In a farm in the north of Thailand, a man bends as he plants peppers. However, Mr Sun is not just planting peppers; he is getting a fresh start in life as a free man. Originally from Myanmar, Sun is … Continued
The threat of rain did not dampen the clear joy of the first students of Xavier Learning Community. It was the official opening and blessing of their school, the Bishop of Chiang Mai was presiding at the Mass and more … Continued
In 2014, the major superiors of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific decided that the youth had to be a priority for the Jesuit Conference. They saw a clear need to accompany young people in the way of St Ignatius, which is marked by cura personalis (personal care), discernment and magis (more).
Are leaders born or made? This question has long been debated by experts around the world. Some claim that some people are natural leaders while others insist that becoming a leader is a process. Whichever the case, it cannot be denied that there are no perfect leaders and that, whether you are a born leader or had to learn how to lead, there is always room to become better at leading. This is the premise that grounds the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific’s Leadership Development Programme (LDP) launched in December 2015.
“Two years seem to be very short!” This remark by Korean Jesuit Fr Michael Ku captures well what many of the participants of JCAP’s Leadership Development Programme felt after completing module four on May 18. The programme began in Quezon City, Philippines in December 2015, continued in Chiang Mai, Thailand in May 2016, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in November 2016, and concluded with the module on Change and Continuous Learning held a
General Congregation 36 (GC 36) dominated Jesuit life during 2016. The theme, “Row into the deep”, was derived from a message of Pope Francis to the Society of Jesus in 2014, echoing Jesus’ call to his disciples to “put out into the deep”. In the Congregation logo, the IHS represents the Society’s boat in the Church; the waves are the troubled seas of our times into which Jesuits are invited to row with faith.
The prison ministry is the focus of the latest issue of Promotio Iustitiae painting, as Social Justice and Ecology Secretary Fr Patxi Álvarez SJ said, a picture of the quiet work Jesuits and lay collaborators have been doing to serve people in prison.
“The Jesuits, and the laypeople that they collaborate with, have a longstanding tradition of serving people in prison, dating back to the first companions of Jesus,” said Fr Álvarez.
Gratitude and joy for the love of God recently inspired two young Jesuits to write a song. Deacon Soo Young Theodore Park SJ from Korea and Scholastic Jun-G Bargayo SJ from the Philippines say the song Kutafuta Mungu (“Finding God” in Swahili) was a gift for them as 2017 began.
The inspiration to compose the song came the night after Soo Young’s diaconate ordination.
Seeing divided families is a painful sight and this is often the case in immigration detention centres where women and men are held in separate detention cells. For 25 years, the Jesuits have been working closely with the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok to facilitate the release of detainees and help them return to a life of dignity and freedom with their families. Two years ago, Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific handed over responsibility for this work to the Jesuit Foundation – Prison Ministry Thailand.
“I have a big dream for my son. I myself wish to be an educated man, and I want my son to become one too. I want him to get opportunities that we couldn’t get,” says Peter, a community organizer from Kachin State, internally displaced in Myanmar.