This year’s Asia Pacific Theological Encounter Programme (APTEP) had a cohort of Jesuit scholastics from the Loyola School of Theology in Manila, diocesan seminarians from the Philippines and Indonesian sisters from the Congregation of Divine Providence.
Education continues to be a priority for Jesuits in Asia Pacific, as the recent JCAP meeting of Province delegates for pre-secondary and secondary education revealed.
Several new initiatives in education are underway or proposed within the Conference.
“You are not forgotten,” said Aung San Suu Kyi. “Pass this message to those behind you and on to others.” Not permitted a microphone, the Burmese pro-democracy leader called out to the crowd of refugees and migrants at the border refugee encampment of Mae La in May on her first visit abroad in 24 years. Her clear message of hope quickly reached the hundreds of thousands of Myanmar citizens, who had waited decades in squalid jungle camps along the length of the 1,300 km Thai-Myanmar border.
We continue the series of reflections by Jesuit formands on the six interrelated dynamics described in “A Profile of a Formed Jesuit for Asia Pacific” as having the potential to form a Jesuit as a contemplative in action. Fr Jody Magtoto SJ of the Philippine Province wrote this reflection on the dynamic of universal perspective shortly before he was ordained on April 14.
In recognition of the challenges and issues brought about by increased globalisation, the provinces of Japan and Korea have agreed to a greater degree of exchange and cooperation to serve the Society’s mission.
A Theological Cooperation Working Group has been formed to review Jesuit theological formation in Asia Pacific and develop realistic ideas to upgrade the quality of theology taught to scholastics in this part of the world.
The group of 12 Jesuits actively involved in theological formation met with JCAP President Fr Mark Raper SJ from April 17 to 19, and will henceforth meet once a year. It was agreed that members are to be specifically delegated by their major superior and are expected to be deans of theological schools empowered to take and implement decisions.
Some 30 Jesuits from five continents gathered at Boston College in April for a three-day conference on networking within the Society. Also at the conference were lay people, who along with the Jesuits are from various levels of Jesuit governance and apostolic works.
The Society is now at a new stage brought about by a couple of converging factors – the demographic realities and how we can best serve the universal mission today.
Our numbers have been in decline for the last 40 years – from over 30,000 in the 1960s to fewer than 18,000 today. The steep declines in Europe and North America and consistent decline in Latin America have not been offset by the significant increase in South Asia and a small rise in Africa.
Fr Matthias Joon-ho Chae SJ died suddenly, aged 57, on April 1 in his hometown, Daegu, in Korea. Fr Matthias oversaw the rapid expansion of the Society in Korea during the last 20 years. On completing his PhD in counseling in the USA, he was appointed Formation Delegate for the Korean Region. He was later Superior of the Korean Region and then the first Provincial of the Korean Province in 2005. Since 2009, Fr Matthias served as the first Formation Delegate for the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific.
While he was in Australia in January, Fr General Adolfo Nicolás SJ responded to questions on vital areas for the Society in the country, including refugees, communications and social justice.
Refugees
How can we advance and expand the educational work that is being done to foster peace-building and reconciliation in post-conflict settings?