In his first visit to Asia, His Eminence Giuseppe Cardinal Versaldi, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, enjoined educators, theologians, and religious men and women to become credible witnesses of Church teaching, noting that sanctity is the “more convincing way” to attract others to the faith.
Filipino scholastic Richard Fernando SJ lived in Arrupe International Residence (AIR) from 1994 to 1995. He went to Cambodia for his Regency, and died in Banteay Prieb at the age of 26 while trying to prevent a student from releasing a grenade at the vocational institute. As AIR celebrates its Silver Jubilee, we remember one of the house’s martyrs.
The Manila Observatory is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, marking the milestone with a new website, three exhibitions, as well as conferences and seminars.
JCAP Formation Delegate Fr Norris Seenivasan SJ of the Malaysia-Singapore Jesuit Region was one of the early residents of the Arrupe International Residence. As a scholastic, he called AIR home from 1993 to 1997. In 2015, as AIR celebrates its 25th anniversary, he recalls how the house of formation helped him become the Jesuit he is today.
A new life. That is how Lilia Advincula of Barangay Calvary Hill in Tacloban City described her community’s situation as they commemorated the second anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan) on November 8. She remembers that even before Haiyan, many residents had been jobless with a stagnant quality of living. The coming of one of the strongest typhoons in recent memory made life even harder, but the surge of support that came after enabled them to rise.
Philippine Jesuit Provincial Fr Antonio Moreno SJ was a member of the first Arrupe International Residence community. As AIR celebrates its 25th anniversary, he shares some of graces and challenges of living in the multicultural Jesuit house of formation that AIR was established to be.
This year marks the 25th year of the establishment of Arrupe International Residence (AIR) as a formation house in Manila for Jesuit scholastics across Asia Pacific. The house was built in 1990 when Fr Daven Day SJ was President of what was then the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania. It grew from a felt need for a common Juniorate in this part of Asia and began as a house for philosophers, theologians and a couple of juniors.
The Philippine Jesuit Province celebrates this year the Golden Jubilee of its theologate which, in the five decades since it was established, has contributed to the intellectual and spiritual growth of 17 bishops, about 1,200 priests, 1,500 religious sisters and brothers, and 800 laypeople.
“I didn’t experience your caress when I was little because you left me on day one, and even up to now,” writes one student at a workshop on dealing with loneliness for children of Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). “But I am really longing for that time when you come home,” “and “hopefully when that time comes, I would know what it feels like to be hugged by my real mom.”
We, the major superiors of the Jesuit Conference Asia Pacific, sincerely and enthusiastically welcome Pope Francis’ new encyclical Laudato si’ (On the Care of Our Common Home). He draws attention to the urgent need for reconciliation with creation, already one of our apostolic priorities in Asia Pacific. We urge all the members of our Conference, our colleagues, and all those we seek to serve to make a thoughtful and generous response to the Holy Father’s plea.