Our rights, our home
“We don’t want a dam! We don’t want a dam!” This was the cry of the Karen villagers living in Ei Tu Hta Refugee Camp in Karen State, Myanmar. Every year, on the International Day of Action for Rivers, they … Continued
The Jesuits in China – models of intercultural dialogue
The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies (TBC) hosted the first China Forum to be held in Mainland China. A collaboration between Georgetown University and La Civiltà Cattolica, the China Forum convenes Chinese academics and public figures with international partners to discuss common challenges … Continued
How education can shape a nation: the Jesuit commitment to peace and justice in Myanmar
Second of two parts Thingangyun township is a slum area in the eastern part of Yangon where over 200,000 people live in tiny huts in the most basic conditions. As we walk through the narrow and slippery mud paths between … Continued
A transformative pedagogy that is bringing Jesuit education to the margins
Can a Jesuit University on one side of the world transform the lives of people halfway across the globe? German Jesuit Fr Peter Balleis believes so and his organisation has done it. Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) is bringing Jesuit education … Continued
The Jesuit tradition of service learning at TBC
One of the distinguishing features of Jesuit education is the inclusion of community service in the curriculum. The Beijing Center (TBC) is rooted in the Ignatian tradition of being “men and women for others”. Since TBC’s founding in 1998, students … Continued
A Vietnamese and American Jesuit medical education partnership
Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC has partnered with Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine (PNT), a public medical school in Ho Chi Minh City, for the advancement of medical training and research in Vietnam and the USA. … Continued
“Matteo Ricci: Letters from China” – an insight into the person behind the icon and lessons in cross-cultural dialogue
A new book published by The Beijing Center (TBC) provides insight into the thinking and experience of the famous Jesuit pioneer, scholar and missionary Matteo Ricci, who arrived in China in the late Ming dynasty. “Matteo Ricci: Letters from China … Continued
A classical musical treat in Timor-Leste
Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, Japan sent six students to visit Timor-Leste from February 21 to 28 for a series of performances. Chancellor-President Kawano Yūji, Fr Fransiskus Purhastanto SJ, and one more staff member accompanied the students. Elisabeth University … Continued
Waiting in Salaween
On February 8, I went to the Karen State in Burma (Myanmar) with the staff from a non-government organisation and foreigners who wanted to help the Karen people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. When we arrived … Continued
Myanmar Leadership Institute opens in Yangon
Myanmar Leadership Institute (MLI), a long cherished dream of Yangon Archbishop Charles Cardinal Maung Bo and the Jesuits of the Myanmar Mission, was realised at its formal opening on November 14, 2018, though MLI started its first classes on October … Continued