The path to finding employment can be long and difficult, particularly for those who have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time. For those seeking work, the process can feel like being stuck in a never-ending cycle of applications and knockbacks.
For a while, Zac felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Despite being engaged with an employment service, he was having no luck securing work in the highly competitive Melbourne job market.
Have you ever seen or walked into a fancy handbag boutique selling the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dolce and Gabbana? Even if we have never walked into one, we all know that these bags are pricey, high class, and beyond the reach of most people. What about bags branded “Rag2Riches”? You can find them in major shopping malls in the Philippines and in Anthropologie shops in Singapore, Malaysia and many countries in Europe.
Australian Provincial Fr Brian McCoy SJ and former Provincial Fr Steve Curtin SJ presented Pope Francis with a special gift of Sevenhill wine at a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Restoration of the Society. Fr McCoy and Fr Curtin were in Rome for the Tertian Directors Meeting, which coincided with the anniversary celebration on August 7. They were joined by another Australian Jesuit, Fr Minh-Uoc Pham.
The peak body for US Catholic publishing houses, the Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP), has announced that the books of two Australian Jesuit authors have been awarded top prizes in their annual Excellence in Publishing Awards.
There is no institution so old that it has nothing left to learn – and the Catholic Church must commit to learning about and changing its practices in relation to ecological issues. This was the message from Colombian Jesuit Fr José Mesa, Secretary of Primary and Secondary Education at the Jesuit Curia in Rome and one of the keynote speakers at the JCAP Education Colloquium in Sydney.
Solid formation of Jesuits is critical for the Society of Jesus to effectively carry out of its mission. It was with this uppermost in mind that 20 Jesuits came together in the annual JCAP Formators’ Circle meeting held in Singapore from June 27 to 30. The Jesuits were mainly Formation Delegates of the provinces, regions and missions within the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific as well as rectors of colleges and other key personnel in the area of formation.
Being able to adapt to new technologies and seize opportunities when they arise are the keys to a successful media organisation, delegates at the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) Social Communications meeting in Taiwan heard last month.
“Media comes from grabbing opportunities,” said Director of Kuangchi Program Service (KPS) Fr Jerry Martinson SJ, in his presentation to delegates on the first day of the meeting, which was hosted by KPS, the Jesuit production centre in Taiwan.
A network on migration has been formed within the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, comprising Jesuit institutions working on the issue – Tokyo Migrant Desk in Japan, Yiutsari in Korea, Rerum Novarum Centre in Taiwan, UGAT Foundation in the Philippines, Sahabat Insan in Indonesia, JRS Asia Pacific, and Jesuit Social Services Australia.
How we manage our natural resources on this planet, and do so in an inclusive way, is the challenge of present and coming generations. A three-day conference on Transformative Land and Water Governance held in the Philippines in May sought to address this challenge.
How can Australia expand its goodwill so as to provide sanctuary and sustenance to refugees knocking on its door? This question was posed by Jesuit Refugee Service Australia during Refugee Week 2014 when it teamed up with The Wayside Chapel in Sydney to present a photo exhibition chronicling the resilience of refugees and the hospitality of their host countries.