Jesuit Refugee Service-Asia Pacific will hold its Regional Meeting on 26 – 30 October 2009 in Hua Hin, Thailand. Topics may include Strategic Plans of 2007-2010, Frontiers we are missing or could do regionally, Urban Refugee Issues, Solutions to the Burmese issue (Rohingyas), Priority Advocacy issues in the region, and Human resources and pastoral care of JRS staff. Participants are advised to confirm immediately with Fr Bernard Arputhasamy, JRS-AP Regional Director.
Jesuit Social Services (JESS) says that its program of giving scholarships to Thai girls helps them avoid the fate of many who are driven by poverty into the sex industry. Read more. . .
UCAN is now offering short video reports on aspects of the Church’s mission and ministry in Asia. It started with half a dozen in Thailand as pilots and two of the six are on Jesuit projects. The first is on the Jesuit Refugee Service. The second, Santiwana, is about a retreat centre developed by Fr Vichai Phoktavi (TAI).
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.
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.
It was indeed a privilege to share this rare and intimate moment with the refugees in the camp. They alone know and yet do not know that the drama of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is literally played (truly anamnesis) within the confines of the refugee camps, in their very lives.
Sch Wilbert Mireh (MYN) has been approved for theology, and will be continuing his theological studies at Loyola School of Theology, Manila, Philippines. He will be a member of the Arrupe International Residence. Congratulations to Wilbert for his two years of teaching at Xavier School, Truk, Micronesia. Wilbert will begin theology at the beginning of June, 2009. Sch Francis Htjaru (MYN) is assigned to Jesuit Refugee Service, Mae Hong Sohn, Thailand.
Fr Pollock was on the road for visitations, a homecoming for Fr Vinai, and one more novice for the Region.
Fr Paul Pollock, Regional Superior, made the annual visitation of Myanmar and Thai scholastics/brother at Arrupe International Residence (16 Jesuits) on March 2 to 5; and Truk, Micronesia (1 Jesuit), March 6-7. He returned to Bangkok on March 9.
On December 13, Fr Paul Pollock (TAI), Regional Superior of Thailand, accepted two new novices, Theerasap "Nui" Lyysaem and Apisak "Sak" Praithongkeeree. Both will be going to Yangon at the beginning of January 2009, to live with the candidates at Canisius House, and study English full time at Campion Institute. They will return to Thailand at the end of March, get themselves ready, and then officially enter the novitiate in Taunggyi, Myanmar, on April 30, 2009.
Fr Paul Kriangyot Piyawanno (TAI) took his final vows last on November 1 at Xavier Hall Chapel, Bangkok. Fr Paul was born on October 9, 1960, the third of four siblings. After a short stint in dentistry, he entered the Society on May 4, 1987 and was ordained on May 25, 1997.