On September 12, Filipino scholastics Cristopher Fajardo, Joseph Haw Jr., Gilbert Emmanuel Levosada, Marlito Ocon, Alberto Paurom, Roy Cenon Ragas, and Karel San Juan were ordained deacons at the Church of the Gesu, Ateneo de Manila. The ordaining Prelate was Most Reverend Francisco Claver, S.J., D.D., Emeritus Apostolic Vicar of Bontoc-Lagawe.
Twenty-nine Jesuit Brothers gathered in Yogyakarta, Indonesia last 15 – 21 July. Sixteen of them came from provinces outside Indonesia.
They shared common experiences regarding vocation promotion, formation, and identity. For their reflection points on the theme Our identity and mission in the light of GC35, they were guided by Fr Paul Wiryono Priyatamtama (IDO), Bro James Boynton (DET), Fr Danny Huang (PHI), and Fr Joe Daoust (DET).
During the JCEAO meeting in Yogyakarta, and the 150th Anniversary of the Indonesian Province,Fr Paul Pollock, Superior of Thailand and Myanmar had several great visits with the scholastics. They are doing very very well, and Fr Paul was impressed how much of their Bahasa he could understand. In August they will all go to Jakarta, and then the new academic year there will begin.(Contributor: Fr Paul Pollock)
After the excitement of Fr. General’s visit and the festivities in conjunction with the Feast of St Ignatius, August seemed a quieter month. The sad demise of Mrs Corazon Aquino on August 1 brought an end to a chapter in the history of the Philippines. Her funeral on August 5 saw a number of Arrupeans taking part in the day’s event, having been given the honour, together with scholastics of the Philippine Province, to be marshals at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranãque City, where Mrs Aquino was laid to rest in the family mausoleum, next to Ninoy Aquino. It was raining for most of the week, a poignant reflection of the people’s sentiments at the passing of a heroine of our times.
Jesuit Scholastics Managamtua Simbolon, Bagus Taufik Dwiko Nanda Pratisto, Budi Nugroho, Handy Lenggawa, Rumanto, and Suharyadi will be ordained priests by Mgr Ignatius Suharyo, Archbishop of Semarang at a Eucharistic celebration on Wednesday, at 9:00 a.m. 29 July, in St Anthony Church, Kotabaru, Yogyakarta. (Contributor: Fr Priyono Marwan)
Two scholastics from Vietnam Pham Dinh Cu and Nguyen Thanh Hung are going to Thailand for their regency. Granted that they will be given visas, they are expected to be in Bangkok by July. They will be assigned to Xavier Hall Community and be fully engaged in Thai language studies.
Fr Matthias Chae Joonho (KOR) arrived last June 30 in Manila to start with his new mission as the Formation Delegate of JCEAO. Fr Tom Steinbugler and Ms Lucy Dimalanta welcomed him at the airport and treated him to lunch before bringing him to the Arrupe International Residence.
At 9:30 in the morning of May 24, the first ordination of a Jesuit in Cambodia took place. Fr. Joseph Phongphand Phokthavi (KAM), more fondly known as “Jub”, was ordained by Msgr Emile Descombe, MEP, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, at the Church of the Assumption in Battambang, Cambodia.
It was a marvellous community event with both Fr Gabriel Je (KOR), Delegate for the Korean Provincial, and Msgr Kike Figaredo (CAS), Prefect Apostolic of Battambang, as joyful and generous hosts. It was a celebration of the 25 years Jub has spent in Jesuit apostolates since joining JRS in 1985. Refugee friends, co-workers and Jesuit companions from all those years were present, along with Jub’s mother and many brothers and sisters.
Indonesian Province happily welcomed six Myanmarese and four Thai scholastics at Robert Bellarmine College Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta. They arrived in Jakarta on May 16 and spent their morning visiting some Jesuit formation houses there. They left for Yogyakarta in the afternoon of the same day. On May 18, they began their Indonesian language courses at Sanata Dharma Language Center.
Wedabhakti School of Theology (WST) at Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta held a study day on Contextual Christology in April 24 – 25 on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. Fr JB Heru Prakosa (IDO) and Fr Bismoko Mahamboro, LTh, presented their papers in the seminar on Local Ecclesiologies in Dialogue at Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (JSTB) on May 28 – 31. The seminar was also attended by Fr Mario Francisco (PHI), President of Loyola School of Theology, Manila.