October 10 is Mental Health Day. Across the world, millions of people suffer from mental health disorders. Australia, which designates October as Mental Health Month, is no exception. “Mental health, or the fragility thereof, is a huge problem for young Australians by their … Continued
A scant three months after its return from the JCAP Magis Asia Pacific programme held in Cambodia, the eight-person delegation from Myanmar has organised the first Magis Myanmar. Scholastic PV Joseph Buan Sing SJ, who accompanied the group, shared that … Continued
The JCAP youth ministry is going from strength to strength. At just their second Magis Asia Pacific gathering, the youth were teaching each other about Ignatian spirituality. Instead of the usual model where a Jesuit serves as the teacher and … Continued
The excitement of the children was palpable. Dressed in their yellow and green school uniform, they lined the driveway, cheering and waving flags as the guests arrived. It was a big day for them. Their new school, Xavier Jesuit School, … Continued
“If you think climate change is bad, you’re not prepared to live in this world at all,” said Fr Pedro Walpole SJ in an interview recently, pointing out that climate change is but one of nine factors that can push the earth out of circulation. The other eight are ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, land-system change, biogeochemical flows, stratospheric ozone depletion, freshwater use, atmospheric aerosol loading and chemical pollution.
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).
For the last year, Magis Indonesia has been helping to prepare volunteers for the 7th Asian Youth Day. With Asian Youth Day taking place from July 31 to August 6, the volunteers are now in the thick of things, doing their part to ensure that the more than 2,000 youth from all over Asia leave Indonesia prepared to leave a mark on the world.
How do we accompany young people in the mission of reconciliation and justice? How do we engage students in this digital age? Who are we in what we do? These were some of the questions discussed in the first JCAP Meeting of Chaplains and Campus Ministers.
This year’s annual report puts the spotlight on two firsts for the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific. The JCAP Leadership Development Programme was launched in December 2015 and the fourth (and final) module was held in Seoul, South Korea in mid-May 2017. The Jesuit Conference-wide youth ministry also began in 2015, with the core team pulling off a successful Magis Asia Pacific gathering in Yogyakarta, Indonesia fr
Establishing protocols and procedures for the safeguarding of minors is not as easy as installing a software application. Protecting minors in Jesuit institutions from sexual abuse needs careful evaluation of how Jesuits and collaborators operate in their apostolates, discernment on policies and steps to take when cases arise, reparation when mistakes and harm have been done, and willingness to change and provide structures for children to grow fully.