From May to August, the Chinese Jesuit Province saw four Jesuits from three countries ordained to the priesthood in ceremonies held in its four territories. A Jesuit from Burundi was also ordained to the diaconate during this period.
John Joseph Zhang SJ was ordained priest in northern China during the Easter Season. He has been assigned to Casa Ricci Social Services in Macau.
In the front row pews during evening mass at the Church of St Ignatius in Singapore on July 26, family members gathered to celebrate the ordination to the priesthood of two not-so-young Jesuits. It would be typical to see both men seated amidst their respective families ready in turn to offer them up to the rest of the Church. What was not so typical was that it was just one family – with both Jesuits seated on either side of the same mother, and among the same siblings and relatives – supporting them into the service of ordained ministry.
Seven Jesuits were ordained to the priesthood in Thu Duc, Hồ Chí Minh City on Saturday, August 20, 2015.
Peter Nguyễn Xuân Anh SJ, Joseph Phạm Đình Cư SJ, Anthony Nguyễn Hoàng Dũng SJ, Matthias Nguyễn Kim Đoàn SJ, Francis Javier Nguyễn Thanh Hùng SJ, Peter Đào Kim Sơn SJ, and Paul Nguyễn Thái Sơn SJ received the sacrament of Holy Orders from Bishop Stephen Tri Bửu Thiên of the Cần Thơ Diocese in a ceremony concelebrated by Vietnamese Jesuit Provincial Fr Joseph Phạm Thanh Liêm SJ and more than 120 local and visiting priests, including other Jesuits.
The Korea Jesuit Province celebrated the ordination of 10 new priests on July 1. More than 2,000 people participated in the ordination mass concelebrated by Most Rev Gyoung-chon Timothy Yu, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul, and 160 priests, at Myung-dong Cathedral in Seoul, South Korea. During his homily, Bishop Yu reminded the newly ordained Jesuits of the Jesuit charism to be contemplatives in action that makes Jesuit priesthood possible.
Two months into 2015, there are already nine new Jesuit deacons in the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific – two Koreans, six Vietnamese and one Singaporean.
On August 23, 2014, family, relatives, friends, and Jesuits gathered at the Ateneo de Manila University’s Church of the Gesu to celebrate the diaconal ordination of nine Jesuits, one from the Vietnamese Province (Joseph Pham Din Cu), five from the Korean Province (Seokbae Andrew An, Hyungsik Francis Jo, Do-hyun Paul Kim, Min Kim, Jaesang Jason Bonaventura Lee), and five from the Philippine Province (Ambrosio Faustino Flores, Alvin Dagooc Laput, Mark Peter Ledesma Lopez, Arnel Te Ong, Henry Cogal Ponce).
The Society of Jesus in Vietnam celebrates nine new Jesuit priests. Fathers Joseph Mary Cao Gia An SJ, Dominic Vũ Duy Cường SJ, Francis Joseph Nguyễn Mai Kha SJ, Martin Nguyễn Đình Khải SJ, Peter Nguyễn Đình Khánh SJ, Joseph Bùi Quang Minh SJ, Michel Bùi Hà Ngân SJ, Joseph Vũ Uyên Thi SJ, and Thomas Vũ Ngọc Tín SJ were ordained to the priesthood on August 21, 2014.
The Society of Jesus in Korea celebrates five new Jesuit priests. Fathers Andrew Sung-gyoon Lee, Simon Mon-hoi Kim, Benedict On-dohk Kang, Thomas Min Han and Igwan Su-yun Park were ordained to the priesthood on July 2 at Myeong-dong Cathedral in Seoul, South Korea. More than 1,500 people participated in the ordination mass concelebrated by Most Rev Peter Chung Soon-taek OCD, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul, and 80 priests.
The Society of Jesus has a new Thai Jesuit priest. Francis Xavier Manasan Wongvarn (Yoht) SJ was ordained to the priesthood on May 24, 2014 by Bishop Silvio Siripong Charatsri DD of Chanthaburi at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Bang Saen, Chonburi province.
The church, which is a Jesuit parish and has around 150 parishioners, was filled to overflowing by the 800 family, friends, fellow Jesuits, priests and Religious who gathered to witness the momentous occasion.
The recent ordinations of Titus Tin Maung SJ and Joseph Aik Maung SJ were moments of joy and unity for the hard pressed ethnic communities that claim them as their own. They were also cause for celebration for the Society of Jesus as the two new priests are only the second and third Jesuit priests from Myanmar.