New Jesuit priests and deacons in Vietnam
27 Jan 2013

New Jesuit priests and deacons in Vietnam

by | posted in: JCAP News | 0

Three Jesuits were ordained to the order of the presbyterate and four Jesuit scholastics ordained deacons in Vietnam on December 3, 2012, the Feast of St Francis Xavier, the Patron Saint of Missions and of the Society of Jesus in Vietnam.  Bishop Peter Nguyễn Văn Khảm, auxiliary bishop of the Saigon Archdiocese presided at the Holy Mass and ordination held in Epiphany Parish, Thủ Đức (Ho Chi Minh City).  Four other religious were ordained deacons in the same Mass. 

Update on JCAP’s strategy on ecology
27 Jan 2013

Update on JCAP’s strategy on ecology

by | posted in: Education, International Works, Reconciliation with Creation, Social Justice | 0

The Jesuit Conference Asia Pacific (JCAP) continues to seek venues to strengthen reflection, and network through participation in formation programmes, and institutional and province reviews.  In Asia Pacific, there are continuous challenges of social and environmental injustice, limited basic education for the poor, and the needed revision of values in a culture of consumerism.  

Missioned to the Conference
18 Dec 2012

Missioned to the Conference

by | posted in: Education, Migration, Social Justice | 0

The Conference team is expanding and strengthening.  Consultations between the President and Provincials over several months have resulted in the missioning of Jesuits from various Provinces to core positions in the Conference.  This generosity of spirit will greatly help the Conference to keep the Society in Asia Pacific oriented towards the service of faith and the promotion of justice. 

The appointments announced by Conference President Fr Mark Raper SJ in December are:

17 Jesuits ordained deacon
18 Sep 2012

17 Jesuits ordained deacon

by | posted in: Formation, Province News | 0

Seventeen Jesuit scholastics were ordained deacon in Manila on September 8.  They were an international group from nine Provinces and Regions in three Conferences, Asia Pacific, South Asia and Africa. Six of the new deacons are from the Philippine Province and the other 11 from Arrupe International Residence (AIR).

A similar dream
17 Sep 2012

A similar dream

by | posted in: Interreligious Dialogue | 0

In June, a group of Jesuit scholastics and priests spent a week in a Islamic boarding school in East Java, as part of the Indonesian Province’s efforts against religious radicalism, one of three concerns the Province has made a priority. Scholastic Billy Aryo Nugroho SJ recounts his experience.

From June 17 to 23, 16 Jesuit scholastics and two priests lived in Islamic boarding school, pesantren in Indonesia. The pesantren was named “Tebu Ireng” and is located in Jombang, East Java.

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.