Asia Pacific Jesuits in the time of Laudato si’
29 Mar 2017

Asia Pacific Jesuits in the time of Laudato si’

by | posted in: JCAP News, Reconciliation with Creation, Social Justice | 0

Environmental research and ecological action across the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) takes many forms, as Jesuit works are only beginning to engage these concerns and still have much to learn.  Jesuits and their collaborators are moving towards greater environmental awareness and have recognised the urgent need to communicate and work with others strategically and more broadly for the sake of greater ecological accountability and sustainability.  

Standing up for life
21 Mar 2017

Standing up for life

by | posted in: Parishes & Pastoral Work, Province News, Social Justice | 0

Rebuilding lives and rekindling hope. This is the motto of the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation Inc (PJPS) based in the New Bilibid Prisons Reservation, the national penitentiary.  Like other Philippine prisons, the inmates are crammed in hot, dark and poorly ventilated cells. 

The prison compound has a capacity of about 10,000 inmates, but it is housing more than 24,000. The overcrowding means the inmates have to sleep in shifts.

Promotio Iustitiae shines spotlight on the prison ministry
21 Mar 2017

Promotio Iustitiae shines spotlight on the prison ministry

by | posted in: Social Justice | 0

The prison ministry is the focus of the latest issue of Promotio Iustitiae painting, as Social Justice and Ecology Secretary Fr Patxi Álvarez SJ said, a picture of the quiet work Jesuits and lay collaborators have been doing to serve people in prison. 

“The Jesuits, and the laypeople that they collaborate with, have a longstanding tradition of serving people in prison, dating back to the first companions of Jesus,” said Fr Álvarez.

Rediscovering solidarity
8 Mar 2017

Rediscovering solidarity

by | posted in: Migration, Social Justice | 0

“So, where is home for you?” Upon hearing this question, Sediqa broke down in tears. This seemingly innocent question brought back the only vague memory she has of the home she left when she was four. Being Hazara, a Shiite ethnic group in predominantly Sunni Afghanistan, she and her family were forced to flee the land they called home. Now 24 years old, Sediqa is stranded in Cisarua, West Java, Indonesia, the last stop in her seemingly endless journey through Pakistan, Iran and to the promised land that seems more and more distant as the time passes.

Building the Philippines’ first eco-friendly school
1 Mar 2017

Building the Philippines’ first eco-friendly school

by | posted in: Education, Province News, Reconciliation with Creation | 0

Ateneo de Davao University is building a new campus for its senior high school that is being touted as the first environmentally responsible school in the Philippines. The campus has been designed to create a contemporary, sustainable and transformative learning environment following Pope Francis’ environmental directives in his encyclical, Laudato si’.  The groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 15 and the school is expected to be completed in May 2019.

Irish Jesuit Province commits to “Flights for Forests”
13 Feb 2017

Irish Jesuit Province commits to “Flights for Forests”

by | posted in: Reconciliation with Creation, Social Justice | 0

The Irish Jesuit Province has signed up to participate in Flights for Forests, the carbon-offset programme developed by the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific.  This is one of the results of the Jesuit Provincialate’s decision to commit to reflecting critically on its use of air-travel in response to Pope Francis’ invitation to us all to acknowledge our environmental responsibility.

Fr General calls for societies to welcome migrants and refugees
19 Jan 2017

Fr General calls for societies to welcome migrants and refugees

by | posted in: Beyond JCAP, Migration, Social Justice | 0

On January 13, Father Arturo Sosa SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, joined the community of Centro Astalli (Jesuit Refugee Service Italy) in commemorating the International Day for Migrants and Refugees at the Church of Gesù, the Mother Church of the Society in Rome.

“This moment presents an important invitation to the Society of Jesus to accompany, with its few resources, and to share in the anxieties and hopes of the refugees here in Italy and everywhere in the world,” said Fr Sosa at the event.