Mission to Fukushima
20 Apr 2011

Mission to Fukushima

by | posted in: Parishes & Pastoral Work | 0

She sat quietly at the corner bench.  The crowd was pressing in that small omise (a videoke snack bar which draws memories from times past when entertainers/ talents came in droves to almost all corners of Japan to earn a living, in an illusive quest for a dream, most of which turned to a nightmare). But, these are different times.  The omise was not for “happy hour”, rather to break the sad news that not much of control is being gained over the nuclear reactors affected by the tsunami.

Reflections on a Relief Mission
4 Apr 2011

Reflections on a Relief Mission

by | posted in: JCAP News | 0

A group of volunteers from Tokyo spent the last week of March in Sendai, helping out at the emergency centre set up by the Sendai Diocese with the cooperation of Caritas Japan to coordinate humanitarian aid operations in Sendai.  Among them was Fr Yasunori Yamauchi, one of our newly ordained Jesuits in Japan.  He shares his reflection here.

Second report from the Provincial of Japan
24 Mar 2011

Second report from the Provincial of Japan

by | posted in: Social Justice | 0

Ten days have passed since my first report on the situation in Japan immediately after the earthquake and tsunami of March 11. The number of victims has increased daily, to over 24,000, as more bodies are discovered and more people are reported missing. Meanwhile, the critical situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is causing concern not only in Japan but around the world as well. Local farm and dairy products have shown higher levels of radiation, and only yesterday warnings were issued concerning contamination of the Tokyo metropolitan water supply.

Fr. Frank Doyle, SJ: Requiescat in pace
24 Mar 2011

Fr. Frank Doyle, SJ: Requiescat in pace

by | posted in: International Works | 0

Irish Jesuit Fr. Francis “Frank” G. Doyle died peacefully in Manila on St Patrick’s Day, 17th March 2011, after a short illness following a severe stroke in February.

Fr Frank was born in Dublin in 1931, joined the Society in 1949, and was ordained as a priest at Wah Yan College in Kowloon, Hong Kong in 1963.  He spent many years in Hong Kong, and also in Malaysia and Singapore before returning to Ireland.

Jatropha as An Alternative Way of Life in Flores Island‐Indonesia
13 Mar 2011

Jatropha as An Alternative Way of Life in Flores Island‐Indonesia

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

Flores is an island that has sub‐climates. The mountains in this island are highly volcanic in origin, so water can permeate and infiltrate into the ground effectively. There is good storage capacity but there is no clear understanding of how much water is available on the ground. Volcanic earth has certain nutrients that are valuable but when we get to plant, it may not have the right combination of nutrients and the water needed.

The Power of Collaborating
9 Mar 2011

The Power of Collaborating

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

The story begun between 2003 and 2004, when Fr. Bambang Triatmoko SJ was invited to attend a Church gathering of eight bishops and 50,000 youth, in a small village in Bali, Indonesia. From the Church’s perspective, those youth needed to gain more skills aside from the general or basic education they get from their local school. Compared to other region, their youth have very low skilled‐job, which was attributed to low government support to education.

Asia Pacific Provincials meet in Singapore
7 Mar 2011

Asia Pacific Provincials meet in Singapore

by | posted in: JCAP News | 0

The meeting, from 23 to 28 January, brought together 12 Provincials from 13 provinces or regions of Asia Pacific, and as usual reviewed both the ‘frontier’ mission challenges as well as some normal business.Three newly appointed provincials, Frs Yoshio Kajiyama (JPN), Colin Tan Chin Hock (MAS) and Liem Thanh Pham (VIE), were welcomed in the assembly, and Fr Sumita Shogo (JPN) was farewelled. Fr Mark Raper took up responsibility as major superior of the Myanmar Mission on 24 January.