Buddha and Ignatius
16 Sep 2012

Buddha and Ignatius

by | posted in: Interreligious Dialogue | 0

A group of 20 – 19 Jesuits and a Protestant pastor – gathered in Tokyo in August to explore the links between Ignatian Spirituality and Buddhism in the third Buddhist Christian Dialogue Workshop.  Held in Tokyo from August 14 to 16, the workshop was themed “Buddha and Ignatius”.

Dialogue with people of other faiths is particularly important for Jesuits working in Asia, which is home to several major religions such as Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism, and inter-religious dialogue is a major dimension of the Jesuit commitment to be companions of Jesus and servants of his mission.

Learning from our Buddhist brethren
16 Sep 2012

Learning from our Buddhist brethren

by | posted in: Interreligious Dialogue | 0

Filipino Scholastic Mark Lopez SJ shares on his experience of a five-day Vipassana Meditation Retreat he did in Chiang Mai last summer under the Venerable Abbot Piyatassi Bhikku. The retreat was part of the month-long East Asian Theological Encounter Programme, which provides Jesuits in formation with opportunities to deepen their dialogue with other faiths, particularly Buddhism, and to enrich their perspectives on theology in Asia.

Reflections on Jesuit Identity
16 Sep 2012

Reflections on Jesuit Identity

by | posted in: Education | 0

At the International Colloquium on Jesuit Secondary Education in Boston, Fr Danny Huang SJ, Regional Assistant for Asia Pacific, posed 10 points of reflection from the Procurates, that he said would be useful to discuss in Jesuit schools, Provinces and Regions.

1. Apostolic instruments
Do we understand ourselves and function as apostolic missions? How?

Building up the social sector
16 Sep 2012

Building up the social sector

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

The social apostolate needs to be approached from the perspective of Ignatian Spirituality, which provides a new way of seeing all things.  Fr Patxi Alvarez SJ, Director of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat in Rome, made this point at the JCAP Social Apostolate meeting in August. 

Reflecting on governance arrangements
18 Aug 2012

Reflecting on governance arrangements

by | posted in: JCAP News, Social Justice | 0

Typhoon Vicente reached Hurricane Signal 10 overhead as the half yearly Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) Major Superiors’ assembly continued calmly indoors in Macau’s Colégio Mateus Ricci in the last week of July.  From the meeting room window, the bright umbrellas of some of Macau’s annual 30 million visitors could be seen at the Ruins of St Paul, a reminder of the 500-year Jesuit history integral to the identity of the former Portuguese colony that is now a Special Administrative Region of China.

Strengthening the migrant ministry network
18 Aug 2012

Strengthening the migrant ministry network

by | posted in: JCAP News, Migration, Social Justice | 0

Jesuits and collaborators working with migrants and refugees in Asia Pacific gathered in Manila recently to share insights and ideas for co-operation among the migrant ministries within the Conference.

The two-day meeting organised by the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific was held on June 30 and July 1, in conjunction with a migration conference, “Migration, Religious Experience and Mission with Migrants in Asia”, organised by the Loyola School of Theology and the Scalabrini Migration Center. 

The state of the Society
17 Jul 2012

The state of the Society

by | posted in: Beyond JCAP, JCAP News | 0

Representatives from each Jesuit Province converged on Nairobi, Kenya, for the Congregation of Procurators that was held from July 9 to 15, 2012.

The Congregation of Procurators is called into session by Father General every four years after the end of a General Congregation.   The 84 Procurators present were elected by their Provinces and 13 others participated ex officio. There were 7 Procurators from Africa, 14 from Latin America, 18 from South Asia, 7 from Asia Pacific, 29 from South, Central- Eastern and Western Europe, 9 from the United States.  

Korea ordinations
17 Jul 2012

Korea ordinations

by | posted in: Formation, Province News | 0

Two Korean Jesuits were ordained priests at the Myeong-Dong Cathedral in Seoul on July 4.  Fr Hyung-chul Simeon Kim SJ and Fr Du-hyun John Kim, SJ both entered the Society in 2002.  More than 800 people joined the Ordination Mass presided by Most Rev. Kyu-man Basil Cho, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul. During his homily, Bishop Cho asked the newly ordained Jesuits to remember that it is not our capacity that makes the priesthood possible, but the prayers of our parents and the community of faithful.