Healing our broken relationship with creation
17 Oct 2011

Healing our broken relationship with creation

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

Father General Fr Adolfo Nicolás SJ has called on all Jesuits to restore and heal humanity’s broken relationship with creation with the same urgency as we are called to serve a faith that does justice.

In a letter to the whole Society on September 16, Father General encouraged the Society to make a commitment to the sustainability of our planet and invited Jesuits to review personal, communal and institutional lifestyles and practices in accordance with this mission of reconciliation with creation.  

Ecology meeting along the Mekong
23 Aug 2011

Ecology meeting along the Mekong

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

Close to 40 Jesuits, religious and lay companions from across the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific gathered in Kompong Cham, Cambodia, from 11 to 15 July for the first JCAP meeting on ecology.

Reconciliation with Creation is a JCAP priority engagement and the meeting aimed to build a common understanding and shared approach to environmental issues among the Provinces. 

Flights for Forests
22 Aug 2011

Flights for Forests

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

The Jesuits in the Asia Pacific region have initiated a carbon offset scheme to reduce the impact of air travel on the environment.  Flights for Forests was presented and approved at the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) assembly in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, in July 2011.

“Air travel is a major contributor to global warming, and since our collaboration in the Jesuit mission requires many of us to fly frequently, we seek to mitigate the damage our trips cause to the environment,” said Fr Mark Raper SJ, JCAP President.

Earth, Fire, Air, Water
26 Jul 2011

Earth, Fire, Air, Water

by | posted in: Reconciliation with Creation | 0

Human and environmental devastation caused by floods in Australia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka and by earthquakes and their aftershocks in New Zealand, Japan and Myanmar is massive. Although Japan has the technology and experience to cope with earthquakes, the latest tsunami defied preparation. The consequent nuclear crisis brought the worst of nightmares into reality. 

Learning beyond the classroom in Mindanao
24 Jun 2011

Learning beyond the classroom in Mindanao

by | posted in: Indigenous Ministry, Reconciliation with Creation | 0

The third Hulas (the Pulangiyen term for training and formation) batch graduated in Bendum on May 28.  

Led by Fr Pedro Walpole SJ, the Hulas initiative reaches out to address the skills and education needs of a growing number of indigenous youth in upland communities in central Mindanao, Philippines.  The youth are encouraged to bring their knowledge and learnings into their personal vision and to use these to help sustain their families as well as the broader community in Upper Pulangi.

Jatropha as An Alternative Way of Life in Flores Island‐Indonesia
13 Mar 2011

Jatropha as An Alternative Way of Life in Flores Island‐Indonesia

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

Flores is an island that has sub‐climates. The mountains in this island are highly volcanic in origin, so water can permeate and infiltrate into the ground effectively. There is good storage capacity but there is no clear understanding of how much water is available on the ground. Volcanic earth has certain nutrients that are valuable but when we get to plant, it may not have the right combination of nutrients and the water needed.

The Power of Collaborating
9 Mar 2011

The Power of Collaborating

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

The story begun between 2003 and 2004, when Fr. Bambang Triatmoko SJ was invited to attend a Church gathering of eight bishops and 50,000 youth, in a small village in Bali, Indonesia. From the Church’s perspective, those youth needed to gain more skills aside from the general or basic education they get from their local school. Compared to other region, their youth have very low skilled‐job, which was attributed to low government support to education.