It was indeed a privilege to share this rare and intimate moment with the refugees in the camp. They alone know and yet do not know that the drama of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is literally played (truly anamnesis) within the confines of the refugee camps, in their very lives.
Mr Cheong Cheng Guan assumed the post of Country Coordinator of the Jesuit Refugee Service Singapore last February 21. He brings in his skills and experiences in management and finances having been in the Banking and Finance Industry for 25 years. His first encounter with ]RS was during a mission trip to a refugee camp in Thailand. Since then he has been involved in various activities of ES Singapore including Information and Advocacy sub- committees, the subcommittees in support of IRS Thailand and Cambodia projects and organizing the World Refugee Day Masses.
Congratulations to Fr Chris Wilcock (ASL) on the world premiere of his a capella setting of Cardinal Newman’s text Peace at last, which was beautifully sung by the Newman College Choir from the dining room dome at the end of a College council dinner on March 26.
The Jesuits first went to Sri Lanka hundreds of years ago, not long after the time of Francis Xavier in the 16th Century. Many Sri Lankans became Catholics. The Jesuits opened parishes, schools and colleges, especially for Tamil migrants from India, who worked as labourers in the tea and coffee plantations. After independence, the previous balance between the two ethnicities of Sri Lanka, Tamils (of Sri Lankan origin) and Sinhalese, became more and more distorted.
"We have watched with consternation the sudden and violent eviction of what remained of the Dey Krohom community over the Chinese New Year weekend. After nearly a month of protracted negotiations between the residents, the 7NG Construction company and the Municipality, aimed at finding a mutually agreeable settlement of compensation claims, the company unilaterally withdrew from the discussion and the suspended eviction order was implemented by law-enforcement agencies."
It was announced this week that Fr Frank Brennan (ASL) will lead a public consultation on Australia’s opinion on human rights. The consultation will ultimately decide if Australia will have its own bill of rights. The announcement, made by Attorney-General Robert McClelland, came with high praise from many circles, including the legal profession and all sections of the media. (Source: Social Apostolate Headlines, December 2008)
Special congratulations to Sister Mary Denise Coghlan, AM, who was officially presented with the Order of Australia at a ceremony at the Australian Ambassador’s residence on Wednesday.
Australian ambassador Margaret Adamson presented the award on behalf of the Governor General of Australia to Sister Denise for “service to international humanitarian aid.”
The Ignatian Advocacy Workshop, held in El Escorial, Spain from November 10 – 16, was described as a success by Fr Fernando Franco, director of the Social Justice Secretariat. He said: "The fruits of the Workshop have gone beyond our expectations.
In Myanmar, 2.3 million people were affected by cyclone Nargis. Millions lost their shelter, especially the ‘squatters’ who did not have a land and occupied some of the unhealthy lands as their shelter base.
There were many others who lost their near and dear ones killed in the cyclone. Where the parents died, the children have aged overnight, thrust with the responsibility of surviving and supporting other siblings.
From May 26 to 31, the Assistancy coordinators of the Social Apostolate were gathered in Rome for their annual meeting.