4, 6, 7, 39).
As Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ has said in reflecting on the General Congregation, it is an image that “conveys beautifully” the reality that “life and mission are inseparable for those who choose to follow Jesus Christ in the Society of Jesus in the service of the Church”.
The Vietnam Jesuit Province has five new priests. Fr Peter Tran Vinh Danh SJ, Fr Thomas Aquinas Nguyen Khanh Duy SJ, Fr Joseph Nguyen Hai Dang SJ, Fr Augustine Nguyen Thai Hiep SJ and Fr Anthony Nguyen Huu Khanh SJ were ordained by Bishop Joseph Dinh Duc Dao, Prelate of Xuan Loc Diocese, on August 24 in Ho Chi Minh City.