What do Pope Francis’ visit to Korea, interreligious dialogue, social justice, Jesuit formation, and religious life have in common? They are some of the significant moments for the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific in 2014 and the ones we have chosen to highlight in our 2015 annual report. As is our practice, we also have a reflection from our President Fr Mark Raper SJ on the year that has passed.
The Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) is developing a protocol that outlines steps for Jesuits in responding to disasters in this part of the world. Responses to catastrophic events are collaborative in nature, joining local efforts and guiding important international support. This is an ongoing process with other organisations and there is much learning from the experiences of Jesuits on the ground. The effort is also to find ways to collaborate across different phases in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) that demand a wider range of coordination beyond disaster.
Development officers in our Conference left their meeting in Cambodia with renewed spirits and a fresh understanding of their work. Meeting together and sharing both successes and challenges had helped them realize that they are engaged in a common effort to support the mission not only of their own Province, but that of the Society in Asia Pacific and the world. Fr Jorge Serrano SJ, Assistant Treasurer for Development Resources in Rome, had challenged them not to focus only on raising money, but rather on winning committed partners for the common mission.
During Advent we are invited to remember that God came to us in Jesus. We are invited to live in hope and to remain alert for his second Coming at the end of time. The early Christians thought this second Coming would be soon, but we have been waiting for more than 2,000 years and perhaps some of us have become less alert to this possibility.
Yet God did come and is among us now. Between God’s historic coming in Jesus and the final coming of Jesus is the eternal now of God. God lives among us now, and He will come to bring this world to completion.
An online programme to train sustainability coordinators in Jesuit schools and institutes within the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific has been launched.
Young Jesuits are being invited to participate in a one-month programme designed to help them understand the lived reality of Islam in our world. The Asia Pacific Theological Encounter Programme (APTEP) was developed by the Jesuits in Indonesia to help the Society of Jesus respond to the challenges of the Church in the area of interreligious dialogue, especially in Asia. It will be held from April 20 to May 20, 2015 in Indonesia, which is home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
Jesuit brothers must live what they preach and be good role models if they want to attract new blood to the vocation. For Br Noel Oliver SJ, this was a key takeaway from the recent Brothers’ Circle Meeting themed “Vocation of a Jesuit Brother in a Diverse World”.
What is the mission of a local superior? Superiors and potential superiors from 11 of the provinces, regions and missions in our Jesuit Conference found themselves exploring and reflecting on this question during a recent workshop held in Seoul, Korea. The 36 Jesuits were participants in a Workshop for Local Superiors organised by the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific from October 4 to 10.
Students from six Jesuit universities in Asia recently spent three weeks dialoguing and working with the Xavier Ecoville community. Xavier Ecoville arose from the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi). After the storm, Xavier University together with the city government led the relocation and rehabilitation of affected families on a plot of land donated by Xavier University.
At our annual meeting with Fr General in Rome this month, the six Jesuit Conference presidents identified significant strategies that are bearing fruit for greater solidarity among Jesuits and our colleagues globally, and planned new cooperative measures. Since the primary goal of conferences concerns mission, we dealt with questions such as restructuring of governance arrangements, solidarity in sharing resources across the Society, cooperation in the formation of Jesuits and promotion of studies in Ignatian spirituality.